CGIAR ConsortiumGender Strategy

CGIAR Board Orientation

Rome, June 20, 2012

Jacqueline AshbySenior Advisor, Gender

and Research

CGIAR Consortium Artist: Ashley Cecil; image on Flickr by Piotr Fajfer Oxfam International

Topics

• Gender in the CGIAR Strategic Results Framework

• The Consortium-level Strategy• What does gender mean for

research impact?• Integration of gender into CGIAR

Research Programs (CRPs)• Opportunities and challenges for

Centers, CRPs and Boards

1.Gender in the CGIAR Strategic Results Framework

Approach:• Mainstream

gender in the CGIAR Research Programs (CPRs)

• Cross-cutting theme for research

• Promote workplace diversity

Rationale for gender in the CGIAR Strategic Results

FrameworkFor research• If gender disparities in the adoption of

new technologies, resource management practices and marketing opportunities are reduced, income and assets for women producers will increase.

• Improved nutritional status of women and children will lead to reduced inter-generational transmission of poverty

2. The Consortium-level Gender Strategy

• Goal, objectives and deliverables

• Gender in Research

• Gender and diversity in the workplace

• Accountability

The strategy’s overall goal:

•To strengthen the CGIAR research agenda and its impact on development challenges, through a rigorous integration of gender issues in the research carried out by the CGIAR.

Component 1: CRP Gender Strategy

Gender Strategy

Planning considers all relevant gender constraints to the

research process and the uptake of research outputs.

Implementation, monitoring and review throughout all CRPs

Greater expertise in gender analysis

Research outputs and outcomes remove constraints faced by

women farmers

BETTERACHIEVEMENT OF THE

STRATEGIC LEVEL OUTCOMES

Component 2: Diversity and Gender in the workplace

Broad understanding of why diversity and gender are relevant in

research for development

Equality of career progression within the CGIAR

CGIAR succeeds in attracting and retaining some of the world’s top

scientists and service function professionals

CGIAR Consortium Gender Strategy (Dec. 2011)

Objective• To improve the

relevance of the CGIAR's research to poor women as well as men (reduced poverty and hunger, improved health and environmental resilience) in all the geographical areas where the work is implemented and targeted by end of 2012.

• By 2015 progress towards these outcomes will be measurable.

Deliverables

Deliverables• All CRPs have an explicit

gender strategy that is implemented within 6 months of their inception

• Research outputs in all CRPs bring demonstrable and measurable benefits to women farmers in target areas within 4 years following inception of the CRP.

• By 2014 Staff training and strategic partnerships ensure all CRPs have sufficient gender expertise.

Objective• To improve the

relevance of the CGIAR's research to poor women as well as men (reduced poverty and hunger, improved health and environmental resilience) in all the geographical areas where the work is implemented and targeted by end of 2012.

• By 2015 progress towards these outcomes will be measurable.

Performance monitoring

• CRP annual reports are to select a set of outcome indicators, including some gender-responsive outcome indicators, for reporting at baseline and on subsequent progress

• CRP Gender Strategy has process indicators and M&E

• Gender Budgeting

Objective• To improve the

relevance of the CGIAR's research to poor women as well as men (reduced poverty and hunger, improved health and environmental resilience) in all the geographical areas where the work is implemented and targeted by end of 2012.

• By 2015 progress towards these outcomes will be measurable.

Research Capacity Building

• Increase gender expertise: requires high calibre social scientists

• Ensure gender awareness at all management levels

• Develop partnerships capable of leveraging gender equality for positive impact

Gender and Diversity in the Workplace

• Diversity in the workplace aims to increase the quality of research.

• Recruitment• Retention• A pragmatic

approach utilising targets where appropriate.

• Recruit Human Resources expert 2013

3.What does gender mean for research impact?

• The “gender gap” in agriculture

• Risks• Opportunities

The “gender gap” in agriculture (FAO, 2010)

In most regions of the world, one out of five farms is headed by a woman

Women comprise about 40% of people working on farms in low-income countries

Mali women collect firewood for cooking on the dry bed of the Niger

River (photo on Flickr by United Nations).

The “gender gap” in agriculture (FAO, 2010)

Inequalities between women and men producers:

• hold back agricultural productivity (yield gaps of 20-25%)

• perpetuate poverty and unsustainable resource use

• make women more vulnerable to climate-change impacts on agriculture

• are obstacles to the CGIAR achieving its strategic results

Photo P. Casier (CGIAR).

The “gender gap” in agriculture (FAO, 2010)

Pervasive inequalities between women and men in:

• Assets for agriculture --land, water, trees, fisheries, livestock, especially insecure property rights

• Labor markets• Access to services- financial,

advisory, business development• Knowledge and skills• Technology• Organization• Supportive institutions and

policy

Mali women collect firewood for cooking on the dry bed of the Niger

River (photo on Flickr by United Nations).

