We must recognise and appreciate the relevance of gender in agricultural research
Dr Williams Esuma
Remarks made by Dr Williams Esuma, the Lead Cassava Breeder at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), to challenge to the status quo of gender biases in agriculture
This was during the Gender- Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT) workshop held on April 26th at NaCCRI, Namulonge aimed at highlighting the significance of addressing gender inequalities in agriculture research.
The objective of the workshop was to sensitise NaCRRI staff on the concept of gender, and to help them recognise and appreciate the relevance of gender in agricultural research for development and discuss ways though which to integrate gender in plant breeding.
GREAT is a Makerere University – Cornell University program that equips researchers to create more inclusive and effective agricultural systems by addressing the priorities of both women and men in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Dr. Amon A Mwiine, a Lecturer at the School of Women and Gender Studies, Makerere University, said gender roles evolve not through curriculum, but through daily rituals. He challenged perceptions advocating for recognition of women’s indispensable contributions in the society.
Being home or staying home is seen as a feminine space for women that’s why during Covi-19 pandemic, women kept telling their husbands to leave home and go fend for the family because they wanted their space.
So there is no curriculum and this is evident in many households. These days, gender roles are changing because it is rare to find a woman having about four children folding hands at home waiting for the man to provide,” he said.
In addition, he said women ought to be compensated for their roles as stay home mothers and wives.
They should be paid for all the domestic work they do as stay home mothers; and there are several mechanisms to appreciate them besides payment of money.
Dr. Ephraim Nuwamanya, a Research scientist at NaCCRI, stressed the need to mainstream gender into plant breeding, presenting a roadmap for desired change.
Giving an example of the preferred cassava traits and innovative phenotyping technologies, he said customers have a final veto on which technologies they adopt, thus it is important to understand what drives the adoption of new varieties.
The variety development process should address the key preferences of the target populations for the new technologies. We need to invest in determining appropriate methods for phenotyping the identified traits gendered perception on why some attributes like softness are important
Nuwamanya
Being soft is of importance because when it’s hard the children will not eat, but when it’s soft they eat properly, even a person with weak teeth, he added, saying that gender awareness is key to agricultural sustainability.