Transforming food systems: a gendered perspective on local agricultural innovation in Cuba

Compared to many countries, Cuba has made significant progress in advancing women's rights and gender equity; however, disparities remain. In the country's rural communities and agricultural sector, women continue to face barriers to equal participation and recognition for the value of their work. This case study shares the story of gender equity efforts that have been conducted within the framework of a broader development project—the Project to Strengthen a System of Innovation in Local Agricultural Development (PIAL, for its initials in Spanish). PIAL began in 2001 as a participatory plant-breeding initiative aimed at increasing the genetic diversity of key crops such as maize and beans. Over the course of two decades, the project's goals expanded to include an emphasis on increasing women's participation. In the beginning, those efforts focused on including women in the participatory plant-breeding activities, which enabled them to prioritize traits they cared about such as grain texture, cooking speed, and taste in the selection process. Over time, the participatory nature of the PIAL methodology empowered women to identify and pursue capacity-building in other areas of local agricultural innovation. While PPB remained central to PIAL, women also chose to pursue opportunities in seed bank management, leadership training, and small-scale farm-based entrepreneurship. The results of the PIAL work on gender have included not just more inclusive plant breeding, but also important economic improvements for rural women as they have been able to diversify their livelihoods, and social change as they have gained confidence and recognition as leaders in their households, communities, and beyond

Effect of participatory selection of varieties on the identification of outstanding common bean genotypes (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Among the main factors affecting bean production is poor distribution of varieties for different environmental conditions in which its are grown. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of participatory selection of foreign genetic materials and national commercial and pre-commercial common bean in identifying genotypes for their outstanding performance and resistance to common bacteriosis (Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli (Smith) Dye (Xcp). In the "El Mulato" farm belonging to the Empowered Cooperative of Credit and Services (CCSF) "Orlando Cuellar" in the municipality San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, two experiments were conducted. In the first one, 15 genotypes were planted in 13 September 2014 (early season) in experimental plots to develop a diversity Fair and evaluate the natural incidence of common bean bacteriosis. In the second experiment, they were sown on 25 December (late season) the materials selected by farmers with superior agronomic performance (7 genotypes) to validate the stability of its performance. Among the results, an effective range of 93,33 % between the selected materials and selective criteria that this diversity was identified were high performance, resistance to common bacteriosis and color of beans. It was found that the selection of the diversity of beans by farmers is not influenced by the origin of materials and participatory selection identified common bean genotypes with high yield potential and stability between planting seasons