NFP short course, Women’s empowerment in agriculture
The Centre for Development Innovation integrates gender in their course on market access for sustainable development. Nuffic’s director Joep Houterman was invited to open a seminar due to Nuffic’s commitment to gender equality.
The seminar was part of the international short course “Market Access for Sustainable Development”, organised by the Centre for Development Innovation and Gender Studies, part of Wageningen UR.
Insight into roles crucial
The seminar highlighted the importance of women’s role in agriculture. The core focus was to find positive strategies for gender equity in value adding activities. Women’s contribution to the agricultural sector is substantial. Insight in the roles and responsibilities of men and women in agri-food chains is crucial for optimising the functioning of these chains.
In his speech, Joep Houterman referred to his own professional experience in Africa. He learned that it is essential to be aware of the different impacts of interventions on men and women. Women and men need different approaches to benefit equally. This implies alertness on the side of project managers to take timely, smart and sometimes even pro-active measures.
During the seminar, mid-term professionals from different developing countries shared their experiences and learned how to improve market access for smallholder farmers in their respective countries.
Gender in Nuffic’s NFP and NICHE
The short course that includes the seminar is part of Nuffic’s NFP programme, funded by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Gender is also an important theme in the NICHE programme. “Most countries and most institutions we work with have clear cut gender policies. Alignment with national policies and institutional strategies is a key characteristic of any sensible donor programme”, Mr Houterman explains.
Earlier this year Nuffic published a booklet about the complexities of gender mainstreaming in capacity development programmes in higher education. Two major observations still call for action. First of all the involvement of women, especially female staff of the institutions in the design phase of the projects. And secondly, very few projects have female staff in senior management positions.
Growth and equity
Mr Houterman concludes: “We must keep in mind that including gender at all levels increases the quality of our projects and the education we offer. Ultimately, it contributes to economic growth and social equity.”
More information
Download the paper on the seminar(379.1 kB)
Read more about mainstreaming gender