Bringing women innovators to the fore: Engaging in gender-responsive, farmer-led innovation and research
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The publication emphasizes the critical role women play in agriculture, especially in the face of rapid changes such as climate change. Despite their significant contributions, women often face various disadvantages. In 2019, women constituted a substantial part of the agricultural workforce, with significant regional differences ranging from 36 percent in Latin America to 71 percent in Southern Asia.Women engage in both crop and livestock production for subsistence and sale, continually innovating to adapt to challenges, particularly in small-scale family farming where they often lead due to male outmigration. FAO has highlighted the importance of recognizing and supporting these innovations, suggesting a shift from a top-down research model to one that involves and rewards family farmers' innovations. Local innovation, driven by farmers' own initiatives and resources, is essential in responding to changes in natural resources, market conditions, and socioeconomic factors. This process is particularly relevant in marginalized communities and can involve technical or socio-institutional changes.PROmoting Local INNOVAtion in ecologically oriented agriculture and natural resource management (Prolinnova) advocates for a farmer-led innovation development approach, emphasizing the importance of building on Indigenous Peoples' knowledge and integrating it with scientific knowledge through joint action and analysis. The publication also discusses the challenge of integrating gender into farmer-led innovation. Women's contributions are often under-recognized due to sociocultural biases and low self-esteem among women. To address this, agricultural research and development facilitators need to improve their gender sensitivity and actively seek out women's innovations, moving beyond traditional male-biased interactions within communities.