Ladder of Life: Qualitative data collection tool to understand local perceptions of poverty dynamics

This resource examines GENNOVATE’s Ladder of Life exercise, a focus group tool conducted with poor women and men that explores their understandings and interpretations of the different wellbeing groups and poverty trends in their community, as well as the key factors and processes seen to shape these dynamics. The resource reviews the purpose of the tool, highlights key fieldwork procedures, and reproduces the interview guide

Gender and innovation processes in wheat-based systems

This WHEAT report is based on 43 village case studies from eight countries set in diverse wheat-based farming regions of the Global South

Gender and innovation processes in maize-based systems

This MAIZE report offers a panorama of the gender dimensions of local agricultural innovation processes in the context of maize-based farming systems and livelihoods

Qualitative, comparative and collaborative research at large scale:The GENNOVATE Field Methodology

We present a field-tested “medium-n” qualitative comparative methodology, which enhances understanding of the strong and fluid influence of gender norms on processes of local agricultural innovation in the Global South. The GENNOVATE approach (“Enabling Gender Equality in Agricultural and Environmental Innovation”) weaves together three broad methodological challenges—context, comparison, and collaboration—and highlights how addressing the social context of innovation contributes to applied research. We discuss GENNOVATE’s analytic approach, sampling framework, data collection, and analysis procedures, and reflect critically on the research strategies adopted to document and learn from the perspectives and experiences of over 7,000 women and men in 137 villages across 26 low- and middle-income countries

Entry points for enabling gender equality in agricultural and environmental innovation

Men and women on average report growing power and freedom to shape their lives as well as declining poverty in their villages across the 137 GENNOVATE village-level case studies. Wider forces in the macro environments as well as improvements in rural livelihoods due to agricultural innovation contribute importantly to these promising trends. Yet, beneath these broad patterns, the GENNOVATE data show strong differences in how men and women – and their communities – experience and benefit from innovation processes. The research communities experiencing more inclusive innovation processes and rapid poverty reduction offer valuable lessons on which agricultural research and development (R&D) can build

Are wheat-based farming systems in South Asia feminizing?

This article pulls together the state of knowledge on the degree to which wheat-based systems in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, are feminizing. It is not yet possible to make definitive statements. However, it is clear that wheat-based systems are undergoing far-reaching changes in relation to “who does what” and “who decides.” There are some commonalities across all four countries. Intersectionalities shape women’s identities and abilities to exert their agency. Purdah is a cultural norm in many locations. Nevertheless, each country displays different meta-trends. In Nepal managerial feminization is increasing unlike in Pakistan. Women in Bangladesh spend the least time in field work whereas in other countries they are often strongly engaged. There are strong local variations within countries as well which we explore. Establishing the extent of feminization is challenging because studies ask different questions, operate at different levels, and are rarely longitudinal. Researchers often construct men as primary farmers, leading to a failure to find out what men and women really do and decide. This diminishes the value of many studies. Cultural perceptions of honor can make men respondents reluctant to report on women’s agency and women can be reluctant to claim agency openly. We provide suggestions for better research, and urge support to women as workers and decision-makers.</p

Qualitative, comparative, and collaborative research at large scale: An introduction to GENNOVATE

What is the relationship between gender norms, agency, and agricultural innovation? How might we undertake and what can we learn from a comparative approach to this question? GENNOVATE—a comparative and collaborative research project—addresses these questions using contextually embedded qualitative analyses that also allow for comparison and extrapolation of patterns across multiple locations. This paper provides an overview of the conceptual approach and the methodological strategy that informed GENNOVATE's twin objectives and research design. The conceptual framework underlying this original research initiative is introduced and the challenges and opportunities faced when combining inductive and deductive analytic approaches are discussed. The empirical and methodological issues are explored and the broad relevance of GENNOVATE’s research approach beyond the field of agricultural development is reflected upon