Webinar on GenderUp; a Conversational Tool for Responsible Scaling
Photo: Neil Palmer/IWMI
This webinar will focus on GenderUp, a discussion-based method that supports innovation teams in scaling agricultural innovations in a gender responsible and socially inclusive way. Register here to participate.
It is critical for AR4D innovation teams of CGIAR and beyond that innovations developed and promoted are inclusive and beneficial to different (including vulnerable) social groups in society. This also applies to the scaling of innovations. Scaling refers to the process of increasing the impact of a certain innovation and its use, by a larger share of potential beneficiaries. Within development, the purpose of scaling an innovation is usually to contribute to one or more development outcomes such as ‘reduced poverty’ or ‘improved gender equality.’ How different people benefit or not from scaling a particular innovation depends on a range of factors such as people’s roles in their household and community, their labor tasks, the nature of their agricultural systems, cultural contexts, access and control over materials, human and social resources, values and aspirations, and agency. Researchers and implementers should anticipate who in a specific population would be able and willing to use a specific innovation, what factors may prevent others from using it and whether different people would benefit equally from it. This requires assessing the positive and negative effects (both short term and long-term) of scaling an innovation on different (groups of) people. Currently there is limited methodological guidance on how to do this in practice.
Scaling tools
Current scaling support tools focus on limiting factors and bottlenecks to increase innovation users. But they do so without focusing on limiting factors for different groups of people, including women. GenderUp is a discussion-based method that supports innovation teams to scale agricultural innovations in a gender responsible and socially inclusive way. GenderUp helps generate scaling strategies that incorporate different social experiences. The result? More equitable access to the benefits of innovation.
The team that developed GenderUp was led by Cees Leeuwis (Wageningen University) and Anne Rietveld (Alliance) and further consisted of Erin Mcguire (UCDavis), Bela Teeken (IITA) and Vanya Slavchevska (Alliance). The project was funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Banana.
Speakers
Anne Rietveld (an Associate Scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT) will present the tool, explain who should use it and what can be expected.
Erin McGuire (an Associate Director, UCDavis) will describe and discuss first GenderUp user experiences including examples of benefits.
Register here to participate.