Supporting responsible and inclusive scaling for innovation scaling partners in Zambia: A workshop on using the GenderUp methodology

The GenderUp methodology revolutionizes agricultural innovations and how they should be scaled toward achieving societal outcomes for all. Developed in collaboration with CGIAR, Wageningen University and Research, and the University of California, Davis, this discussion-based method supports innovation teams to scale agricultural innovations in a gender and socially responsible manner. Implementing GenderUp involves a structured process of participatory workshops that guide scaling teams through developing or enhancing their scaling strategies to be more responsive and inclusive, allowing for reflection and adaptation based on feedback and insights gained during discussions. This is what members and partners of the CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa, commonly known as the Ukama Ustawi (UU) Initiative, experienced during a capacity-building training workshop with active scaling partners in Zambia.

The training was held from 11 to 12 November 2024 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka. It was organized by the UU Initiative Work Package Five team and led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). It brought together twenty-three (23) participants from diverse organizations, including the CGIAR, the National Agricultural Research System (NARS), academia, the private sector, development organizations, and farmer associations. They were drawn from active scaling projects, including UU, Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA), Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) led by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and Understanding and Enhancing Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Smallholder Farming Systems of Southern Africa (ACASA).

Before commencing the training, Dr David Chikoye, the One CGIAR Country Convener for Zambia, IITA UU lead, and Director for IITA Southern Africa Research and Administrative Hub, emphasized the importance of integrating social outcomes into scaling strategies. He highlighted that scaling should not merely be about reaching more farmers but also about ensuring equitable access to and benefit of innovations for all typologies of farmers. He warned against viewing scaling solely as a quantitative measure of success without considering its qualitative impacts on different communities.

The CGIAR gender researchers, Millicent Liani of IITA and Hanna Ewell of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, certified GenderUp facilitators, conducted the training. They introduced participants to the five stages of the methodology, which consist of:

 

1. Defining Scaling Ambition: Establishing clear goals for scaling agricultural innovations.
2. Exploring Relevant Social Dimensions: Understanding how gender, wealth, education, and age impact innovation scaling efforts.
3. Understanding Implications of Intersectionality: Recognizing the interconnected nature of social categorizations and their implications.
4. Mitigating Negative Impacts: Developing strategies to address potential adverse effects of scaling.
5. Integrating GenderUp into Project Management: Ensuring that gender and social considerations are embedded within all aspects of project implementation.

 

Participants were organized and engaged in four working groups that focused on various scaled agricultural innovations to foster collaboration and shared learning. These included (i) conservation agriculture, where they explored sustainable practices and their applications; (ii) improved cowpea seeds and associated business models and market opportunities; (iii) bundled climate-smart agriculture and climate information services with a focus on aquaculture; and (iv) digital tools for enhancing agricultural efficiency and outreach.

 

 

GenderUp emphasizes the importance of intersectionality, recognizing that individuals experience multiple identities that intersect and influence their social standing, such as wealth status, education, land ownership, gender, age group, marital status, disability, household structure, geography, and location to influence inequitable access to resources required for innovation uptake. By addressing these intersections, the methodology helps participants understand how different forms of discrimination and privilege coexist within power dynamics, which are crucial for developing responsible and inclusive agricultural innovation scaling strategies. The training also demonstrated that using the four innovations requires resources such as agricultural inputs, technical skills/knowledge, market linkages, land, water, extension and advisory services, internet connectivity, and dedicated time.

Potential negative impacts on the community due to large-scale adoption for those living in a community where innovation is introduced identified from the working groups, include a shift in community or household power dynamics, that is, control and influence over resources; increased market risks, increased environmental health risks, among others. Gender was recognized as a significant factor in determining who experiences these negative impacts and to what degree/extent the innovations impacted them. Through facilitated discussions, the participants delved deeper into producing personas that exemplify how different intersectional groups might benefit from or face challenges based on the four innovations. The participants further identified downstream, and upstream interventions/changes needed to prevent, mitigate, or minimize potentially harmful unintended impacts to users and non-users of the innovation, especially marginalized intersectional groups. This was to inform the design of inclusive scaling strategies and accompanying changes to their project management structure.

One representative of the Zambia Research for Development Center highlighted lessons learned through participation:

“In my 20 years of working in the agricultural industry, I’ve mostly been concentrating on profitability, overlooking gender issues, but I think I’ve learned their importance. If they’re not included in our innovations scaling up, we will likely fail” (Jestone Mhango, Researcher).

Ultimately, the participants acknowledged that tailored communication and local engagement are crucial for successfully scaling social outcomes, highlighting the challenge of resource constraints and emphasizing the need for equitable partnerships to enhance effectiveness. This training marked a significant step towards fostering inclusive and responsible agricultural innovation scaling practices within the UU Initiative, which aims to enhance resilience in agri-food systems that benefit all segments of society, particularly women, youth, and socially marginalized groups across East and Southern Africa. Detailed information about the training can be found in this report.

Contributed by Millicent L. Liani (IITA) and Hanna Ewell (ABC)