MAINSTREAMING GENDER

IN SMALL SCALE AGRICULTURE

Malika A-Martini

Malika.Martini@fao.org

Cairo, Egypt

February, 2015

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

I. Introduction

Gender and Development

Our Focus

II. What do we need to do?

Innovating for Better Impact

Evolving WID-GAD Concepts

Approaches to Gender Integration

Empowerment Index

Chain Empowerment Matrix

III. Why is Gender still the Missing Link?

Overview

Example

Lesson learned

GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

IS MORE ABOUT ALL OTHER MEMBERS OF THE

HOUSEHOLDS, SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF

DIFFERENTIAL ROLES THAN ONLY WOMEN!

OUR FOCUS

WOMEN AND MEN, COMMUNITIES

INNOVATING FOR BETTER IMPACT

Gender integration

Not about working with women

Evolving concept

WID

GID

GAD

But people are still talking about working with women and using women

and gender interchangeably

Photo credit: CIAT

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and

not everything that can be counted counts"

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over

again and expecting different results”

Need

Change

APPROACHES TO GENDER INTEGRATION

How?

Understand

and

integrate

gender

matters to the

quality and

sustainability

of

development

outcomes

Source: USAID

• Change

norms and

relations

• Causes of

ineq. not

just

symptoms

TRENDS OF AGRICULTURAL LABOR BY SEX IN MENA

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

1990-1995 1996-2000 2001-2005 2006-2010 2011

Male Ec. Active in agric. Fem. Ec. Active In Agr.

Source: Computed from FAO Statistical Database 2011.

Martini, 2011, EGM Accra, Ghana

EMPOWERMENT INDEX (USAID)

Domain Indicator

Production

Input in productive decisions

Autonomy in production

Resources Ownership of assets

Purchase, sale, or transfer of assets

Access to and decision on credit

Income Control over use of income

Leadership Group member

Speaking in public

Time Workload

Leisure

Activity Integrator

2

Chain co-owner

4

Chain Actor

1

Chain Partner

3

Chain Activities

Chain Governance

CHAIN EMPOWERMENT MATRIX

WHY IS GENDER STILL THE MISSING LINK?

Projects and other development efforts

must work with men and women, and

also with communities

WHY IS GENDER STILL THE MISSING LINK

CONT’D

The world has in fact moved from the gender

blind approach and most efforts are exclusively

focusing on women

It has forgotten that women work with men and

other individuals of their households

Women have to take power from those they are

living with

LESSON LEARNED

A SMALL SCALE WOMEN FARMER

Grew beans

Intercropped with maize, and occasionally in

her husband’s tobacco crop

Harvest; 70-80 kg /year;

30 kg to feed the family

40 kg to sell: uses the proceeds to buy oil, clothes

etc.. for her family

Was in control of the beans crop

EXAMPLE CONT’D

NGO started working on beans

Woman farmer thought that finally she is going

to get a good market for her produce:

She got good bean varieties / improved seeds

New varieties needed to be planted in rows…. she

had to negotiate with her husband…

He allocated a small piece of land, production

increased, productivity increased, prices were

good….

However…

EXAMPLE CONT’D

The new market for this produce was in the city

- production was bulked and exported

Tobacco production not good, the husband

joined his wife in bean production

He took the beans to the market et came back

without the money…

She couldn't believe: she produced well, she

sent the product to the market but she lost

control over the crop (how much to keep to feed

the children, how much would go to the market)

EXAMPLE CONT’D

WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE REASONS

Market development project focused on women:

Production increased

Productivity increased

Woman lost control over the crop; couldn’t

make any decision

Her strategy: she went back to her neighbors,

borrowed few of the old seed varieties,

started intercropping it on maize and tobacco

She could go to the side of road to sell and

get some money

WHAT TO AVOID

Development projects focusing on women and

forgetting the other forces around them

In many countries, the lean season is long and

families all together are struggling to put one

meal together

Women and men together should be part of the

solution

CONCLUSION

If we continue working only with women as was

done in the 1970s, we will go backward

For better results of alleviating poverty in NENA

we need:

To give due attention to gender

considerations in improving work

When working with women alone, think of

changing the paradigm to look at gender

relationships, and understand the reasons for

inequalities

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Let's get everyone's

gender glasses to face

the challenges!