“This book presents narratives of positive change brought about by women, on the ground in the face of the often negative impact of development in their lives and on their environment. Culled from the extensive reporting on women and development by the WFS over the last four years, from over 70 countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia, they emphasis the urgency of locating women at the centre of the development and environment debate, whether in defining the problem or in searching for solutions. Proceeding from the understanding that development impacts women and men differently, and that the ‘development decades, have seen an alarming trend towards the feminisation of poverty the features highlight women,s attempts at rebuilding their environment through collective action and innovative programmes. The central principle of these efforts has been to work towards an equitable and sustainable life-style, and to impress on planners that macro-level planning has to synchronise with micro-level living, whether the issue is deforestation in the Philippines toxic gas leaks in India, structural adjustment in Brazil or displacement in Mozambique. Analytical overviews situate their struggles in a socio-political context, linking action on the ground to policies from above, to ongoing debates within the women,s development and ecology movements, and ultimately to global economic and environmental concerns. Reference: The Power to Change