Shifting Thinking: Toward gender-responsive agricultural sector policy measures for  recovery and resilience during and after pandemics 

COVID-19 has dealt a serious blow to national economies and the agriculture and food systems have not been spared. The pandemic has exposed the fragility of food systems and vulnerability of low-income populations and women in developing countries. The containment measures by governments restricting movement have disrupted food supply chains, access to staple food markets, farm inputs, and agriculture-based livelihoods. Women have also been affected by increases in gender-based violence, increased care work and, challenges in accessing health services. A collaborative study by the CGIAR GENDER Platform and FAO on gender responsiveness of COVID-19 related policy responses in agriculture in Senegal, Zambia, and Ethiopia suggest that women, especially female-headed households are more vulnerable to the shocks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender-neutral policy responses have increased the vulnerability of women’s agricultural-based livelihoods. However, in some cases, fiscal policy measures such as tax reduction and debt relief protected businesses of women entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector. The panel session will bring together researchers to share and compare the findings of the study in the three countries. The discussion will focus on what gender-neutral policy responses mean for women’s agricultural-based livelihoods; what it means to intentionally position gender at the core of policymaking to achieve impactful results in the lives and livelihoods of women during and after pandemic; and inform participants on how policymaking and program design can borrow from experiences of the three countries and evade the errors that were made.

 

Moderator/organisers:
Linda Etale, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

 

Gaudiose Mujawamariya, AfricaRice

A gendered outlook on the COVID19 effects and response policies and measures in the agricultural sector in Senegal

 

Maru Lubungu, Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), Zambia

Gendered policy response measures of COVID-19 in Zambia

 

Mastewal Yami Degefa - Independent Consultant

Examining gender-responsiveness of Covid-19 policy measures in Ethiopia