Opposing Currents

This volume focuses on women in Latin America as stakeholders in water resources management. It makes their contributions to grassroots efforts more visible, explains why doing so is essential for effective public policy and planning in the water sector, and provides guidelines for future planning and project implementation.

After an in-depth review of gender and water management policies and issues in relation to domestic usage, irrigation, and sustainable development, the book provides a series of case studies prepared by an interdisciplinary group of scholars and activists. Covering countries throughout the hemisphere, and moving freely from impoverished neighborhoods to the conference rooms of international agencies, the book explores the various ways in which women are-and are not-involved in local water initiatives across Latin America. Insightful analyses reveal what these case studies imply for the success or failure of various regional efforts to improve water accessibility and usability, and suggest new ways of thinking about gender and the environment in the context of specific policies and practices.

Vivienne Bennett, the author of The Politics of Water, chairs the Liberal Studies Department at California State University, San Marcos.

Sonia Dávila-Poblete is a technical advisor for the Global Water Partnership.

María Nieves Rico is Social Affairs Officer for the Women and Development Unit of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (United Nations), based in Chile.