The document discusses updates on gender research and initiatives from the RTB Gender Research Team, highlighting collaborations across different countries and projects related to cassava, sweetpotato, and other crops. It emphasizes the importance of understanding gender preferences in agricultural production, particularly in terms of cassava traits, and the challenges faced in integrating gender considerations in agricultural research and practices. Furthermore, it outlines the establishment of a university partnership aimed at enhancing interdisciplinary research and training related to gender in agriculture.

1. RTB Gender Update
Bhawana Upadhyay and RTB gender
research team
RTB Annual meeting
8th Dec, 2015

3. Updates on gender research
• Cross CRP collaboration ( PIM & RTB)
Gender Integrated Trainer Guide
Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA)
PMCA tools & methods are integrated into
Forum for Agri Research Africa’s (FARA)
agribusiness strategy & guidelines
Gender integration on value
chain & post harvest
(RTB ENDURE project)
Photo Credit : http://www.rtb.cgiar.org

4. Update (continued)
Gender analysis of value chains for cassava
industrialization (Colombia); banana (Cameroon, Uganda,
Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania); sweetpotato (Kenya, Uganda)
RTB -Humidtropics work on cassava intervention as a
cash crop in ethnic community in Northeast Vietnam
RTB –FoodSTART research on understanding
Gender interests in uptake of new varieties
of sweetpotato & cassava in Vietnam
Gender & climate change; How does social norms
influence RTB production & marketing processes
in urban Vietnam ?
Photo Credit: Nozomi Kawarazuka

5. Cassava traits for production differentiated by gender
RTB & NEXTGEN Cassava project co- funded
pilot study on assessment of farmer needs to
identify preferred cassava traits for production
differentiated by gender in Nigeria
Gender initiative in NEXTGEN seeks to fill the gap in
knowhow regarding gendered traits in cassava &
aims to integrate that into genomic selection
Photo Credit: NEXTGEN Cassava Project

6. RTB & NEXTGEN cassava- Nigeria Pilot
• Women prefer late maturing varieties that will be harvested
when they need money- much like drawing from a bank
• Women are cassava processors & prioritize good processing
qualities :color, taste and ease of peeling
• Men prefer varieties that form roots fast & give large roots. So
that it can be sold fresh in market
“ Women know better than us about varietal traits so you may
need to find out further information from our women’’

7. GENNOVATEGENNOVATE
A Global, Comparative Research Initiative on:
enabling gender equality in Agricultural & environmental
innovation

8. GENNOVATE ..
How do gender norms and agency advance or impede
innovation capacity and technology adoption in
agriculture and NRM across different contexts?
How do new agricultural technologies affect gender
norms and agency across different contexts? Under
what conditions can technologies do harm?

9. Continued..
• RTB-CIP: 5 cases in Uganda, Malawi &
Bangladesh on OFSP innovation & 1 case on
new varieties of potato
• RTB-CIAT: 4 cases on Improved Cassava
Seed in Colombia
• RTB-Bioversity 2 case studies in Uganda
& Nigeria
• RTB has 2 cases on sweetpotato &
cassava production & processing in
Vietnam
Photo Credit : GENNOVATE case study

10. Capacity Development
Gender & Participatory Varietal
Selection training and nutrition training
for partners in Ethiopia
Mentoring & Coaching on data analysis,
publications for gender research on
potato in Malawi
Trained partners in developing gender
action plans & strategy in Uganda as a
part Endure project
Under GENNOVAT 4 RTB staff have
trained in data analysis using INVIVO -
qualitative software

11. RTB-University partnership Gender Integration
• Launch of the Partnership in Cali, with
participants from 6 universities & RTB
partner centers
• Aim is to facilitate interdisciplinary
exchange among faculty, researchers &
students by providing research
opportunities, field sites, networks, &
project support to graduate students

12. RTB-University partnership
9 universities participating in the partnership
Cornell University
Clark University
University of Florida
University of Guelph
University of Illinois-Chicago & San Francisco
University of Minnesota
Pennsylvania State University

13. Challenges
• collaboration & mutual respect
with biophysical scientists
• buy-in from Centers’ senior
management for supporting
integration of gender with
allocation of budget
• Gender Focal Points

14. • Functional RTB gender team - gender focal
point -ToR
RTB with IITA and Bioversity submitted
proposals on CO calls for PDF on gender &
breeding
Gender complementary projects
Strong commitment from Consortium office to
integrate gender across flagships for 2nd
phase with guidance on budget allocation

15. Banana
Plantain
Cassava Potato Sweetpotato Yam Other R&T