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Gender-Sensitive Value Chains

Type
Course
Location
Web-based
Date
-
Duration
5 Weeks
Programme Area
Public Finance and Trade
Price
$0.00
Event Focal Point Email
pft-elearning@unitar.org
Partnership
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Registration
By application & selection
Mode of Delivery
E-learning
Language(s)
English
Pillar
Prosperity
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In recent years, trade liberalization, globalization, technological advancement and other major trends have brought important changes to agricultural and food systems. These changes have yielded positive results, such as opening up new markets and creating successful linkages between producers and markets. However they have also created new challenges for rural actors to gain access to and benefit from local, national and global markets (FAO 2013c). Women in particular experience more difficulties compared to men in accessing productive resources, participating in and benefitting equally from agrifood value chains. Women make up 43% of the agricultural labour force and are profoundly involved in the production of food and cash crops worldwide, as well as in fishery, forestry and livestock. This ‘gender gap’ represents a missed opportunity to secure sustainable development for the agricultural sector as well as improved food security and nutrition for all (FAO 2011c).

It is the role of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to make sure that current processes of growth and commercialization in the agricultural sector do not lead to further disempowerment of women and girls and contribute instead to the sustainable development of agrifood systems. The inclusiveness of agricultural food systems depends on the extent to which they allow the most vulnerable groups (such as smallholders, small enterprises, women- and youth-run enterprises) to have access to the resources and services they need and to participate, benefit and earn a living wage from their activities. Working towards inclusiveness, social justice and gender equality in agrifood systems entails addressing all levels of the value chain, from the individual producer to the end-market, and coming to a comprehensive understanding of the issues and constraints that lead to the exclusion and marginalization of stakeholders along the chain.

Over the last decade, the value chain (VC) has established itself as one of the main paradigms in development thinking and practice and is now recognized as a key concept in the development of sustainable food systems. Given the large amount of heterogeneous practices and publications that accompanied the rise of the VC paradigm, FAO responded to the growing need for a unified conceptual framework and practical guidance by inaugurating a series of handbooks in 2014 on sustainable food value chain development (SFVCD; FAO 2014). The purpose of this framework and the accompanying set of guidelines is to contribute to this series of publications in order to ensure that gender equality dimensions are more systematically integrated into programs and projects, so that women and men can benefit more equally from VC development interventions and subsequent improvements in VC performance.

To roll out this approach for Gender-sensitive Value Chain Development (GSVCD), FAO intends to develop the expertise of project managers and designers, staff of extension and advisory services and policy makers to build an expertise that combine gender and value chain expertise.

By the end of the course, participants will be better able to:

- Recognize the role women play in value chain and enterprise development and on the potential they represent in economic and social terms;
- Explain gender goals and objectives for value chain development distinguishing between ‘do no harm’, gender inclusion, women’s empowerment and gender transformation;
- Apply the tools and knowledge to analyse value chains from a gender perspective;
- Implement the tools and strategies for gender-specific value chain development strategies and policies;
- Describe the role of the public sector in developing policies and incentives to promote gender-sensitive value chain development and women entrepreneurship;
- Translate gender-sensitive value chain development and women entrepreneurship in to programme and projects.

The course is composed of four modules, each of which comprise of three to six lessons and an assessment.

MODULE 1: Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Development: Basic concepts

Lesson 1.1: Why gender matters in value chain development?
Lesson 1.2: Gender basic concepts
Lesson 1.3: FAO framework on Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Development
Assessment question module 1

MODULE 2: Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Analysis

Lesson 2.1: Preliminary evaluation of the project sustainability
Lesson 2.2: Gender-sensitive VC Mapping
Lesson 2.3: Identification and analysis of gender-based constraints
Assessment question module 2

MODULE 3: Strategies to address gender-based constraints

Lesson 3.1: Addressing gender-based constraints at multiple levels
Lesson 3.2: Work burden and time poverty
Lesson 3.3: Unequal decision-making power, participation and leadership
Lesson 3.4: Access to information, knowledge and training
Lesson 3.5: Access to finance
Lesson 3.6: The enabling environment
Assessment question module 3

MODULE 4: From conceptualization to intervention

Lesson 4.1: Final selection of the VC and prioritization of identified strategies/actions
Lesson 4.2: Risk-containment strategies
Lesson 4.3: Monitoring & Evaluation
Assessment question module 4

The e-learning curriculum is organized in short and highly interactive modules.

All modules have been designed to be problem-centred and task-oriented, in accordance with the principles of adult learning theory.

The modules will use scenario-based exercises, in which learners will be presented with realistic situations and will have to take decisions by choosing among different options. Any decision taken by the learner will have consequences in terms of the situation proposed as well as immediate feedback in order to reflect on the situation and the decision made.

Scenario-based exercises will be combined with the following elements:

Presentations of organized information on key topics, to provide learners with the knowledge required to make the right decisions.
Case studies, i.e. significant cases related to the topic presented, which allow learners to be exposed to real situations and realize how the topic has been applied in the real world.
Job aids (such as checklists, templates, glossary) providing learners with just-in-time information and guidance.

The modular structure of the curriculum will allow learners to quickly select lessons and topics based on their specific interests and needs, easily retrieving tools, approaches and resources they might need in their daily work.

The capacity development modules are aimed at professionals in charge of supporting agricultural value chains and gender in a wide range of organizations including national governments, regional organizations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, research institutes, universities, donor agencies, and private sector.

The target audience can be categorized as follow:

Value chain experts and practitioners who want to ensure that their interventions are inclusive and socially sustainable, and seek support on how best to address gender issues in agrifood value chains; and
Gender experts who intend to support the meaningful integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment objectives in value chain interventions.

This course is offered free of charge as part of capacity building activities under FAO Multipartner Programme Support Mechanism Programme: Enabling women to benefit equally from agrifood value chains.

- http://www.fao.org/in-action/women-in-agrifood-value-chains/en/
- http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5417b.pdf

Limited slots are available and will be subject to a selection process conducted by FAO, taking into account in particular, the geographical distribution and gender balance.

A certificate of completion will be issued to participants who successfully complete all course-related assignments and assessments.

Recommended minimum hardware and software requirements for taking this e-learning course:

Platform: Windows XP sp3, Vista sp2, Windows 7 sp1, MacOS X.
Hardware: 2 GB of RAM and higher for Vista and Windows 7.
Software: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint and Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable for free at adobe.com).
Browser: Internet Explorer 8 or higher; Mozilla Firefox 8 or higher.
Internet connection: 128kbps and higher.
Note: JavaScript, pop-ups & cookies must be enabled.