SIMLESA good practices and lessons learnt in gender mainstreaming: report and case studies

Abstract

In December 2012, the Sustainable intensification of Maize-legume cropping systems for food security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) Programme commissioned a study to compile case studies of good practices in gender mainstreaming in the programme. This study was a result of an action point agreed on by participants at a Gender Mainstreaming Training in Morogoro, Tanzania. The compilation of the case studies of good practices was intended to take stock and show case the efforts of gender mainstreaming in the SIMLESA programme that had started three years ago. The assignment had three major tasks; to review the case studies collected by the SIMLESA program staff to determine the potential for generation of gender responsive case studies, to conduct field visits to the five countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania) to collect additional gender data/information on the case studies to ensure that the case studies are comprehensive in demonstrating the gender concerns/issues from various countries and to compile at least five case studies for each country highlighting change/impact of the gender mainstreaming efforts of the SIMLESA program. The Gender and Development (GAD) approach which focuses on the social, economic and political relations between men and women of all categories in the community was applied in the analysis of the case studies. Methods used to collect the case studies included interviews with farmers and SIMLESA staff, Focus Group Discussions of different categories of community members, discussions with key informants and observations of the program activities at farm level. During the collection of the case studies, efforts were made to identify cases that tended transform the existing gender relations into more equitable relations that improve the access of different members of the community to development opportunities provided by the programme. Twenty five case studies, five from each country, were identified.