Implementing partners of the Partnership for Agricultural Research, Education and Development (PAIRED) can now better integrate gender aspects into their interventions. This follows a two-day online training course (August 25-26, 2020) organized by CORAF's Gender and Social Protection Unit. Participants came from PAIRED program intervention countries. They were from Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Senegal.

The aim of the training was to facilitate the effective integration of gender and social dimensions into program activities.

"To achieve sustainable development goals, agricultural development policies, projects and programs must be gender-sensitive," said Dr Mariam Maiga, Regional Gender and Social Development Advisor at CORAF.

"Interventions must promote equitable access to the resources, opportunities and benefits of agricultural research and development for both men and women, particularly for disadvantaged groups such as women, young people, the disabled and the elderly."

By strengthening the gender capacities of the national players involved in implementing PAIRED, it is expected that the program's results will be better achieved.

"This training will make it easier to achieve the program's development objectives, which necessarily involve taking effective account of the gender and social dimensions in the implementation of all the program's components and activities," said Dr Hippolyte Affognon, PAIRED Program Manager.

Correcting inequalities in access to agricultural resources

Gender inequalities in agriculture remain one of the main causes of poor performance in the agricultural sector, with negative impacts on food and nutritional security, economic growth and the sustainable socio-economic development of particularly disadvantaged populations.

According to the African Development Bank, women and young people make up 62% and 65% of the agricultural workforce respectively, and play an important role in the rural economy and household food and nutrition securitý. However, they have limited access to productive agricultural resources such as land, water, appropriate technologies and innovations, including certified seeds and fertilizers, credit, and extension services.

In order to correct these inequalities, CORAF is working to systematically integrate gender aspects into all its programs.

Women in a cornfield in Gambia

To ensure gender mainstreaming in project activities, the following recommendations were made to participants:

  • Consider gender tools in conducting household surveys to determine technology adoption and use;
  • Consider gender-based needs analysis when evaluating innovation platforms;
  • Target vulnerable groups, especially those in real need, to emerge;
  • Involve as many men, women and young people as possible in training courses, taking into account the gender equity approach, which enables us to meet the specific needs of women to take part in and really benefit from training courses;
  • Use gender-sensitive means of communication to facilitate access to information on technologies and innovations;
  • Involving women in the identification of improved varieties;
  • See seed production as an income-generating activity and business development opportunity in agriculture for women and young people;
  • Considering women seed companies in all seed value chains in developing partnerships with research institutes to take advantage of the opportunity.
  • Ensure that men and women working in the seed industry are invited to meetings without discrimination.

About PAIRED program

PAIRED is a five-year program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID-West Africa). PAIRED's overall objective is to contribute to improved agricultural growth, food and nutrition security, and poverty reduction in West Africa. This will be achieved through three mutually reinforcing intermediate outcomes:

  1. Strengthening CORAF's institutional capacities;
  2. Setting up an innovative framework for scaling up agricultural input technologies and innovations in West Africa;
  3. Increasing the availability of quality inputs in West Africa

The program works on four value chains (rice, maize, sorghum and millet).

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