GENDER MEETING
IMPACT ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP
CIMMYT
OCTOBER 21, 2005

A PRGA-sponsored Impact Assessment Workshop was held at CIMMYT headquarters, October19-20, 2005. One session was focused on gender issues. Those papers and the notes from the gender topic discussion later that day are reported on the PRGA website. The gender topic discussion did lead to a request that those interested in gender and gender analysis in agriculture gather to discuss further what the way forward should be for gender in the CGIAR. Consequently, through one lunch and one dinner session, a group met to discuss gender issues and strategies more fully. What follows are the notes from that meeting.

Those attending one or more meetings of the Gender Group included Carol Amaratunga (University of Ottawa), Aden Aw-Hassan (ICARDA), Cynthia Bantilan (ICRISAT), Carlos Basilio (CIP-UPWARD), Yogesh Bhatt (IWMI), Stephen Biggs (SDS, University of East Anglia), Marissa Espineli (IIRR), Hilary Feldstein (PRGA), Steve Franzel (ICRAF), Susan Kaaria (CIAT), Yasmin Mustafa (ICARDA), Jemimah Njuki (CIAT), Thelma Paris (IRRI), Anita Tipilda (IITA), Jamie Watts (IPGRI), Joshua Ramisch (TSBF-CIAT), and Michael Waithaka (ASARECA).

"IF WE DON'T INCLUDE GENDER, WE WILL MAKE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HARM!"

DO NOW

· Revisit the inventory. Inventories of Gender work conducted at CGIAR Centers were developed for 1990-1995 and 1996-1998. Find out what is going on now.
· Conduct a Gender Scan (what is going on now at each Center):
o List of Gender Researchers at each Center from Thelma
o Are people still interested?
o Do Centers or other organizations have policies?
o Are there recent papers to make available?
o Is there ongoing research?
o Note: Eva Rathgeber recently conducted a gender study at ICARDA.
· Plan for a meeting about Gender in Research (similar to the 1995 IFPRI meeting with representatives from every Center) early next year (2006).
o Hilary and Thelma to develop budget and concept note for meeting and other activities
o Possible venues are ICRAF in Nairobi or IRRI in The Philippines. Hilary and Thelma will outline meeting and ask for estimates from both Centers
o We discussed combining gender & research discussions with time for training on facilitation, Gender &Diversity (G&D) like skills to strengthen our capabilities to be change agents
o Possibly include presentations on recent research.
· PRGA Website
o Get info on number of hits and/or downloads from NRM, PPB, GWG sites.
· Hilary to contact Ruth Meinzen-Dick for papers from the Gender and Collective Action conference.
· The PRGA Program is now in the process of working with the Science Council to ensure that gender interests are represented at a level high enough to provide continuing attention to gender as part of priorities for research, impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation, and mobilizing science.

IDEAS FOR FUTURE ACTIONS

· Conduct Interaction-like or other "Gender Audit" at Centers. ILRI doing one this year and has modified the audit questionnaire to fit agriculture (as opposed to NGOs), but the details are still under discussion.
· Conduct a meeting or call for papers to set up studies on Macro and Micro levels that address policy (check in with IFPRI Gender IMPACT study, a macro modeling of the effects of gender with respect to food availability, etc., like other IFPRI IMPACT models). Also review Agnes Quisumbing's collection.
· Have a G&D like meeting of Gender Researchers; one that will build leadership skills, how to be a "champion."

CONTACTS: Develop "Friends of CG who Support Gender"

OTHER ITEMS

· Find positive examples of overcoming barriers to mainstreaming PR/GA?
· Identify which DGs are for/indifferent/negative re reintroducing an emphasis on gender research?
· Gender researchers need skills in both Strategic research and Participatory research
· Focus on Gender as a "National Public Good" as Health and Education are public goods.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

· Conduct studies and bring together existing studies that show research that has a positive effect on the lives of women, beyond doing gender analysis for better research outcomes.