Training and field report: Identifying and measuring the effectiveness of different combination of socio-technical innovation bundles on empowerment and resilience in Kenya

Abstract

The study was conducted by the Harnessing Gender and Social Equality for Resilience in Agrifood Systems (HER+) initiative in collaboration with UU in the context of the UU learning sites and HER+ learning labs. The UU initiative aims to support climate-resilient agriculture and livelihoods in 12 countries in East and Southern Africa by helping millions of smallholders intensify, diversify and reduce the risks in maizebased farming through improved extension services, small and medium enterprise development, supporting governance frameworks and increased investment with a gender and social inclusion lens. While the HER+ initiative Work Package 2 (WP2) of HER+, i.e., EMPOWER: worked with participants in the UU sites to identify and prioritize socio-technical bundled innovations for women’s empowerment and resilience. It provided a space to discuss missing social innovations that often constraint access, control and use of technology often affected by gender and other intersecting elements such as age, ethnicity, education and wealth that limit access to resources, decision-making processes, services, or information. These restrictive norms, policy and hindering environments often limit the uptake and empowerment of women as partners in designing, promoting, and using climate-smart solutions. WP2 contributes to filling the gap by providing evidence about the reasons for women’s limited uptake of innovations and developing decision-support tools to guide the design and implementation of STIBs, particularly paying attention to gender and social inclusion.