RTB Gender Update

Bhawana Upadhyay and RTB gender research team

RTB Annual meeting8th Dec, 2015

Updates on gender research

• Cross CRP collaboration ( PIM & RTB) Gender Integrated Trainer Guide Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA)

PMCA tools & methods are integrated into Forum for Agri Research Africa’s (FARA) agribusiness strategy & guidelines

Gender integration on value chain & post harvest (RTB ENDURE project)

Photo Credit : http://www.rtb.cgiar.org

Update (continued)

Gender analysis of value chains for cassava industrialization (Colombia); banana (Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania); sweetpotato (Kenya, Uganda)

RTB -Humidtropics work on cassava intervention as a cash crop in ethnic community in Northeast Vietnam

RTB –FoodSTART research on understanding Gender interests in uptake of new varieties of sweetpotato & cassava in Vietnam

Gender & climate change; How does social norms influence RTB production & marketing processes in urban Vietnam ? Photo Credit: Nozomi Kawarazuka

Cassava traits for production differentiated by gender

RTB & NEXTGEN Cassava project co- funded pilot study on assessment of farmer needs to

identify preferred cassava traits for production differentiated by gender in Nigeria

Gender initiative in NEXTGEN seeks to fill the gap in knowhow regarding gendered traits in

cassava & aims to integrate that into genomic selection

Photo Credit: NEXTGEN Cassava Project

RTB & NEXTGEN cassava- Nigeria Pilot

• Women prefer late maturing varieties that will be harvested when they need money- much like drawing from a bank

• Women are cassava processors & prioritize good processing qualities :color, taste and ease of peeling

• Men prefer varieties that form roots fast & give large roots. So that it can be sold fresh in market

“ Women know better than us about varietal traits so you may need to find out further information from our women’’

GENNOVATEGENNOVATEA Global, Comparative Research Initiative on:

enabling gender equality in Agricultural & environmental innovation

GENNOVATE ..

How do gender norms and agency advance or impede innovation capacity and technology adoption in agriculture and NRM across different contexts?

How do new agricultural technologies affect gender norms and agency across different contexts? Under what conditions can technologies do harm?

Continued..

• RTB-CIP: 5 cases in Uganda, Malawi & Bangladesh on OFSP innovation & 1 case on new varieties of potato

• RTB-CIAT: 4 cases on Improved Cassava Seed in Colombia

• RTB-Bioversity 2 case studies in Uganda & Nigeria

• RTB has 2 cases on sweetpotato & cassava production & processing in Vietnam

Photo Credit : GENNOVATE case study

Capacity Development

Gender & Participatory Varietal Selection training and nutrition training for partners in Ethiopia

Mentoring & Coaching on data analysis, publications for gender research on potato in Malawi

Trained partners in developing gender action plans & strategy in Uganda as a part Endure project

Under GENNOVAT 4 RTB staff have trained in data analysis using INVIVO - qualitative software

RTB-University partnership Gender Integration

• Launch of the Partnership in Cali, with participants from 6 universities & RTB partner centers

• Aim is to facilitate interdisciplinary exchange among faculty, researchers & students by providing research opportunities, field sites, networks, & project support to graduate students

RTB-University partnership

9 universities participating in the partnership

Cornell University

Clark University

University of Florida

University of Guelph

University of Illinois-Chicago & San Francisco

University of Minnesota

Pennsylvania State University

Challenges

• collaboration & mutual respect with biophysical scientists

• buy-in from Centers’ senior management for supporting integration of gender with allocation of budget

• Gender Focal Points

• Functional RTB gender team - gender focal point -ToR

RTB with IITA and Bioversity submitted proposals on CO calls for PDF on gender & breeding

Gender complementary projects

Strong commitment from Consortium office to integrate gender across flagships for 2nd phase with guidance on budget allocation

BananaPlantain Cassava Potato Sweetpotato Yam Other R&T