Case studies of gender norms, agency and innovation in wheat based livelihood systems

As part of a BMZ funded study ‘Understanding gender in wheat-based livelihoods for enhanced WHEAT R4D impact in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Ethiopia’ CIMMYT and the CGIAR Research Program (CRP) WHEAT, are conducting research with the aim of contributing to reductions in rural poverty and increased food security by influencing and targeting wheat research and development activities in ways that facilitate the empowerment of disadvantaged groups, in particular poor women, men and youth in wheat-based systems, and enable them to identify and realize livelihood security outcomes.

The project is composed of three inter-related research components and a series of activities related to stakeholder engagement and research uptake.

1: Scoping studies:

Situation analysis with regards to gender and social equity perspectives in wheat R4D, to be done in Afghanistan and Ethiopia. This involves review of academic and grey literatures, review of the policy environment through a gender and agriculture lens and stakeholder analysis.

2: Case studies:

Village level qualitative research to assess how gender norms, women’s and men’s agency and capacities for innovation interact to advance or impede development outcomes in wheat based systems. is conducting the case studies for two provinces for Afghanistan..

3: ‘Reverse-engineering’ studies:

Analysis of successful integration of gender in agricultural R4D interventions, with ‘success’ demonstrated through evidence of restrictive gender attitudes and/or practices changing, opening more and better livelihood opportunities for poor and marginalized women and men. The aim is to understand how to address social constraints to expanding opportunities for poor and marginalized groups to participate in and benefit from innovation, through tracing how, why and for whom identified approaches to integrating social and technical interventions in agriculture were successful.

4: Communication and engagement

Local and national workshops with communities and with actors working in the wheat, agriculture and gender and social inclusion fields to share, interpret and validate findings. These events will also aim to enhance understanding of the relevance of gender to research for development outcomes in wheat based livelihood systems, and to co-design interventions based on the findings that better integrate social and technical interventions on the ground, and action research around them in order to understand what works, why and for whom to enhance gender equality and livelihood security outcomes.

AREU will:

1. Contribute to the scoping exercise through identifying key stakeholders, aiding in setting up stakeholder interviews and identifying relevant literature.

2. Conduct 4 village case studies, in sites jointly selected with CIMMYT and other actors involved in wheat R4D, on the interactions between gender norms, agency and innovation. These case studies are part of a global cross CRP initiative using a shared qualitative methodology (see below for details on the tools and field work requirements).

3. Contribute to data analysis and writing a cross case synthesis report, in collaboration with the CIMMYT PI, Paula Kantor.

4. Organizing and facilitating stakeholder communication and engagement events, with CIMMYT