Gender Analysis Tools In Agriculture

Learning about the system and initial diagnosis (managing bias - farmer selection; wealth ranking; participatory methodologies for analyzing household activities, resources, and benefits; structured interviewing in Ecuador - incorporating gender into diagnostic field research; using open exploratory surveys to identify local cassava varieties and practices; workshops for gathering information; using focus groups with rural women; incoporating gender in conceptual diagrams of households; investigating contradictions and mysteries; addressing full-family dynamics in rural development; obtaining data on gender and intrahousehold issues); Research planning, on-farm experimentation, and trials assessment (productivity profiles of women agricultural producers; gender-disaggregated activity calendar; community approach to selection for on-farm trials; women and trials management in botswana - experiences with farmer groups; influence of the Aramachay Women's Production Committee on trial design; Respecting the culture in cultural practices - gender in on-farm trials; integrating farmer experts into on-station research; value of participant observation and experimentation; evaluation of bean varieties by men and women in small farm systems); On-going diagnosis and special studies (community approach to identifying household variables influencing farming decisions; household record keeping as a means of understanding farmers'decision making; time allocation studies - methodological note; selecting methods of time allocation research; juego de registro; evaluating the acceptability of crop varieties prior to introduction; dry bean utilization and fueldwood conservation); Extension, training, and institutionalization (extension feedback and communication - case from Ecuador; evaluation and transfer of new food crop varieties by home economics groups; application of an analysis of full-family dynamics in egypt; bridging the information gap in integrated pest management; training in gender analysis in agricultural research - use of case studies; training in integrating a gender perspective into farming systems research; national workshop on research methodology on the role of women in rice farming systems; using local case material; practical considerations for improving gender-based research; women's agricultural production committees and the participative-research-action approach; integrating a women's program into the mali farming systems project volet-OHV; incorporating gender into a national program of farming systems research; letter from the field - reflections on gender-sensitive research).

"This manual is prepared in order to provide information on how to conduct gender analysis using different parameters and PRA [participatory rural appraisal] tools. It is intended to collect information at farm level, with groups or individuals of farmers for assessing needs and identifying constraints, challenges and opportunities that can help to establish and formulate an efficient, effective, and sustainable research design"--P. 4 of cover.

This is a single-volume guide to all the main analytical frameworks for gender-sensitive research and planning. It draws on the experience of trainers and practitioners, and includes step-by-step instructions for using the frameworks.

To support gender analysis in agriculture, household surveys should be better designed to capture gender-specific control and ownership of agricultural resources such as male-owned, female-owned, and jointly owned assets. This paper offers guidelines on how to improve data collection efforts to ensure that women farmers are interviewed and that their voices are heard. Researchers need to clarify who should be interviewed, how to structure the interview, and how to identify which people are involved in various activities, as owners, managers, workers, and decisionmakers. It is important not simply to assume that one particular person does these activities based on social norms, but instead to ask the questions to allow for a range of answers that can demonstrate how the gender patterns in agriculture are changing. To assist in these efforts, the paper provides an overview of relevant questions to include, emphasizing that whenever questions are asked about ownership and access to resources, answers should be associated with individuals. Finally, collecting data on the institutions that are related to agricultural production and marketing allows analysis of the gender-based constraints and opportunities that they present.

FAO’s Gender and Rural Advisory Services Assessment Tool (GRAST) is designed to support providers of rural advisory services in their efforts to develop gender-sensitive programmes. By undertaking a gender assessment of rural advisory services at policy, organizational and individual levels, GRAST provides entry points for improving the gender-responsiveness of the design and delivery of advisory services in a truly transformative manner. Its ultimate objective is to ensure that rural advisory services respond to the needs and priorities of both rural women and men and that, as a consequence, they can equally access to and benefit from these services.

Over the past decade, interest in gender equality and women’s empowerment has grown rapidly, creating a unique opportunity to institutionalize gender research within agricultural research for development. This book, edited by researchers from the CGIAR Gender Platform, reviews and reflects on the growing body of evidence from gender research. It marks a shift a way from a traditional focus on how gender analysis can contribute to improved productivity, flipping the question to ask, How does agricultural and environmental research and development contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment? Chapters synthesize the wide range of CGIAR and other research in this area, covering breeding research and seed systems, value chain participation, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, natural resources, climate adaptation and mitigation, the “feminization” of agriculture, women’s role in agricultural research, and emerging gender transformative approaches.

Agricultural development research aims to generate new knowledge or to retrieve and apply existing forms of knowledge in ways that can be used to improve the welfare of people who are living in poverty or are otherwise excluded, for instance by gender-based discrimination. Its effective application therefore requires ongoing dialogue with and the strong engagement of men and women from poor marginal farming communities. This book discusses opportunities afforded by effective knowledge pathways linking researchers and farmers, underpinned by participatory research and gender analysis. It sets out practices and debates in gender-sensitive participatory research and technology development, concentrating on the empirical issues of implementation, impact assessment, and institutionalisation of approaches for the wider development and research community. It includes six full-length chapters and eight brief practical notes and is enhanced by an annotated resources list of relevant publications, organisations, and websites adding to the portfolio of approaches and tools discussed by the contributors. Most of the 33 contributing authors work in the specialised agencies that form part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). This book was published as a special issue of Development in Practice.