This document summarizes efforts by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) to mainstream gender in the Sustainable Agricultural Research and Development - Scaling-up Cereals (SARD-SC) Wheat Project. Key efforts included providing gender training to researchers, development agents, and farmers. Over 1,900 farmers, including 166 women, received training on wheat variety maintenance and quality seed production. Seeds were distributed to 6 project sites for demonstrations. Field days reached over 2,300 farmers, including 215 women. The project also selected 60 champion farmers, including 30 who formed a wheat farming union. Challenges included low women's participation and a lack of gender skills among technical staff. Lessons learned were the need for

1. Efforts to Mainstream Gender in EIAR
-SARD-SC Wheat Project
EIAR
Rehima Mussema,
East-West African Lowlands Traveling and
Gender Workshop
March 3–4, Sudan, Khartoum

2. Introduction
• There are about 4.6 million farm households (36%
cereal farm HHs) who are directly dependent on
wheat farming in Ethiopia (Bekele, et al, 2014).
• However given the low productivity of traditional
varieties, Ethiopia imports significant quantities,
especially in drought years when deficits are large.
• expand the availability of modern wheat varieties
for farmers (Governmental and Donors –SARD-SC)

3. SARD-SC Wheat Project IP sites in Ethiopia

4. Introduction…….
General Objective:
• To enhance wheat productivity and production to increase food
security, economic growth and to alleviate poverty in Africa
Objectives: to
• Increase on-farm wheat productivity and production for food
security and
• Reduce wheat importation from other continents
EIAR, RARIs, Technical staff (breeders, socio-economist, seed
specialists, extension workers. experts, DA) and Small holder,
Farmers (M,F, youth), input suppliers, MFI, processors, and
others
Beneficiaries- Small holder farmers and others

5. Over view of gender mainstreaming (GM) in the NARS
The Government has given special focus to address gender inequality
and economic empowerment of women
Agricultural research institutes is therefore expected to contribute to
this initiative by providing guidance, technical advice, and information
through forming strong collaboration with the MoA and other SHs.
This strategy is thus, prepared to assist agricultural research institutes
to internalize gender aspect into their research and development
activities.

6. • Gender related activities in NARS were underway since mid-1990s
• However, formal GM aspect was started during the first sensitization
workshop (Oct. 1999) at the former EARO/ - EIAR.
 to begin a firm foundation for the introduction of gender concerns in
to the NARS – to make GSR/GRR
 to create gender awareness among researchers/other staff
• A GFU was established under the REFLD in 2003, to do need
assessment, behavior identification, and facilitating participatory
and farmers led research and technology transfer activities among
farmers (men and women)
• .
Gender mainstreaming status in EIAR

7. • to fulfill the institutional and national expectations necessitate
for the unit to stand independent in October 2006 ,
• The unit is given the position of GRCO and officially mandated
to coordinate and facilitate gender related activities in the
research system as of Dec 2009.
• Currently Gender research is restructured and merged with
socio-economic department of the Institute
• In line with GM trend in EIAR, SARD-SC did the following activity
to address Gender issue:
GM status…..

9. Efforts to address gender issues In SARD-SC
1. ToT April 24- 26 2014, 52 (9F- 15%), DAs, experts -from 6 IP
sites

10. • The representation of women in agriculture (research and
development) is important for two major reasons:
A. to account for the reality of women farmers’ lives and give
priority to address rural women need that benefit from
agricultural research output and rural development, and
B. to reach gender balance in R & D system and development.
• Aalto University (2013) reported that in communication,
people who share similar characteristics have common
meanings and therefore understand each other better.
• Therefore women trainers/representative are better off in
communicating with women farmers, especially women
who are private from men.

11. Efforts….
2. Training
• from 6 IP sites
 1993 farmers (166F-8%) and 64 DAs (15 F -23%)
trained by ToT
• Technical Staff Training-On Wheat Variety Maintenance
and Quality Seed Production given to
 37 (6 F -16%) breeders, seed specialists, extension
workers

12. Farmers Training

13. Efforts …..
IP districts Seed(t) No. of farmers
Male/Female HH
Sinana 21.0 562/12
Gololcha 20.0 494/16
Enemay 7.8 215/6
Shebelberenta 4.5 114/5
Gedabano 18.0 495/10
Ofla 18.0 447/18
Total 89.3 2327/67 F (3%)
3. Seeds distributed for demos in 6 IP
About 11 farmers who are involved in on-farm seed multiplication.

14. Effort….
4. Five field days conducted, 2358 farmers (215 - 9%)
5. Performance inventory - 60 champion farmers selected for their
excellence in wheat management and production
30 farmers amalgamated their wheat farm and formed a union
Productivity:Productivity: Demos:Demos: 5.0-5.5 t/ha, Farmers: 2.0-2.5 t/ha5.0-5.5 t/ha, Farmers: 2.0-2.5 t/ha
6. Other real breakthrough:
helpless & vulnerable farmers, and youth got support from
SARD-SC (seed) and MF (credit) results wonderful wheat
production by youths in Shebelberenta

15. GM challenges
• Low participation of women farmers in all project cycle and demos
(lack of resources, education, skill, gender role, )
• Women farmers lack getting benefits equal to men from the
interventions due to resource access
• Limitation of skill/knowledge/capacity/ of GM, gender analysis and
using participatory approach of technical staff (DA, researchers, etc)
• Gender training is not considered as part of other training
• Lack of sex disaggregated data on productivity, land allocation,
production, etc

16. Lessons Learned for integrating Gender in Wheat Based
Project
• lessons learnt are generated in sex disaggregated data and gender
analysis will provide feedback to the programmatic learning processes
that important to:
1. create accountability to increase participation of women at all level of
implementations and
2. the next design of SARD-SC to identify gender differential in
production, productivity, etc., that my need gender specific
intervention.
The lesson learned from these experiences is that to encourage
representation of women of this project that needs capacity building
through short term training and give reward to whom contribute to a
positive change of women life.

17. New Life and Success through Adopting Agricultural Technologies
• Ehete is 42 years, 12 grade, six children, husband
was accountant,
• Previously engaged in traditional and not
successful and insufficient to teach children and to
cover living
• She together with her family be able to become
fruitful using technologies
• Initial 4 onion (114 Qt=16,000 Birr), 6 tomato, 3
pepper varieties
• During the M & E she was successful equally as
other men
• FRG, in 2008 vegetable seed production particularly onion seed
multiplication
• poultry production and fishery technologies, introduced with dairy
technology
• She again participated papaya and coffee seedling multiplication and used
maize variety and modern bee hive
• To reduce household chores, employ labour, buy stove

18. Thank You!!!