integrating gender in extension in bangladesh
TRANSCRIPT
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Development Perspective of Gender into Agriculture Extension Services in Bangladesh: How far to go?
Research TeamDr. M. Wakilur RahmanNishith Zahan Tanny
05/03/2023
05/03/2023 2
Presentation Outline
Enabling Environment
Organizational Commitment
Way forward
Background
Development Perspectives
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Background
Agricultural extension helps in..
• Promoting agricultural productivity
• Increasing food security
• Improving rural livelihoods
• An engine of pro-poor economic growth
Women farmers made up 40 percent of the total agricultural labour force (Akter et.al (2015)
Gender does not mean woman only- Gender-sensitive Unequal access to productive resources
Less access to decision making process
Shift on gender mainstreaming
Gender incorporation in agriculture extension, indeed important
How, when??
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Agriculture Extension and Gender_ Indian Sub-continent Bangladesh Perspectives
Phase I: Colonial Agriculture• Experimental stations were established in many Asian countries by the colonial powers
• Technical advice was provided to plantation managers and large landowners
• Assistance to small farmers who grew subsistence crops was rare, except in times of crisis
• Persuasive + paternalistic paradigm (Top-down approach)
• Women were not recognized as farmer to receive the extension services
Phase II: After Ending the British Rule• Commodity-based extension services emerged• Various schemes were initiated to meet the needs of small farmers, with support from foreign donors• Training and Visit system (T&V) was dominated• Regular messages were delivered to groups of farmers, promoting the adoption of 'green revolution'
technologies• Persuasive + paternalistic paradigm (Top-down approach)
• Women were not recognized as farmer to receive the extension services
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Agriculture Extension and Gender_ Bangladesh Perspectives
Phase III: Gender incorporation
• Women recognized as recipient of extension who are involved in agriculture (early 70s to mid-90s)
• Enhance capacity to do farming better• Soon realized the importance of the approach but……….
This is not sufficient to address gender
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Agriculture Extension and Gender_ Bangladesh Perspectives
Phase IV: Modern Extension Services
• Addressing control of productive resources
• Beyond transferring new technologies
• Capacity building as well as broadening the linkages
• Improving opportunities for rural employment
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Shifting Paradigm
Sustainable
Top-downInform
T&V systems Consult Involve CollaborateEffective
Rese
arch
Deve
lopm
ent
Trai
ning
Educ
ation
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Shifting ParadigmFrom To
Increasing production /productivity Improved income and more productive employment opportunities
Training Demand based training and gender incorporation
Distribution of inputs Development of local capacity for sustained availability of inputs and services by gender
Selection of interventions based on PRA
Demand-led and based on analysis of client data
Centrally designed ideas Both male and female aspirations carefully analyzed
Fixed/uniform Evolving/diverseIndividual Working in partnershipInclusion by accident Inclusion by design
Still lacking …………………………………to integrate gender into extension
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Enabling Environment- Policy Level
National Agriculture Policy 2013 (from Bengali version)- Increased women participation in management decision making and their advancement in
agriculture; - Ensure women’s equal access to agricultural inputs including technology; - Efforts will be made to ensure non-discrimination in wages.
New Agriculture Extension Policy 2015 (Draft in Bengali)- Tenant farmers, young, women and land less families should give especial priority;- Women farmers are encouraged to lead and occupy decision making positions;
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Enabling environment- Policy Level
7th Five Year Plan (Four Strategic plan related to women)- Improve women’s human capabilities- Increase women’s economic gains - Enhance women’s voice and agency - Create an enabling environment for women’s advancement
Other Relevant PoliciesNational Women Development Policy- 2011National Rural Development Policy- 2011
National Food Policy 2008 - Plan of Action (2008-2015)Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-II
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Enabling Environment- Policy Level
Goal#1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere1.2 Reduce poverty at least by half the proportion of men, women and children
1.4 Ensure that all men and women, ……..have equal rights to economic resources…..
1.a Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies
Goal#5 Achieving Gender Equality5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls;
5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls;
5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage
5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work
5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership
Sustainable Development Goals
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Enabling Environment- Policy Level
Goal#2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture production
1.1 Ensure access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round;
2.3 Double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food
producers, in particular women,..
