GENNOVATE: a global research initiative focusing on gender norms

Why is this toolkit important?

Women’s and men’s expected roles and behaviors – or gender norms – affect their ability to access, adopt, adapt and benefit from innovations in agriculture and natural resources management. GENNOVATE helps to understand how gender norms and agency influence women’s and men’s adoption of innovations in agriculture and natural resource management.

As a global comparative study that ran from 2013 to 2018, GENNOVATE asked more than 7,500 women and men of different socioeconomic backgrounds and age groups to reflect on and compare local gender norms. Researchers worked in 137 rural communities in 26 countries.

This resulted in an authoritative, ‘bottom-up’, qualitative, comparative study, aiming to advance an understanding of gender norms, as a basis for developing -transformative approaches that can catalyze change in international agricultural and natural resources management research for development.

GENNOVATE is three things: a global comparative study (2013-2018) with related qualitative data sets and publications, a collaboration, a group of data-collection tools and resource materials, and a methodology.

Who is the tool for?

GENNOVATE findings –along with the methodology and tools—are designed to aid researchers, practitioners and policymakers to understand and address gender norms that hinder or support equitable agricultural innovation processes within their research, projects, or programs.

Geographic focus: Some of the resources have broad geographical relevance; others have a regional or country-level focus.

How can I use the tool?

You can use the resources from this initiative to incorporate gender considerations, with a focus on gender norms, into your research or practice. Select tools also offer practical advice for applying GENNOVATE methodological instruments to different agricultural research for development contexts.

When and how was it developed?

The global comparative research initiative was initiated across CGIAR in 2013 and is the product of a collaboration among CGIAR centers, research partners, and communities around the world.

GENNOVATE has received funding from CGIAR Trust Fund Donors, including through the CGIAR Research Programs and the CGIAR Gender and Agricultural Research Network, as well as from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and the governments of Germany and Mexico.

Where can I get the tool? Who can I contact?

You can see specific GENNOVATE tools, research reports and publications, and acquire more information on the global research initiative on the GENNOVATE website.