Gender mainstreaming in organisational culture and agricultural research processes

Abstract

Despite increased attention to gender issues in the international development arena since the rise of feminism in the 1970s, few agricultural research organisations have integrated gender in their problem diagnosis and technology development. Gender mainstreaming can significantly enhance the impact of research and technology development. Entrenching gender mainstreaming in organisations and their research agendas remains a challenge. To overcome it requires political will, accountability, a change in organisational culture, and technical capacity within an organisation. This article presents an experience of gender-mainstreaming practice in the institutional culture and agricultural research processes by Urban Harvest and the International Potato Centre (CIP).

L'intégration du genre dans la culture organisationnelle et les processus de recherche agricole

Malgré l'attention accrue accordée aux questions de genre dans le milieu du développement international depuis l'essor du féminisme durant les années 1970, rares sont les organisations de recherche agricole qui ont intégré le genre dans leur diagnostic des problèmes et leur développement technologique. Il continue de s'avérer difficile d'ancrer l'intégration du genre dans les organisations et leurs ordres du jour de recherche. Pour relever ce défi, il faut une volonté politique, une redevabilité, un changement de culture organisationnelle et une capacité technique au sein de l'organisation. Cet article présente une illustration de la pratique de l'intégration du genre dans la culture institutionnelle et dans les processus de recherche agricole par Urban Harvest et le Centre international de la pomme de terre (CIP).

Integração sistemática da questão de gênero na cultura organizacional e processos de pesquisa agrícola

Apesar de uma maior atenção às questões de gênero na área de desenvolvimento internacional desde o crescimento do feminismo na década de 1970, poucas organizações de pesquisa agrícola têm integrado a questão de gênero em seu diagnóstico de problema e desenvolvimento de tecnologia. A integração sistemática da questão de gênero pode aumentar significativamente o impacto da pesquisa e desenvolvimento da tecnologia. O estabelecimento da integração sistemática da questão de gênero nas organizações e em suas agendas de pesquisa permanece um desafio. Para superar isto é preciso haver vontade política, prestação de contas e uma mudança na cultura organizacional e capacidade técnica dentro de uma organização. Este artigo apresenta uma ilustração de prática de integração sistemática da questão de gênero na cultura institucional e processos de pesquisa agrícola feita pela Colheita Urbana e Centro Internacional de Batata (Urban Harvest and the International Potato Centre - CIP).

Integración de género en las organizaciones y en la investigación agrícola

A pesar de la creciente atención que se le concede al género en el medio del desarrollo internacional desde el auge del feminismo en los años 70, muy pocas organizaciones de investigación agrícola han integrado el género en sus análisis y en el desarrollo de tecnologías. La integración de género puede mejorar el impacto de las investigaciones y del desarrollo tecnológico. Persiste el reto de integrar el género constantemente en las organizaciones y en sus programas de investigación. Enfrentar el reto requiere de voluntad política, transparencia, cambios en las prácticas organizacionales y capacidad técnica en la organización. Este ensayo presenta un ejemplo de la integración de género en las prácticas institucionales y las investigaciones agrícolas realizada por Urban Harvest y el Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP).

Keywords:

• Gender and diversity
• Latin America
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere gratitude to all those who contributed in one way or another towards the documentation of the gender-mainstreaming experiences in Urban Harvest and CIP. Special thanks go to the teams in the fuel-briquette making project, wastewater re-use for urban agriculture in Nairobi, improving the availability of high-quality seed to smallholder farmers in Kenya, SEHTUA, and Traditional Foods.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mary Njenga

Mary Njenga (corresponding author) is a natural-resource management scientist and has been working on urban livelihoods, environmental health, gender, and policy since joining the Urban Harvest–CIP Nairobi office in 2002. Mary is a co-editor of Women Feeding Cities: Gender Mainstreaming in Urban Agriculture and Food Security, published in 2009.

Nancy Karanja

Nancy Karanja has been the coordinator of Urban Harvest–CIP in sub-Saharan Africa since 2005. She is a Professor of Soil Science at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, where she is involved in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students and conducts research in integrated soil-fertility management by smallholder farmers in Africa. <[email protected]>

Gordon Prain

Gordon Prain is the Global Coordinator of Urban Harvest hosted by CIP in Lima, Peru. He is a social anthropologist who worked in Latin America with the British government and with CIP between 1984 and 1991; from 1991 to 1997 he worked in South and South-east Asia as the coordinator of UPWARD. <[email protected]>

Diana Lee-Smith

Diana Lee-Smith is an Associate at Mazingira Institute, Kenya. She has published many works on both gender and urban agriculture. She headed the global Women and Shelter Network 1988–1993 and was UN-Habitat's Gender Coordinator 1998–2001. From 2002 to 2005 she led the Africa programme of Urban Harvest-CIP. <[email protected]>

Michael Pigeon

Michael Pigeon is currently Head of Human Resources Services at CIP, where he has overall responsibility for advancing the goals of gender and diversity within the organisation. He has many years of experience in international organisations. <[email protected]>