In Latin America and the Caribbean, a prevalent image of women as housewives and not farmers has masked the extensive involvement and the economic interests of women in agriculture, livestock management, and forestry. Most social forestry and agro-forestry programs in the region have planned, implemented, and evaluated new technologies with only male heads of households. The authors argue that any program that hopes to confront the realities of rural ecologies and economies must recognize and work with both women and men. The importance of this approach is illustrated with a case study of forestry in the Zamrana-Chacuey region of the Dominican Republic.
