Sara Ahmed has been working on the politics of community participation in natural resource management interventions in India since 1986. After completing her doctorate from the University of Cambridge she joined the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) in 1992, teaching courses in rural development, gender policy and environmental issues. She is presently based in Ahmedabad where she works closely with a number of NGOs on gender inclusive, rightsbased approaches to livelihood security. Her current action-research interests include: gendered vulnerability and disasters, building multi-stakeholder partnerships in river basin management and strengthening people's advocacy on decentralized and equitable water alternatives. Sara can be contacted at: sara@sustainablewater.org

Seema Kulkarni has a Masters in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She is one of the core members of the Society for Promoting Participative Eco-system Management (SOPPECOM, Pune) where she facilitates the gender and natural resources programme, focusing on issues of rights to water and access to land for women and the landless. Seema was actively involved with the Stree Mukti Sangahrsh Chalwal (Women's Liberation Movement) struggling for the rights of single and deserted women in western Maharashtra, and is currently the coordinator for the Women and Water Network, India. She can be contacted at: soppecom@pn3.vsnl.net.in

Shilpa Vasavada has a Masters degree in Urban and Rural Community Development from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She has been working on gender and institutional issues, especially in the context of natural resources management with several NGOs in the state of Gujarat since 1992.