The impacts of covid-19 on gender dynamics and power relations among men and women involved in cross border fish trade in Zambia and Malawi

This paper explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to mitigate it on gender dynamics and power relations among men and women involved in cross border fish trade in Zambia and Malawi and the ensuing policy implications to support the fisheries value chain. The paper is based on qualitative and quantitative data collected in Zambia and Malawi in October and November 2021. We conducted quantitative surveys implemented the Cognitive Edge Sensemaker Tool and the Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis toolkit (EMMA to understand the dynamics of cross border fish trade before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A social relations approach, focusing on gender relations, was used to analyze the data. Findings suggest that women cross-border fish traders are caught up in a complex web of networks and relationships that are disempowering to them. Some measures put in place to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lacked an understanding of the historical perspective and dynamics of women in fish trading communities further marginalizing men and women cross border fish traders. Some measures exacerbated hidden violence against women and overt forms of violence against men. Since most of the violence occur across state boundaries, there is a need for inter-country coordination to ensure that the rights of women and men cross border fish traders are protected. Policy measures could include educating police officers for even-handedness when enforcing COVID-19 rules and providing mechanisms for reporting abusive practices

TH2.2: Framework for incorporating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) elements in Climate Information Services (CIS)

This paper proposes a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Framework for incorporating Climate Information Services which is increasingly becoming important due to climate change and climate variability. Our paper understands gender as a socially constructed definition of women and men. Gender inequalities seem to be pervasive in that, even with the introduction of new agricultural and climate information technologies, the gendered fault lines still appear within the new technological settings. Such gendered technological inequalities can be traced back to as early as the 1960s, where it was clear that technological solutions are grounded within the society in which they are embedded. Unless women are intentionally included in the design and development of agricultural technologies, there is a high risk that women will not benefit from agricultural innovations meant to ameliorate the impact of climate change and climate variability. According to Conway's law, any technology reflects the values of its creator. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to understand the values of those who create technological solutions and innovations. Our proposed framework has five indicators which are namely: Gender targeting by design, Sex disaggregated data collection, analysis of sex-disaggregated data, dissemination technological options and ongoing gender monitoring, and empowerment evaluation. The five indicator domains are further complemented by their respective assumptions. The five indicator domains are applied in the context of three development interventions which are namely agricultural data hub, Climate Information Services Training, and Flood and Drought Indicators which are all being implemented in Zambia as part of the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa Project (AICCRA) Project. The framework which is being applied in Zambia, is showing the importance of incorporating gender equality and social inclusion in the design, implementation and evaluation of climate information services

The effects of sweetpotato commercialization on men and women producers and traders in Homa bay and Bungoma, Kenya

Presented by Nozomi Kawarazuka (CIP), on behalf of Netsayi Mudege, as part of the Annual Gender Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research, Addis Ababa, 25-27 September 2018

Gender roles in agricultural knowledge in a land resettlement context: the case of Mupfurudzi, Zimbabwe

The present paper discusses the social construction and reconstruction of gender roles in relation to agricultural knowledge claims in a land resettlement area. Many women were politically active in the war of liberation where the land question dominated the agenda. However, at independence this question was framed in terms of race, and gender issues were sidelined. Despite the fact that women were not resettled in their own right, they are not simply victims of the system but manoeuvre within the system to gain advantages. This paper discusses strategies that women use to challenge the males in their families and the resultant conflicts and contradictions. It also discusses decision-making, investments and poverty as concepts and practices that can illuminate the gendering and gendered nature of knowledge in resettlement schemes. Claims of knowledge by both men and women are in the final analysis claims to the ownership of household and family resources.

Concept note: Scaling up fish powder for nutrition in Zambia

A brief concept note on scaling fish powders developed in consultation with stakeholders and partners at a workshop in Zambia

Determinants of Women's Decision-Making Power in Pest and Disease Management: Evidence From Uganda

<jats:p>Using quantitative data from a household survey carried out in Rubanda district, Southwestern Uganda among smallholder farmers of potato, this paper examines determinants of intra-household decision-making of women in relation to pest and disease management in a cropping season. Pests and diseases cause significant crop losses and contribute to household food insecurity in most of sub-Saharan Africa. Their management is therefore key in enhancing food security. While there are many pest and disease management practises, little is known about women's autonomy in decision-making on this topic. The survey collected quantitative data from 260 households (130 men and 130 women). To get a more accurate proxy for decision-making power, a weighted index and linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between decision-making power of women in pest and disease management and socio-demographic characteristics. We found that farming experience, use of hired labour and membership to a farmers group, were positively associated with woman's autonomy in decision-making during pest and disease management. Our data also show that higher levels of education, farm income and age consistently improve women authority. The implications of the study are that, women should equally be targeted during pest and disease management interventions such as training.</jats:p&gt

Resilient Aquatic Food Systems Initiative Launch in Zambia

The Resilient Aquatic Food Systems Initiatives (RAqFS) focuses on research-fordevelopment to catalyze the scaling of transformative innovations, policies and approaches to support aquatic foods in delivering more sustainable and healthy diets and livelihoods within planetary boundaries by 2030. RAqFS works through five Work Packages bundled together to deliver socio-technical innovations and policy actions that deliver benefits to all five One CGIAR Impact Areas. Apart from WP1 (which includes Kenya and Malawi), RAqFS works mainly in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, India, Myanmar, Nigeria, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Zambia. The RAqFS Initiative seeks to achieve five Initiative outcomes: as follows: 1. Scaling partners and stakeholders in 11 countries use data to inform at least five evidence-based investments supporting AqFs transformation. 2. Secure rights bring livelihood benefits for 100,000 small-scale actors in AqFs in Asia-Pacific and more nutritious diets for 700,000 people. 3. GESI strategies to enhance food, livelihood, and water use outcomes in multifunctional land- and waterscapes adopted by stakeholders in two Asian and two African countries. 4. At least two tilapia, carp and catfish strains demonstrate increased productivity (+30%) and better environmental performance (-25% GHG emission reduction) in one African and two Asian countries. 5. Aquatic food system labs in three countries increase national innovation systems’ ability to identify, evaluate and scale socio-technical Innovations Packages. This report focuses on the launch of the RAqFS Initiative in Zambia. In the first three years of the Initiative, Zambia is implementing only three of the five initiatives; WorkPackage 1 (Aquata), WorkPackage 3 Aquaplans and Workpackage 5 AquaLabs. These three WorkPackages contribute to Initiative Outcomes 1, 3 and 5

The Role of Communication in Social Forestry: The Case of Mwenezi

No Abstract Available Zambezia (2003), XXX (i): 51-7