A gender‐sensitive analysis of a community‐based wildlife utilization initiative in Zimbabwe's Zambezi valley

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Abstract
Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE program is a grassroots natural resource management initiative promoting utilization of natural resources, usually wildlife, as an economic and sustainable land use option in Zimbabwe's rural areas. Under CAMPFIRE, the village of Masoka developed a plan to allocate a large portion of the land under its control to leased hunting safari operations. A smaller portion was protected by a wildlife fence and allocated to cultivation and settlement. This study examines the development consequences of this initiative with reference to the differential outcomes for men and women. The program, and associated development activity, has initiated many changes in village life. Some of these have led women into opportunities that were formerly not available, including formal education, cash payments, and paid employment. Although the process of change points to greater inclusion of women, men still have substantially greater access to money from CAMPFIRE.