CoA 1.3: Gender integration and social inclusion in the drylands
Participation of beneficiaries in the process of innovation and technology development ensures more inclusive growth and equitable distribution of benefits from research and extension. When development agents engage with communities, it quickly becomes apparent that culture and social norms play a critical role in determining whose voice is heard in the expression of preferences, whether women, men or young people can participate and to what extent; as well as who has control of, or access to, what resources. Communities are organized around cultures and norms that lead to differentiated outcomes and, in some instances, interventions provide disservice to certain social groups. Although young people’s challenges in agriculture can overlap with the challenges of adult men and women farmers, they do have unique challenges (e.g. lack of land rights at their age) tied closely to their aspirations (with some aspiring to exit agriculture, while some are forced by circumstances or choose to settle into agriculture), the opportunity structures (supportive institutions, processes) they have in their communities, and the transitional nature of this stage of life. It is thus critical to understand what this means in terms of the place of women and young people in the dryland society and the potential of attaining positive outcomes from GLDC products.
CoA 1.3 will undertake strategic gender research to understand and test participation of women and youth in GLDC value chains as well as in the delivery of technologies and practices within innovation systems. A key question is whether such innovation systems interventions will lead to inclusion, empowerment and growth. On women, the role played by social/gender norms in influencing decision making and participation in the cereals and legumes innovations at farm and post farm will be investigated. Of special interest will be practices, norms and core values around mobility and public space participation, seed use and replacement, varietal use and replacement, knowledge acquisition in public spaces, engagement with markets and value chains.
On the youth, GLDC will focus on understanding the ‘youth in the drylands’ – who they are, who is staying in agriculture, who is leaving agriculture, who is coming back to agriculture once they left and the pathways they follow in engaging with agriculture with a view to targeting them for engagement in cereals/legume value chains; understanding the opportunity structures they have, assessing/testing the sectors of the legumes and cereals value chains that have the highest potential for the youth to engage and benefit, and testing support systems that lead to the youth engaging and benefiting from legume/cereals value chains. The role of ICT/digital agriculture in enhancing the participation of the youth in the value chains will be investigated. Capacity building on gender analysis will be integrated at graduate/postgraduate level as well as implementing partners.
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