Participatory Research and Gender Analysis : New Approaches

Agricultural development research aims to generate new knowledge or to retrieve and apply existing forms of knowledge in ways that can be used to improve the welfare of people who are living in poverty or are otherwise excluded, for instance by gender-based discrimination. Its effective application therefore requires ongoing dialogue with and the strong engagement of men and women from poor marginal farming communities.

This book discusses opportunities afforded by effective knowledge pathways linking researchers and farmers, underpinned by participatory research and gender analysis. It sets out practices and debates in gender-sensitive participatory research and technology development, concentrating on the empirical issues of implementation, impact assessment, and institutionalisation of approaches for the wider development and research community. It includes six full-length chapters and eight brief practical notes and is enhanced by an annotated resources list of relevant publications, organisations, and websites adding to the portfolio of approaches and tools discussed by the contributors. Most of the 33 contributing authors work in the specialised agencies that form part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

This book was published as a special issue of Development in Practice.

Nina Lilja is Director of International Agricultural Programs in the College of Agriculture K-State Research and Extension, Kansas State University. At the time of acting as Guest Editor of the double issue on which this book is based, she was Impact Assessment Economist at the CGIAR Systemwide Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis for Technology Development and Institutional Innovation (PRGA Program) in Colombia.

John Dixon is Senior Advisor for the Cropping Systems and Economics (CSE) program and Regional Coordinator, South Asia, at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). At the time of acting as Guest Editor, he was Director of Impacts Targeting and Assessment at the International Wheat and Maize Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico.

Deborah Eade is Editor-in-Chief of Development in Practice, Oxfam GB, France.