CGIAR

www.iita.org

Summary and Recommendations

Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013 IITA, Ibadan, 26–27 November 2013,

Gender Workshop

IntroductionDuring the 2013 R4D week, a half day Gender workshop was organized (26– 27 November 27). The aim was to continue creating awareness on the importance of mainstreaming gender at IITA and integrating it in its research agenda.

Summary Plenary presentation: On the first day, the workshop started with a one hour lecture titled “Awareness, Analysis and Action: Gender in Agricultural R4D” by Dr Helen Hambly Odame from Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph, Canada.

Dr Odame’s presentation focused on the continuing efforts of addressing gender issues in agricultural R4D and the “gender gap” in agriculture. She reviewed the historical evolution of various gender-related initiatives within the CGIAR and provided a guide and advice on how IITA can improve on gender mainstreaming both at the research program/project level and institutional/HR-related policy level.

Group discussions: The next day participants were divided into groups to discuss various topics around gender at IITA, after which they presented their deliberations in a plenary session for further discussion. The topics were:

• CurrentgenderawarenessinIITA• Investingingendermainstreaming• Ensuringthecollectionofsex-disaggregated

data and gender analysis • Actionandcollaborationwithinandacross

programs/projects.

Woman maize farmer.

IITA scientist Charity Mutegi works with partners in managing aflatoxin contamination in Kenya.

IITA project manager Melba Mussagy facilitates breakout session on gender.

Summary and RecommendationsGender Workshop: Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013 2

From all the activities and discussions, the participants stressed the importance of mainstreaming gender at IITA - at the institution level to create a gender-friendly working environment and in R4D for more impact.

Challenges

The participants identified some of the key challenges to gender mainstreaming at the institute. They included lack of a clear gender strategy both at the institutional and research levels and limited human resources (gender specialists); lack of capacity among research to tackle gender issues in the research activities. They also noted a general lack of interest among some of the scientists and management in gender issues – the low attendance by scientists especially socioeconomists and absence of management at the workshop, for example, was noted.

Gender mainstreaming discussion during 2013 R4D Week.

Seed production specialist Beatrice Aeghewi conducts training for farmers.

Recommendations and way forward

The participants concluded by making recommendations to the management (see Annex 1) on ways to improve gender issues at the institute. Among others, called upon management to send a clear signal on its commitment to mainstream gender at IITA by creating a gender and diversity unit at the institute to take the lead on strengthening gender mainstreaming in the institute and to have at least one gender specialist at each of the hubs to adequately support researchers in incorporating gender in their research.

“..participants called upon the management to send a clear signal on its commitment to mainstreaming gender at IITA by creating a gender and diversity unit at the institute to take a lead on strengthening gender mainstreaming in the institute and to have at least one gender specialist at each of the hubs to adequately support researchers in incorporating gender in their research.”

3Summary and RecommendationsGender Workshop: Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013

Feedback on the workshopParticipants said the workshop was exciting, educative and successful. They praised the quality of the gender lecture, the way it was summarized and workshop the objectives elaborated, facilitation and active participation in the breakout group exercises, and presentations at the plenary.

Farmer selects preferred yam varieties in Ghana.

4Summary and RecommendationsGender Workshop: Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013

Annexes

Summary and RecommendationsGender Workshop: Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013 5

Annex 1. Way forward and recommendations

Recommendations

1. Management to take the lead: IITA management to take the lead on stressing the importance of gender in research and the workplace, and creating a conducive environment for gender in research and in the work environment. This requires not only developing a clear gender strategy, but also communicating the strategy in a language that is easy to understand by the scientists, technicians, and all supporting the R4D agenda and IITA’s vision and mission.

2. Gender investment: IITA management to establish a Gender & Diversity unit, as a cross-cutting research unit (similar to biometrics), to enable gender mainstreaming in R4D. The Unit should be led by a director who will devote full time to gender issues only. By taking this initiative IITA will demonstrate its commitment to gender research and set the standard that could serve as an example to other centers.

Secondly there should be at least one gender mainstreaming specialist per hub to lead/ build capacity/backstop, and audit gender mainstreaming efforts. This calls for resources to support gender research and training needs.

3. Fair representation: There is need to increase number of women both as researchers and in decision making roles. Management to look at ways to provide incentives for women researchers who are mothers of young kids thus making IITA an equal opportunity employer with a level playing field for all.

4. Gender Performance Indicator Matrix (GPIM): GPIM should be developed and included to review how gender has been mainstreamed in the programs; project work plans, activities, and outputs. GPIM can also include staff capacity, gender-based partnerships, downstream implementation and outcomes, including reports and papers on peer reviewed journal. The weight given to all these indicators can be used to budget support and incentives (positive and negative) to projects and programs. It encourages healthy competition between programs and projects for best gender performance at all levels and enhance contributions to equity based on gender equality. GPIM can start as a simple and straightforward gender appraisal too or serve as a gender protocol and gradually be further elaborated depending on lessons learned.

5. Gender audit: Carry out a gender audit and identify the gaps. The audit can be combined with annual or bi-annual assessment of progress made on gender research and institutional and HR-related gender advocacy to measure progress and change made in shaping the institute’s culture and praxis with regard to gender equality and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and recognition of ethnicity, race and other social differentiation also have a role in creating a healthy institute based on equality.

