Humidtropics International Conference on Integrated Systems

1. Gender Norms and Agricultural Innovation;
Insights from Uganda
Humidtropics
Anne Rietveld (Bioversity)
Holger Kirscht (IITA)
Netsayi Mudege (CIP)

2. Introduction
Gender Matters
Transformation?
–What do we need to know?
• How do roles of men and women relate to
ownership and management of farms and
natural resources in farming systems?
• How are the roles of (poor) men and
women (of different ages) shaped?
• How does this relate to ability to adopt and
benefit from innovation?

3. CGIAR global study;
Innovation and Development through
Transformation of Gender Norms in
Agriculture and Natural Resource Management
“Because of deep-seated gender norms  i.e. rules
prescribing women’s and men’s roles and behavior in their
society  women and men have different capacities to
take advantage of new opportunities in agriculture and
natural resource management.”
Objective Study:
Provide robust empirical evidence on the relationship
between gender norms, agency and agricultural
innovation, and how these interactions support or hinder
the achievement of its development objectives across
varied contexts

4. Methodology
• Large-scale qualitative study based on
Comparative case-study analysis
– Object each case-study = 1 community / village
– 7 data collection tools
• literature review (1),
• key-informants interview (1)
• semi-structured interviews (2)
• single-sex focus group discussions (3)
– FGDs and ind. Interviews conducted with different
wealth and age groups

5. Humidtropics case-studies
East-Africa:
– Uganda [Mukono and Kiboga districts]
– Burundi [Cibitoke]
– Rwanda [Kyonza]
– DR Congo [Mushinga]
West-Africa:
– Nigeria [Oyo and Osun state]
•Uganda cases funded by CRP-RTB
•Total 134 case-studies planned
•60 have conducted fieldwork

6. Results related to
Innovation
Kiboga – Uganda
Most important innovation identified:
“Use of Herbicides”
Farmers have increased maize
acreage and yield volumes

7. Results related to
innovation
Use of
Herbicides
Maize Cultivation
Women stay at
home
Weeding
is
women’s
task
Women
provide
labor to
plots’
spouse
Improved seeds
are to fight for
SaleLaborAgric. InputsLand
Men own Land
Men can allocate
plot to wife
Women’s plots
often small and
infertile
Women with
money are hard to
control
Women don’t
need money
Maize is a
men’s crop
Men don’t like their wives
attending trainings
Women need
permission to
plant new crop
For Inputs you go
to town
Revenues
Some men are not
committed to their
responsibilities
Women can’t
move on top of a
lorry
Men know the
traders and the
prices
Men cannot allow
women to sell
Some men will
share revenues
with wife
Poor m/f work as
casual laborer to
earn cash to invest
in farm

8. Results related to
Innovation
Mukono - Uganda
•“Vines are sold at a high price to others and then you
also sell the tubers.” (FGD Youth F)
•“The animals especially the pigs feed on the peelings
of the sweet potato.” (FGD Ladder of Life F)
•“After selling OFSP, we bought two cows where we
get cow dung.” (man interview)
•“I can sell products like cakes, pan cakes, chapatti
made from OFSP and earn money and pay school
fees for my children” (Woman Interview)

9. Conclusions
1. Understanding gender norms and social
stratification is an important contribution to
situational analysis of farming systems
2. We need this understanding to design
gender transformative approaches
3. We = us social scientists but also other
scientists AND Farmers and other local
stakeholders
4. Transformation and empowerment will not
happen without active participation of
stakeholders

10. Thank you
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