Developing learning programs on gender and agriculture
The Gender Responsiveness for Accelerated Agricultural Gains training course
Through AWARD training, we strive to unlock the potential of scientific innovation for agriculture-driven inclusive growth and prosperity. Our courses empower individuals while strengthening institutions to pursue cutting-edge agricultural research.
Agricultural scientists make critical decisions that affect what happens across entire value chains. Their research must respond to the needs and priorities of diverse groups of men and women that it is designed to meet. Embracing gender in every aspect of an institution’s work for better outcomes requires deliberate investment in a gender-transformative process.
AWARD identified and responded to the need to develop a tailored learning program targeting agricultural researchers, research program managers, and the leaders of national and regional agricultural research institutions across Africa to enable them to catalyze, influence, and apply gender responsiveness in their research programs and organizations.
AWARD partnered with the KIT Royal Tropical Institute10 based in the Netherlands to design a five-day gender course, Gender Responsiveness for Accelerated Agricultural Gains. As a leader in strengthening gender capacity in agricultural research institutions and applying conceptual frameworks to advance gender equity in agriculture, KIT’s expertise as a leader in this critical area made them a perfect partner to strengthen AWARD’s training capacity.
The Gender Responsiveness for Accelerated Agricultural Gains course is designed to:
• create a shared understanding of gender-responsive research among participants
• equip participants with knowledge, skills, and tools to facilitate the design and delivery of gender-responsive research and programs
• effect a shift in attitude and behavior of participants to enable gender responsiveness in their organizational structures and systems
• facilitate participants’ access to information, resources, and skills
• equip participants with knowledge and skills for hands-on application of gender analysis tools and field-level communication
Following a successful pilot, AWARD is now ready to roll out this course across Africa. AWARD has also customized the Gender Responsiveness for Accelerated Agricultural Gains course to meet the needs of specific institutions and research programs, including Covenant University in Nigeria. More than 400 researchers and research leaders participated in the training, building their capacity to deliver gender-responsive agricultural research and developing leadership skills.
AWARD now boasts nine unique training courses categorized under four series: the mentoring series, the leadership series, the science skills series, and the gender integration in agricultural research series.
