Engendering Research in LIVES Value Chain Development Interventions

Ephrem Tesema and Kathleen Colverson

LIVES Research Planning Workshop

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 26-28 March 2013

Outline

• Why engender research in LIVES?

• How does LIVES gender work intersect with ILRI’s CG research plan on Livestock and Fish?

• Research approaches to incorporating gender in all VC /Commodity work

• Concluding Remarks/Questions

Why “engender” research?

• In many countries, women make up a larger percentage of the agricultural labor

• Women participate along the entire agricultural value chain, contributing as producers, distributors, processors, storers, and marketers, as well as, being responsible for feeding their families

Women, on average, comprise 43% of the agricultural labor force in developing countries and account for an estimated two-thirds of the world’s 600 million poor livestock keepers.

Farming First (http://www.farmingfirst.org/women)

FEMALE SHARE OF THE AGRICULTURAL LABOR FORCE

FEMALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS

Farming First (http://www.farmingfirst.org/women)

A significant share of households in all regions are headed by women, yet their access to productive resources and services are limited.

WOMEN FACE “GENDER CONSTRAINTS”

Women have:

• Less access to land, less money to buy land, using more borrowed or illegal land

• Fewer head of livestock than male-headed households

• Higher number of orphans living in female-headed households than male headed

USAID, 2003

GENDER CONSTRAINTS AND PRODUCTIVITY

• Fewer agricultural inputs, such as improved seed and fertilizer, used by female-headed households

• Less access to extension services and improved technologies

CLOSING THE “GENDER GAP” FOR AGRICULTURE

State of Food and Agriculture FAO 2011

Could increase yields on farms by 20 – 30 percent which…

Could raise total agricultural output in developing countries 2.5

– 4 percent which…

Could reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12

– 17 percent

CRP 3.7 Livestock and Fish Gender Outcome and Outputs

Outcome:

“Poor women, men and marginalized groups have improved and more equitable access to affordable animal source foods through gender equitable interventions”

http://livestock-fish.wikispaces.com/Gender+and+Learning

CRP 3.7 Gender Outputs:

Output 1: Increased gender capacity within CG, partner

organizations, and value chain actors to diagnose and

overcome gender based constraints within value chains

Output 2: Strategies and approaches developed through

which women and marginalized groups improve the

nature and level of participation in livestock and fish

value chains

CRP 3.7 Gender Outputs (Continued):

Output 3: Strategies and approaches that increase

women and marginalized groups entitlement to

access markets and control resources, technologies,

labor, power and the benefits of their work

Output 4: Strategies and approaches to promote

increased level and equity in animal source food

consumption within poor households

LIVES Gender Objectives

To increase equity of gender roles in value chain nodes and chain governance of high value livestock commodities and irrigated crops

To increase gender sensitive knowledge management and capacity building interventions in high value livestock commodities and irrigated crops

To ensure gender sensitive approaches are used by LIVES’s research and development partners

Gender Sensitive Research Steps in Value Chain Development

• Map Gender Roles & Relationships along the VC

• Identify gender constraints along the VC

• Assess the consequences of the gender constraints

• Identify and implement actions to overcome

constraints

• Carry out Action Research

• Measure outcomes of implementations

Integrating Gender in Agricultural VC 1. Mapping

Gender Roles and Relations along the VC

2. Moving from

Gender inequality

to Constraints

3. Assessing the Consequences of

Constraints

4. Taking Action

5. Action Research

6.Measuring Outcomes

Source: Adopted from Gender Equitable Opportunities in Agricultural Value Chains, USAID, 2010

Gender sensitive knowledge management and capacity building research approach

• Identify formal/informal institutions involved in brokering knowledge and capacity development

• Identify knowledge and capacity development methods used by different institutions

• Identify knowledge magt/capacity building institutions and methods that ensure access for men and women

• Identify constraints and its implications on gender• propose gender sensitive knowledge/capacity

development intervention• Action Research• Measuring the outcomes of the intervention/action

Gender sensitive Knowledge Management and capacity building Research outputs/outcomes

• Diagnostic research output

– Role of informal institutions/farmer to farmer in

knowledge sharing by and for women

– Couples training

– Involvement of young family members in FHH

• Action research

Final Remarks

• The VC for all types of High value commodities should be seen through a gender lens while research agenda is set for LIVES

• Gender sensitive diagnostic and action research need to give insight on innovative ways of Knowledge Management and Capacity building interventions

Thank You!!

www.lives-ethiopia.org