Summary of the discussion on "How to mainstream gender"

This summary intends to extract the major points from all contributions to the e-conference concerning this topic.

The challenge remains for all those working in development (researchers, practitioners, policy makers, activists)

To demonstrate the difference that a good gender approach can make to agricultural growth and in particular in water management in agriculture (as was recommended more generally at the WWF3)
To document in detail, the elements that make such an approach a success or failure depending of the social, political and environmental context. Asking the questions: How far can we go? What are the critical elements and steps that should be integrated in our practices?
To lobby at the higher political level to stimulate the right environment for social changes enabling equity

We must recognize the need to invest on "enabling a real understanding and awareness of gender thinking across the organisation both in its internal functioning and in its project and outputs and stimulate an attitudinal shift for a social change"

The goals of Gender Mainstreaming in Water management for Agriculture

We are in agreement that the main goals to be pursued are social equity, which includes gender, through improved water and agriculture management.

More specifically, the goal of gender mainstreaming is to ensure that all policies and activities of an organisation take into account direct and indirect discrimination, through the equitable distribution of opportunities and benefits. This entails two major activities:

Identifying the ways in which existing policies and decision making processes within any organisation may reflect and reinforce inequalities between men and women
Developing policies and practices to address these inequalities

It also means helping to create an environment for interaction for both men and women, which challenges social structures and promotes equitable distribution of resources and assets and wellbeing.

To achieve this we need a change of thinking: a shift from "traditional science" to perhaps a "better science” that integrates social issues.

Some general suggestions:

Define clearly the priority goals (equity, better health standards, economic development...)
Get the social component (therefore equity, gender issues, also cultural and religious aspects) into the technical systems - water development, irrigation
Involve women and men in the beginning of a project. Project cycle that can be adapted to suit local contexts and demonstrates the gender aspects which need to be considered at each phase of the project.
Get the messages of "what difference can a good gender approach make in agricultural growth and in particular in water management in agriculture" heard by all stakeholders.
Communicate information, cases, experiences, and research; use gender study centers to document this knowledge.
Integrate gender mainstreaming in the formal and non-formal education streams, learning from the experience of the health sector.
Choose pathways to involve stakeholders on the ground and at different levels from the design to the implementation and evaluation phase of projects. Ensure participation of women in the phase of operation of a project through involving them in different water user groups.
Conduct stakeholder analysis – acknowledge and identify multiple stakeholders, analysis roles, responsibilities, power relations) as a must of technical projects. This may involve collecting appropriate and complete sex-disaggregation and gender analysis of all data sets everywhere.
Raise awareness of the diversity of water users and their needs and perspectives of the diverse water users (large and small farmers, small and medium sized enterprises, households-men and women, fisher folks, pastoralists depending on livestock, other groups depending on non productive services of the environment, landless).

The task at various levels:

At the level of organisation -- use groups that are diverse, avoid the specialization of only one group of experts on a particular issue. Therefore, facilitation is needed from organisational level to involve stakeholders (women and men) as they could explore new issues and be familiar with the system. Participation of stakeholder under different water user groups should be maintained through rules and regulation formulated by the national body or by the implementing agency. Stakeholders also need facilitation from the implementing agency in the beginning of a program or project.
Also, train people according to the need of the project, this may involve some kind of social science training for technicians and vice-versa; have a percentage of staff trained and skilled in collecting sex-disaggregated information and analyzing data sets; and the training should include backstopping and monitoring support.
At the level of policy -- reflect social diversity (gender differences) in institutional arrangements for the development and management of water for agriculture and accountability by making social impact assessment of policy/program. This would help address specific needs, capacity, rights and assets of groups such as the poor, landless, smallholders, women farmers, etc
At the local level -- support local institutions in stimulating social changes through partnerships, dialogues, discussions, awareness campaigns, capacity building, and grants to build financial and technical capacities.

The tasks for the actors involved:

For Project leaders/Researchers, it is three fold: 1) involve stakeholders, including women from the design, 2) address the issue of access to water, land, financial and material resources and 3) include sex-disaggregated data and some gender-analysis in all places where it would apply.
NGOs/CSOs -- Create awareness/sensitization on the inherent dangers of not mainstreaming gender in policies and decisions on water management and agriculture to the public, government and policy makers.
Gender experts -- revisit existing tools to make them accessible to non specialists. This means changing the language, tailor manuals to different audiences. Also, formulating proper tools and guidelines to practice in the local level. Most of the guidelines often fail to meet local needs. There is a overriding importance to formulate appropriate guidelines which can address the practical situation of the locality and development initiatives from its content and approach.

This discussion will help us refine the minimum agenda that will be further discussed at the WWF4 in Mexico.

We would be grateful if you could send us more details on the examples and cases you have provided and any additional ones that would enable us to illustrate "the difference a good gender approach can make in agricultural growth, and in particular in water management for agriculture". This will be used to enrich what has been gathered through the discussion and will contribute to a synthesis report, which is the final output of this joint project between the CA, Both ENDS and the Gender and Water Alliance. This report will be shared with you when finished.

Best regards,

Domitille Vallee and Samyuktha Varma