Access and control over productive resources as well as the benefits from livestock production, processing and marketing are not equitable. Although women play essential roles from the production to consumption of nutritious foods they are often disadvantaged in terms of access to information, services, or markets that could improve their livelihoods. However, although gender is a key barrier, it is not the only one. In this cross-cutting theme we pursue an intersectional approach that considers gender and age as well as other factors that limit opportunities for individuals in the livestock sector, such as caste, race, religion, education, employment, and socio-economic status. The main areas of focus under this cross-cutting theme include:

• Women and youth engagement: Research on how women’s and youth engagement in livestock systems contribute to achieving the U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy objectives.
• Women’s and youth empowerment: Research on livestock-related strategies to empower women and improve dietary outcomes for children. This focal area includes how to overcome constraints to technology adoption by women and youth in the livestock sector.
• Entrepreneurship and private sector engagement: Studies to determine entry points and strategies to overcome barriers to women’s and youth involvement in livestock systems, including researching opportunities for entrepreneurship to generate sustainable livelihoods.
• Gender and nutrition: Research on the role of boys and men in improving household nutrition.

All recipients of research awards will be required to integrate gender and youth considerations into project design and implementation. Helpful tools for doing so include the Feed the Future Project Design Guide for Youth-Inclusive Agriculture and Food, the forthcoming USAID livestock and gender toolkit, and resources generated during Phase I. Where appropriate, we also plan to use the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index tool to measure women’s empowerment. Progress monitoring will involve using specific indicators designed to measure impacts from a gendered intersectional approach.

Phase I resources

Although the importance of gender has been recognized by donors, governments and international organizations, it is important to ensure that gender is integrated into research practice. Each research project is different, but many face challenges when trying to integrate gender into different types of activities at various project stages. Through a webinar series and video training materials, we developed practical materials to help researchers integrate gender at each stage of the project cycle. This includes identifying the benefits of integrating gender into the design, data analysis and reporting stages of the project cycle, and outlining strategies for inclusion in later project stages, even if it had not previously been incorporated. This process can help project teams succeed at gender integration in each phase of the project or help projects get back on track if they have faced setbacks.

In addition, we have compiled an Annotated Bibliography on gender-related research from the Livestock Systems Innovation Lab’s target countries and value chains related to gender and livestock. It consolidates research that brings a gender lens to the study of the livestock sector and raises awareness of this literature base and potential for new areas of inquiry related to gender and livestock value chains.

Leadership of Gender and Youth

Dr. Kathleen Colverson, Lead