Gender inequality affects:

(1)Decisions about agricultural production and marketing

(2)Power over use of resources like land, water and livestock

(3)Control over food availability, spending and income

(4)Leadership in the community and bargaining power in markets

(5)Time use and workloads

Risks of ignoring the gender gap

• Women don’t buy into proposed technologies or strategies if these are inappropriate (eg. more labor intensive)

• Women can’t access or use information about recommended innovations

• Women oppose or cannot invest in needed innovations

Photo P. Casier (CGIAR).

Example: technology is not adopted

Review of 24 multivariate studies of technological input use, access, and adoption fertilizer, seed varieties, tools, pesticide use, access, and adoption.

• 79 percent of studies found men have higher mean access

• 59 percent of studies found when unequal farm size, credit, capital, extension and other factors are taken into account, the farmer’s sex has no significant effect on output

• Many other channels perpetuate gender disparities such as receiving lower prices or through poor access to markets.

Example: women are worse off and oppose

innovations• Innovations

increase drudgery for women

• Women do not share increases in income when men control marketing

• Thus, women face different incentives from men

Photo P. Casier (CGIAR).

Case –Tanzania village studies

• Rainy season is now much shorter: farmers in the two villages studied adapted by growing more drought-tolerant crops.

• Faster-maturing sorghum and maize plus new varieties of sesame and sunflower were introduced

• Increased marketing of food crops, sorghum and maize, traditionally grown by women increased their workloads

• New crops-- sesame and sunflower-- increased income but led to more weeding work for women.

• Women do not benefit from the profits: all grain is typically sold by men, and women are less likely than men to control the cash received.

• Increased sale of groundnuts, bambara nuts, and cowpeas traditionally sold by women provided more access to, and control of income for women.

Nelson & Stathers (2009)

Benefits from increasing gender equality

• Yield gaps of 20-25% between men and women producers are eliminated

• Marketing and value chains include women on a fair, competitive footing

• Poor rural women increase the food and income under their control which is positively associated with improvements in nutrition, education and welfare for the whole household.

Objective• To improve the

relevance of the CGIAR's research to poor women as well as men (reduced poverty and hunger, improved health and environmental resilience) in all the geographical areas where the work is implemented and targeted by end of 2012.

• By 2015 progress towards these outcomes will be measurable.

4. Gender in CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs)

Implementation of the Consortium- level Gender Strategy

Mainstreaming

• Gender Strategy required from each CRP

• Gender budgeting in CRPs

Gender and Research Advisor TORS

• Facilitate CRP Gender Strategy submission

• Chair network• Recommend

strategies to improve capacity

Cross-cutting research theme

• CGIAR Gender & Agriculture Research Network established, January 2012.

Gender Budgeting Issues

• Many CRP proposals lack a gender budget

• Strategic research costs are clear

• Integration=add-on: is difficult to cost

• Monitoring performance rather than expenditure will be critical

Cross-cutting research theme

Type of CGIAR Research Program

Gender-Responsive Entry Points

Comm-odity

NaturalRes-ources

Pol-icies

Sys-tems

Nutrit-ionand Health

Climate Change

Equal access toappropriate technology and advisory services

* * * * * *More inclusive commodity & food value chains

* * * *Women’s control of income generated by technology and institutional innovations

* * * * * *

Women’s asset accumulation and rights * * * *Improved information systems on gender in agriculture

* * * * * *

Opportunities for CRP collaboration

• Joint M&E of a small set of indicators of gender-responsive outcomes shared across CRPs

• Joint research: reducing gender inequity in value chains

• Joint experimentation with novel approaches to enhance impact

• Sentinel sites

5. Opportunities and challenges for Centers, CRPs

and Boards

• Promote gender awareness at all levels

• Ensure performance monitoring of gender in research and accountability for its deliverables

• Invest in capacity development

• Install policy supporting gender and diversity in the workplace

“Must-ask” questions for Board members:

• Have we diagnosed properly the gender differences in constraints and needs of our target populations?

“Must-ask” questions:

Has research been designed taking gender into account:

• Who owns or controls the assets?

• Who does the work?• Who makes the

decisions?• Who captures what

share of the benefits?

• Who is able to join and participate?

“Must ask” questions:Are performance

monitoring and impact assessment designed to detect differences among men and women in adoption and the distribution of benefits?

“Must-ask” questions:• Does the Center

have in place the recruitment and retention policies needed to support diversity in the workplace?

“Must ask” questions:

Do working budgets, new proposals and financial reporting allocate resources for social science (gender) research?

Is there the appropriate institutional policy in place to ensure gender budgeting is mandatory?

For more information:

http://cgiar.orgHow we do research/ Research on gender in agriculture

Thanks!