'Engendering Agricultural Research'

Ruth Meinzen-Dick Agnes Quisumbing Julia Behrman Patricia Biermayr-Jenzano Vicki Wilde Marco Noordeloos Catherine Ragasa Nienke Beintema Engendering Agricultural Research

Why pay attention to gender in agriculture?
You cannot address poverty, especially in Africa and South Asia, without addressing gender issues
When to address gender in agriculture
Throughout the R&D cycle
What might a gender-equitable agricultural R&D system look like?
Conclusions & Way Forward
Presentation Overview

Why pay attention to gender in agriculture? A. To improve agricultural productivity & profitability
Women are essential to planting, weeding, harvesting, processing, marketing, food preparation etc.
 SE Asia: women up to 90 percent of the labor involved in rice cultivation (FAO 2007).
 SS Africa: women produce up to 80 percent of basic foodstuffs for household consumption and sale (FAO 2007).
However, women’s productivity is severely constrained by a lack of assets and inputs

Women are disadvantaged with respect to:
LAND
 Women are disadvantaged in customary & statutory land tenure systems (Kevane 2004)
HUMAN CAPITAL
 Women in S. Asia and SS Africa routinely have less access to extension than males (WB & IFPRI 2010)
TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES
 Women throughout the globe have less access to essential agricultural inputs (Peterman et al 2009)
Reducing inequality in human capital, physical capital and inputs between male and female farmers in SS Africa has the potential to increase agricultural productivity by 10-20% (Alderman, Haddad & Udry 1996 )

Why pay attention to gender in agriculture? B. To increase agricultural sustainability
Women are the guardians of local knowledge on low impact, low cost climate change coping strategies
Example : Kenya, targeting female farmers & improved soil fertility

Why pay attention to gender in agriculture? C. To improve food security & nutrition
Women control household food distribution & are the guardians of household food security.
Increasing the resources women control has been shown to improve child health and nutrition (Quisumbing 2003).

Why pay attention to gender in agriculture? D. To reduce poverty through empowerment
Empowerment as “the expansion in people’s ability to make strategic life choices in context previously denied to them” (Kabeer 2000)
Link between high levels of hunger and gender inequality (GHI 2009)
Importance of empowering women through interventions. Example : targeting women in Bangladesh

Impact of Empowerment: Contributions of Women’s Status and Education to Child Malnutrition (1970-95) Page Source: Smith and Haddad 2000 Equalizing women status in SSA would  malnutrition in children by 3 % (1.7 million children) Equalizing women status in S Asia would  malnutrition in children by 13 % (13.4 million children)

Priority Setting Research & Development Extension Adoption Evaluation Gender in Agriculture R&D: The Old Perspective

Priority Setting Research & Development Extension Adoption Evaluation Gender in Agriculture R&D: A New Perspective Farmers NARES CGIAR Farmers NARES CGIAR Farmers NARES CGIAR Farmers NARES CGIAR Farmers NARES CGIAR

Priority Setting Research & Development Extension Adoption Evaluation Gender in Agriculture R&D: A New Perspective

Basic Questions for Gender Integration
What different roles/stakes do women and men have in XXX?
How might the program affect them differently?
Will both men and women realistically be able to participate and to benefit? (time, assets etc.)
How might differential participation of men, women affect program activities and impact?
How could the program contribute to gender equity?
Page

How might agricultural R&D look through a “ gender lens ”?
1.Involving women in agricultural research and development
2. Going beyond production technology

Beyond production technology…
Gender roles in natural resource management
Multiple uses of water
Non timber forest products
Energy includes cooking uses

An expanded concept of the food sector including gardens, fish, livestock, and water.

Postharvest processing (not just market-oriented)
Value chains
Linkages to health and nutrition
Supporting policies and institutions (addressing constraints to land ownership, credit, etc)

A revitalized agricultural research syste m
Identify strategic priorities for gender-equitable agricultural research
Fully integrate gender into the agricultural R&D system
Transform the enabling conditions to allow gender-equitable agricultural research to flourish.
Build necessary partnerships

Key components for successful gender integration
Political will (including funds)
Technical capacity
Accountability mechanisms
Organizational culture
What does this mean for a revitalized agricultural R&D system?
Conclusions and Way Forward

Achieving the vision of a gender-responsive agricultural system Commitment, Accountability, Institutional change Strategic research, Methods, Capacity strengthening, Partnerships Management, Donors Agricultural Research and Development Programs Platform on Gender in Agriculture

Proposed Platform Elements
Support for Gender Integration
Strategic Gender Research
Capacity Building for Gender-Responsive R&D
Institutional Strengthening Services
Incentives (small grants, prize)
Information Services

Making History Together

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'Engendering Agricultural Research'

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’Engendering Agricultural Research’ Presentation Transcript