Opening Cracks for the Transgression of Social Boundaries: An Evaluation of the Gender Impacts of Farmer Research Teams in Honduras
- Summary created: 2022
Assessment of the gender impacts of farmer research teams in Honduras.
This summary, including its recommendations and ideas, was created by Sally Humphries and is based on original research. The original research itself was conducted in collaboration with the following researchers.
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The research sought to evaluate the impact of local agricultural research teams in Honduras. These are known by the Spanish acronym: CIALs. Since funded projects typically attract more powerful community members, while excluding the most marginalised, we were anxious to assess how the impacts of the CIALs were distributed. This research focuses on the gender impacts.
Insights
While at the outset, most CIALs were made up mainly of men, over time they became increasingly mixed gender research teams as both men and women sought to find local solutions to food insecurity.
They also became vehicles for the empowerment of marginalised members of rural communities as their members developed research skills and new knowledge.
This was particularly true of women who hitherto rarely voiced opinions on agricultural matters which were considered the domain of men.
What it means
Indeed, the gender division of labour in rural Honduras generally excludes women from most cropping activities except at key times of the year when they work under the command of men. Their involvement in the CIALs changed this. Armed with an array of new ideas, language, and skills, women CIAL members developed confidence in themselves, not only in agriculture but also in their daily lives.
Since the new skills typically led to improved household wellbeing, men were willing to extend greater liberty to their wives than was customary because they now had more confidence in their decisions. The study showed that CIAL women members were more likely than -women non-members to make certain household and farming decisions, as well as having greater freedom to make visits outside the home, join other groups, etc. Thus while the CIAL project was not developed as a ‘gender project’ per se, it had the effect of empowering women.
Proposed action
The local NGO utilizing the CIAL approach must embrace agricultural research and have a strong interest in supporting local people in acquiring research skills
A reliable source of funds to support the local NGO over a number of years
Collaboration between the formal scientific sector and the CIALs, mediated by the local NGO, has been very important in the development of new seeds (through participatory plant breeding) and other agricultural technology that meet the food security needs of marginalised rural people
Constant evaluation of the program
CIALs can be found in various countries in Latin America
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to iDE Global
These insights were made available thanks to the support of iDE Global, who are committed to the dissemination of knowledge for all.
Special thanks to Jasmyn Spanswick for preparation assistance
We would like to extend a special thank you to Jasmyn Spanswick, for their invaluable contribution in assisting the preparation of this research summary.
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