Sustainable Development Goals
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Organizational Commitment Agricultural Universities
Mandate: Offering higher education and research in agricultural field
Education: Profession based agricultural education
Research: Producing researcher for agricultural development (basic and applied research)
Technology generate & Transfer: Innovate new technology and disseminate them at certain level
20
80
Gender & Extension Others
Sylhet AU
4
96
Gender & Extension Others
Sher E Bangla AU
1
99
Gender & Extension Others
BSMRAU
13.4
86.6
Gender & Extension Others
BAU
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Organizational Commitment
Issues BAU BSMRAU Sher-e Bangla AU Sylhet AU
Achievement Skilled human capital for modernizing agriculture
Change agent for solving agricultural problem
Limited extension services
Outreach center disseminating developed varieties and technologies
Outreach programs offering training to farmers, agricultural professionals and teachers, organizing farmer’s group and solving agricultural problems
Agricultural graduate and applied research
Gaps
Small scale area coverage
At undergraduate level no distinct course on gender and development
Advanced research on gender and extension services
At undergraduate level no distinct course on gender and development
No institutionalized extension services
At undergraduate level need course on gender and development
No institutionalized extension services
More research on gender and agriculture extension
At undergraduate level course on gender and development
No institutionalized extension services
More research on gender, and extension
Agricultural Universities
There is a course at MS level related to Gender
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Organizational Commitment Research Organizations
Mandate: Innovation and technology dissemination
Research: New technology, disease inspection, socio-economic analysis
Training or Skill Development: Extension workers, researchers, farmers, other personnel
Technology Transfer: To the end users at certain percent (Trail and dissemination)
Issues BARI BRRI BINA BFRI BLRI
Reviewed Documents No. 15 20 21 20 89
Relevant to gender and extension 2 10 6 ext. 1-ext. 2- ext.
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Organizational Commitment Research Organizations
5050
Gender & Extension Others
BRRI
13
87
Gender & Extension Others
BARI
10
90
Gender & Extension Others
BINA
9
91
Gender & Extension Others
BFRI2
98
Gender & Extension Others
BLRI
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Organizational Commitment Research Organizations
Issues BARI BRRI BINA BFRI BLRI
Achievements
Development of 936 technologiesClimate sensitive and farmer’s responsive technologies
Tripling annual rice productionBRRI technology-income generation and employment creation
Improved livelihoodDissemination of problem solving technologies (salt / disease resistance, shorter duration)Training and dissemination
Farmer’s training
Dissemination of BFRI invented technology
Household earnings
Livelihood improvements
Gaps More attention has been paid on economic suitability ignored social issues
Provision of future planning for extension but not explicitly gender
Emphasis on economic feasibility with little/no importance on social aspects
Future priority on gender equality but yet to implement
Need attention on gender incorporation
They also offer training for the farmers, and technical professional
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Organizational Commitment
Issues BARC
Mandate Coordinate research and foster inter-institute collaboration;
Monitor and review the research program of NARS institutes; Like APEXAssist institutes to strengthen research capacities,
Establish system-wide operational policies and standard management procedures
Activities relevant to gender and extension
No specific intervention has been identified
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Organizational Commitment Training and Applied research
Mandate: Need based initiatives to improve livelihoodsTraining or Skill Development: Income generating activities Applied Research: Rural developmentTechnology Transfer: To the end users
Issues RDA BARD
Reviewed Documents No.
50 162
Relevant to gender and extension
29 18
11
91
Gender & ExtensionOthers
BARD
42
58Gender & ExtensionOthers
RDA
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Organizational Commitment
Issues RDA BARD
Achievements • Rural development• Women in extension• Poverty alleviation• Progress in gender relation• Explicit gender division
• Technology demonstration services• Extensive training on gender inclusion• Rural development
Gaps Need to increase coverage More applied research
Training and Applied research
They offer training for the farmers, and different professional
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Organizational Commitment DAE
Mandate:Providing extension services to ensure socio-economic developmentTraining or Skill Development: Both farmers and professionals
Technology Transfer: To the end users
Issues DAE
Reviewed Documents No. 50
Relevant to gender and extension
15
30
70
Gender & Extension Others
DAE
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Organizational Commitment
Issues DAE Achievements • Highest extension coverage
• Improved livelihood through improved technology transfer
• Farmers’ training components also strong (gender also considered)
Gaps Integrating gender into development agendaMore collaboration needed with others
DAE
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Organizational Commitment Dev. organizations
Mandate: Socio-economic development and ensure equityResearch: Economic and social development
Training or Skill Development: Women, men, practitionersTechnology Transfer: Supported by Govt./ other agencies
Issue Dev. Organizations
No. of organizations reviewed 39Working on gender and nutrition 37
5
95
Gender & Extension Others
Dev. Organiza-tions
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Organizational Commitment
Issues Development Organizations
Achievements • Progress on health and education• Social and economic empowerment• Inclusiveness of marginal population• Extension services
Gaps More focus on human rights and justice but lacking
continuation of work as well as inadequate participant coverage
Dev. Organizations
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EXPERT OPINION
• Recognized the importance of gender inclusion in research/project/training
• Realized the importance of extension coverage- few of them not clear with specific interventions
• All reported the strong needs for collaboration and integration
With some observations---• Previous initiative did not work• Superiority ….. Complexity• Acceptability • Distinct features…..??
Source: KIIs
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Sustainable
Top-downInform
T&V systems Consult Involve Collaborate
Effective
Rese
arch
Deve
lopm
ent
Trai
ning
Educ
ation
WHERE WE ARE?
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Way Forward
Integration and collaboration of education, research, extension and development organizations
Sustainable agriculture extension services in Bangladesh
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THANKS