Training workshop on gender mainstreaming in research for NARS implementing SIMLESA and ASARECA projects

Abstract

The Sustainable intensification of Maize-legume cropping systems for food security in eastern and southern Africa (SIMLESA) is a multi-institution and multi-stakeholder regional collaborative research project lead by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and with donor support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). SIMLESA program that is implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Australia aims at increasing farm-level food security and productivity, in the context of climate risk and change. The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) is one of the collaborating partners in this program with the role of providing technical backstopping, capacity building in gender mainstreaming, monitoring and evaluation and in knowledge transfer and technology spillovers. This training workshop is one of the capacity building activities relating to gender mainstreaming that ASARECA is undertaking in SIMLESA program. The goal of the workshop was to enhance and strengthen the capacity of gender mainstreaming skills in NARS implementing SIMLESA and ASARECA Projects and overall objective was to enable the workshop participants to acquire knowledge, tools and skills in gender mainstreaming. The expected outcomes of the workshop were strengthening of the participants knowledge and understanding of gender mainstreaming in Agriculture Research and their ability to recognize the gender concerns for special actions/ interventions, gain the capacity to use gender analysis tools to initiate gender participatory dialogue and consultation in their programs, enhancement of capacity to collect and analyse Sex and Gender Disaggregated Data and development of knowledge. The four day workshop attracted 29 (20 men and 9 women) participants from six countries namely; Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. The training employed a comprehensive methodology in terms of learning skills and a systematic schedule with session linkages building on previous ones providing for participation and hands on practice through exercises. The workshop content covered conceptual aspects of gender mainstreaming as well as specific topics on gender and agriculture such as ‘Agriculture and Human Values: Why Gender Matters in Agricultural Research’, ‘Gender, Socialization and Farming System’ and ‘Gender in maize legume value chains’. Participants were given hands on practice on generating Sex and Gender Disaggregated Data as well as its interpretation. Working in groups of their countries, the participants were assisted to identify the constraints and challenges to gender mainstreaming in their projects and were encouraged to develop a way forward on addressing the issues. Each country was able to develop a way forward that forms part of these proceedings. At the end of the workshop, the participants evaluated the training along the variables of methodology, time, exercises, presentation/facilitation, venue and participation. With the exception of time which some participants thought was fair, all aspects were ranked ‘good’ and above. Majority of participants thought time was not adequate and proposed more exercises to improve gender analysis skills. The evaluation also showed that participants had benefited from the training