Filling our tools box; 3 tools to support gender sensitive value chain development

On May 25, 2011, APF Kenya organized a half day workshop on looking at agricultural value chains from a gender perspective.

The 30 participants represented NGOs, the business sector and higher educational institutes. Mike Muchilwa from SNV was the facilitator and I the resource person on gender and value chains.

Six groups practiced with three tools:

1. Selection of value chains. This tool allowed for scoring several value chains on 2 sets of criteria related to (1) market growth potential and (2) potential to contribute to empowerment of women and gender equality. An excel sheet assisted the users to make a final choice.
2.  Gender Mapping of a value chain: This tool assisted in drawing a value chain map using colored cards and markers including numbers of men and women in different nodes (also the invisible ones) and remarks on special constraints faced by women.
3. The last tools aimed at revealing the distribution of costs and benefits of the process of upgrading a value chain. E.g: more work for women in weeding (costs) and more income (benefit) for men

Afterwards participants talked about the inherent subjective nature of the analysis and the need to do this type of analysis with a variety of actors. It also became clear that this type of participatory analysis is to be supported with desk studies and research. Several groups mentioned that the tools had revealed problems, but not their causes let alone what to do about it.

APF is currently developing a toolbox, to answer a variety of questions which arise in the different stages of a programme aiming at support to value chain development. The toolbox aims at making already existing tools better accessible. The tools will be made available in adjustable formats (Word, Excel etc.).

We stressed it several times, but I can not be stressed enough, ‘tools’ do not intent to provide the ultimate answer, or the one and only approach. Remember a tool is as good as the professional using it. It was a pleasure to facilitate this workshop, especially the fact that using the tools raised again questions to be answered. Great! Because learning does not start with the knowledge, but with asking the right questions!

Angelica Senders (Fair and Sustainable Advisory Services/ ICCO)

IWC09: The Marketplace

Tuesday afternoon was the opportunity to hear more about regional office initiatives and thematic initiatives in a marketplace format. Participants visited 10 stands setup to explain the activities of the Alliance and some of the plans underway on a thematic and regional basis. As an example two of the stands are illustrated below, one for Central and Eastern Africa, and one for the approach to a gender strategy for the Alliance.

Central and Eastern Africa
Joyce Umbima (Member RC Central, East Africa) reviews discussions about Central and East Africa, explaining the context, challenges and opportunities for her region.



Gender Strategy
Margreet Mook (ICCO) describes the findings so far in developing the gender strategy for the ICCO Alliance.




See more from the IWC 2009.

Subscribe to the IWC09 newsfeed or email alert.

Gender Equality and Crisis

Margreet Mook, policy officer for gender issues at ICCO organized on Monday January 19 a lunchmeeting with professor Diane Elson of the University of Essex.

Diane Elson started her presentation on gender equality and the economic crisis and explained how this could lead to big changes in the economic system. Professor Elson explained the likely impact of the economic crisis on the economies in the South and in particular what this means for the jobs of working women.

In a discussion with the ICCO attendants Elson anticipated on the question what Development Organizations should do to deal with this crisis effectively.

Gender dimensions of post-conflict reconstruction

One of the challenges I face as an advisor on gender and partner policy is how to interweave a gender perspective at various levels in ICCO's programmes: from the conceptual level to the practical implementation level, and within a variety of themes.

A useful report I recently set my eyes on is "The Gender Dimensions of Post-Conflict Reconstruction. The Challenges in Development Aid" (by Marcia E. Greenberg and Elaine Zuckerman). It gave me ideas on how to systematically address gender issues and promote gender equality to make peacebuilding work. I would love to share the document with whoever is interested.

It argues that achieving successful reconstruction and maintaining peace requires attention to gender in the post-conflict arena. The framework proposed consists of three interrelated essential gender dimensions: (i) women-focused activities, (ii) gender-aware programming, and (iii) gender role transformation to heal trauma, build social capital and avoid further violence.

Read the paper.

By Janet Rodenburg