IITA Gender Science Network (GSN): advancing gender, youth, and social inclusion research in Africa’s agriculture

2 May 2024

IITA -CGIAR is dedicated to advancing gender, youth, and social inclusion agricultural research in Africa. In a meeting held on 28 March, members of the IITA Gender Science Network (GSN) gathered to discuss their research activities for the first quarter of 2024 and share plans for future collaboration. Leading the meeting was Steven Cole, a Senior Scientist and Gender Specialist.

Food Safety Scientist Titilayo Falade provided updates on her work in two key areas. She discussed the opportunity to develop a proposal for the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) call and the interest of the partners and STDF for gender aspects to be included. Despite not specializing in gender science, she expressed commitment and indicated that this would be implemented in collaboration with IITA's gender science research team. She is also leading an EU HORIZON project, "Food Safety for Africa," andthe project consortium isinterested in exploring gender dimensions related to food hazards such as pesticide residues and mycotoxins.

Devis Mwakanyamale, a research associate, and Jumoke Adeyeye, a Postdoctoral Gender Research Fellow, reported on their work within the (HER+): Harnessing gender and social equality for resilience in agrifood systems Initiative. Building on the outputs from the stakeholder consultation workshops implemented in Tanzania and Nigeria in 2023, Mwakanyamale is working with other HER+ team members to identify leverage points (where) and levers (how) to intervene and address normative constraints in the agrifood system. The following steps for the team include working with national partners to design and implement gender transformative approaches at different scales and across the three focal agrifood systems - cassava, fish, and chicken. While Adeyeye highlighted the HER+ Initiative work package 3, the study aims to generate evidence and knowledge on how social protection programs can influence women's capacities to build climate resilience and reduce gender equality. Adeyeye will also work with national partners in Mali to conduct a gender-focused qualitative assessment among stakeholders, actors, and participants of the Malian government's "filets sociaux" (Jigisemejiri) program.

Millicent Liani, a Postdoctoral Gender Research Fellow, shared progress on the projects she is involved. She mentioned the CGIAR Ukama Ustawi Initiative, where she has finalized a review of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) issues in Zambia's agribusiness ecosystems and development of a GESI capacity assessment, development strategy, and toolkit for assessing agribusiness actors. She also cited the proposal for the Muhogo Bora Phase II project and the development of a monitoring tool for qualitative reporting of GESI work for the USAID Great Lakes Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative Delivery Hub project.

Other researchers, such as Christine Kreye, the agronomist and West Africa coordinator for the African Cassava and Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) project, provided updates on projects implementing gender-transformative approaches in agronomy. Béla Teeken, an Associate Social and Gender Scientist, provided an overview of the activities within the RTB breeding project. The first example of a Science Group project investment in CGIAR emphasizes designing methodologies gender into breeding practices related to crop user-focused participatory work across several countries. He also mentioned an ongoing project as part of the Market Intelligence Initiative, "A qualitative baseline survey investigating current breeders' practices that inform setting breeding objectives," revealing insights into the different levels and ways of engagement with crop users between CGIAR, National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), and private sector breeding programs. He and his team have published a paper on a transdisciplinary management system for cassava and another paper co-authored by his team based on past RTB foods project work.

Following these updates, Cole shared insights from the recent IITA Gender (research) Learnings and Exchanges for New inSights (GLENS) webinar series and planned for upcoming webinars throughout the year. He also discussed the forthcoming Gender Equality, Youth, and Social Inclusion program at IITA, the GENDER Impact Platform, and gender research in the One CGIAR Initiatives.

In conclusion, Cole commended the group for their dedication to advancing gender research and expressed gratitude for the updates, emphasizing the value of sharing knowledge within the network.

Contributed by Ochuwa Favour Daramola

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