Scientists ensure that gender is incorporated in research proposals.

6Summary and RecommendationsGender Workshop: Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013

Exercise 1. Gender mainstreaming at IITAThe participants were asked to discuss in pairs the questions they had on gender mainstreaming at IITA and present their two best questions. The questions asked by the participants could be grouped into the following main areas: 1. Institutional mainstreaming of gender2. Guidance on mainstream gender in

project and research activities and to do gender analysis and incorporate findings into action

3. How and if we should actively engage in gender roles in society –

Annex2.GroupExercises

involvement in gender transformation. What is the target of our gender activities? 4. Uncertainty about gender roles in different cultures prevents researchers from properly addressing

gender in our research project and get good adoption of our technologies and innovations.5. The resources to do gender work

Exercise 2. Moving ahead on gender awareness, analysis & action The participants were divided into four groups which tackled various questions on how IITA, in all its activities, can move ahead on its pathway towards gender awareness, analysis and action as spelt out in its refreshed Strategy. The following are their deliberations.

Group B: Investing in gender mainstreaming• WeneedacleargenderstrategyinplacesimilartootherdisciplinessuchasNRM,andagender

committee to give advice on how to implement gender in a research project. • WeneedstrongsupportfrommanagementandincorporategenderinthePAR.• There’sneedtolookatmenandwomeninmanagement.Forexamplewomenarepoorly

represented in the IITA board. • GendermainstreamingisoneofthebigcomponentstosupportIITAtoachieveitsvisionoflifting11

million people from poverty. For transformation change to occur within the researchers, gender training is needed.

Group A: Current gender awareness• Transformationalchangehastostartcomefromthemindset,e.g.,lookatthenumberofresearchers

attending the gender workshop. It has to be for everybody. We need changes in the researchers’ minds and attitudes — they need to see the importance of gender in their research.

• WeneedtodoagenderstudyatIITAandseewhataretheissues/problemsofmenandwomen.We need to do an objective study so that when we do gender mainstreaming we have a document to refer to. Implement it step by step.

• Mainstreaminggenderinresearch–thereneedstobetrainedpersonsatIITAtoturntoforadvice.The gender experts need to be involved from the beginning of research proposal writing to ensure that gender components are included. In most project proposals, there is always a gender strategy mostly as it is a donor requirement but no budgets.

Group D: Action and collaboration within and across programs/projects• Weneedatoolboxofwhatalreadyexistsongenderandresearchsuchasadatabaseoftools

and methodologies and models and techniques. • Gender mainstreaming efforts should be clear in HR policy.• Genderoutcomes,impactshouldbeclearlydefinedinprojectandprogramdesign.Whatdowe

want to see and how? How do we do it and how do we measure it?• Haveatleastonegender-mainstreamingspecialistatthehubtobuildcapacity,leadgender

mainstreaming efforts, and audit gender mainstreaming. • Doastrategicgenderresearchtosupportprograms/projects.

IITA gender specialists discuss opportunities for gender advocacy.

Summary and RecommendationsGender Workshop: Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013 7

Group C: Ensuring the collection of sex-disaggregated data and gender analysis• Toensurethecollectionofsex-disaggregateddataandgenderanalysis,anInterdisciplinary

approach should be taken when coming up with data collection tools. Gender specialists should be involved in the surveys to guide the data collection (whom to approach, how to approach and when to approach – etiquette guide). Also involve local expertise to guide on gender approaches in the target community.

• Toincorporategenderanalysis,projectsneedtolearnfromotherprojectsintheformulationof gender issues – Gender framework and involve gender specialists in project monitoring for advice on gender dimension from the outset. IITA management to establish a Gender and Diversity as a cross-cutting research unit to enable mainstreaming (similar to Biometrics).

• Thebarriersincollectingandanalyzingbothquantitativeandqualitativedataingenderanalysis include limited human resource--very few gender specialists and limited capacity of researchers. Also lack of awareness or sensitivity of gender issues among researchers, ignorance, and negative connotations. There is therefore need for training on gender mainstreaming to create awareness among scientists. Top management should take the lead in gender mainstreaming in IITA, and be proactively involved: e.g., institutionalize gender in IITA,likeM&E,ineachcountry.

Discussions from the plenary session • Knowledge: We do not know the institute’s gender strategies, if there are any. Is there a

gender mainstreaming policy at HR? Are there guidelines for monitoring the impact of gender?

• Successstories:Weneedtosharesuccessstories.Currently,thereis“fatigue”ongenderbecause there are no success stories.

• Movingbeyondnumbers:Genderisalwaysseenin%.Forexample,wealwaysreportthenumber of men and women who attended meetings. However, no one reports on the quality. Why do we keep looking at numbers?

• Genderattheworkplace:Howdowerelatetomenandwomenattheworkplace?Somemendo not want to take instructions from women. How do you address your male subordinate in the African setting? Who is losing power and who is not?

• Weneedmorewomenresearchers.Weneedtolookatwhattheincentivesareforwomenresearchers. At BSc level, the number of men to women is almost equal. However, at the master’s and PhD levels the women’s numbers have decreased. Stating that IITA is an equal opportunity employer is not adequate. How do we level the playing field?

Staff talk about how gender can be institutionalized in IITA.

8Summary and RecommendationsGender Workshop: Agricultural Research for Development (R4D) Week 2013