Towards gender-responsive banana research for development in the East-African Highlands

Banana production is an important livelihood for farming households in the East-African highlands as food and as a source of income. Banana is a crop with a long history in this region. Although not originating from Africa, it is believed bananas have been cultivated in this region since 2000 BC. It is not surprising that the technical aspects of banana production are intertwined with rituals, habits, and social norms. In this guide, we highlight and discuss social norms surrounding banana production, zooming in specifically on gender norms. Understanding these norms coupled with the ability to address them is essential for the development and design of high-quality banana-focused research for development (R4D) projects which benefit men as well as women

Continuity and change: Negotiating gender norms in agricultural research for development in Rwanda

This resource is for research and development practitioners working in agriculture and rural development in Rwanda. The objective is to provide information about the ways in which gender norms in Eastern Rwanda are changing, and which ones remain persistent. It finds that despite broader institutional changes, men’s and women’s roles and relations in relation to farming, and the gender norms governing them, are changing in piecemeal ways

Opportunities and threats in the beer-banana value chain in Central Uganda

Poster presented at CIALCA Conference 2011. Kigali (Rwanda). 24-27 Oct 2011

Economic gain and other losses? Gender relations and matooke production in Western Uganda

Over the past decades cooking-banana (Matooke) has become increasingly important as food and especially as cash crop for farm households in Isingiro district in the western region of Uganda. High urban and regional demand for Matooke and dwindling Matooke productivity in other areas, drove expanded banana production and more intensive mana- gement. We hypothesised that the increased focus on Matooke by households in Isingiro, affected women and men both as individuals and as household members and affected gender norms on what constitutes a good wife or husband. Qualitative data from one community in Isingiro district was generated based on six in-depth Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), eight structured individual interviews and one community profile using the GENNOVATE method. Survey data with Matooke producers in Ishingiro (N = 51), FGDs with produ- cers (3) and key-informant interviews (5) from a Matooke value-chain development project (ENDURE) was used to compliment and triangulate findings. Results show that the rapid expansion of Matooke cultivation has brought economic progress to many households and has markedly changed the physical landscape in the area. Ownership of a Matooke planta- tion is now among the most important criteria for determining male status and Matooke plantations are largely controlled by men. The focus of men on Matooke has made it easier for women to grow annual crops which increases their options of earning cash income. Women’s access to land however is decreasing. Land is firmly in hands of men and with increasing land scarcity, they allocate less land, less often to their wives for cultivation. Women frequently rent land to cultivate but this is also becoming more expensive and less available. Although women spend a lot of time working in banana plantations, sales is exclusively controlled by men. Only women in female-headed households control sales from Matooke plantations, also because permanent cultures such as banana are not accepted on rented land. We conclude among others that the division of labour in Matooke production is highly gendered. Women in male-headed households benefit from increased revenue at household level but are limited in their options to engage in individual income-generating activities

Gender norms and farming households in rural Rwanda: a GENNOVATE case-study for the Nyamirama sector in Kayonza district.

This report presents data and results from a GENNOVATE case-study conducted in the Nyamirama sector in Kayonza district in Rwanda that focusses on gender norms and agency in relation to agricultural innovation

WE3.2: GenderUp: A conversational method for responsible Scaling

GenderUp is a conversational method for designing responsible scaling strategies in a particular context. It is intended to be used by project teams who want to scale the use of an agricultural innovation in a socially inclusive way and who want to prevent undesirable outcomes. GenderUp supports users to identify gender and other relevant diversity among innovation users and to improve the scaling strategy by optimizing the inclusion of relevant social groups and by anticipating unintended negative consequences for different social groups. GenderUp is a web-based tool that takes project teams on a journey through the stages of developing or improving a scaling strategy. The journey is facilitated by someone with a background in gender studies who is familiar with the tool. The objective of this capacity building session is to familiarize CGIAR gender researchers with GenderUp. Participants will learn about the objectives and functioning of the tool. The session is relevant to gender researchers who want to use GenderUp with project teams to embark on a socially inclusive scaling journey. The session will enable them to discover the potential of GenderUp. Participants might become full-fledged GenderUp facilitators themselves. This session is a first step in that direction*. GenderUp is a conversational method, designed to evoke discussion on relevant social issues that pertain to scaling. The session will discuss and lead participants through the web-based tool. * To facilitate a GenderUp journey independently we envisage prospective facilitators, apart from this session, to join in on a real application journey and listen in and learn from the facilitator