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Building on Gender, Agrobiodiversity and Local Knowledge

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Building on Gender, Agrobiodiversity and Local Knowledge BUILDING ON GENDER, AGROBIODIVERSITY AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE A TRAINING MANUAL i All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing Management Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected] © FAO 2005 The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations encourages the dissemination of material contained in this publication, provided that reference is made to the source. FOREWORD The present Training Manual is based on experiences collected in numerous training workshops carried out under the FAO-LinKS project1 in Eastern and Southern Africa. This Training Manual constitutes a conceptual guide for trainers that can be used to lead them through the issues of gender and local knowledge which are important elements for agrobiodiversity management and food security. It is apparent, when working with this Training Manual, that agrobiodiversity and food security are complex issues that need careful consideration. The myth that technologies taught to farmers will ease their poverty and hunger because the expertise or seeds provided are modern or new, persists in many contexts. This leads to positive results not materializing and rural farmers being faced with failed crops, or it is found that the technology applied is not appropriate to the particular situation. There have been successes, this is true; however, a careful reading of the case studies contained in this Manual, will prompt the readers to pause and reflect. In some cases, the fine balance between wild foods and cultivated local varieties offers better solutions for local contexts and the introduction of new technologies may disturb the equilibrium. One result of participating in the training will be a growing awareness of the importance of gender and local knowledge for sustainable agrobiodiversity management. The issues of gender, local knowledge and agrobiodiversity and their linkages are clearly explained. The sustainable livelihoods approach is used as an overall framework to understand better these linkages. In addition, the Manual gives an overview of the policies, processes and institutions at the global level that may affect farmers and agrobiodiversity in general. The fact sheets contained in the Manual provide a general understanding of the issues. Sharing experiences and applying the participants’ knowledge and understanding will be even more important. The Manual includes some exercises which encourage participants to bring in their own experiences, share their ideas, and apply them to their own work situation. The Manual provides tools for researchers, extensionists and those involved in day-to-day project implementation to better guide the processes that lead towards sustainable agrobiodiversity management and improved food security. Furthermore the Manual emphasizes the importance of involving the holders of local knowledge, both men and women in the decision-making process. Most important, to quote from the Manual, they will remember that ‘the entry point to agrobiodiversity management is people themselves’. This participatory process takes time, but it leads to more effective and sustainable results. Marcela Villarreal Director Gender and Population Division Sustainable Development Department 1 The FAO LinKS project (Gender, biodiversity and local knowledge systems for food security) works to improve rural people’s food security and promote the sustainable management of agrobiodiversity by strengthening the capacity of institutions to use participatory approaches that recognize men and women farmer’s knowledge in their programme and policies. The project is funded by the Government of Norway. For further information visit the web site of the project: www.fao./sd/links, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Training Manual is the product of an extensive collaboration with trainers, researchers and farmers. The Gender and Development Service would like to thank the following experts for contributing to the development of the present materials. Sabine Guendel, Senior Scientist, for developing this Training Manual; our colleagues from the technical Divisions within FAO, for their support and inputs; all the authors, institutions and organizations who kindly authorise the use of their publications and articles. The FAO/Netherlands Partnership Programme (FNPP), who provided additional technical and financial support. Special thanks go to the LinKS project teams in Tanzania, Mozambique and Swaziland for contributing their valuable expertise. iv CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS INTRODUCTION TO THE MANUAL MODULE 1 Introduction of key concepts 1.1 WHAT IS AGROBIODIVERSITY? 1.2 WHAT IS LOCAL KNOWLEDGE? 1.3 WHAT IS GENDER? 1.4 WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY? MODULE 2 Agrobiodiversity management from a sustainable livelihoods’ perspective 2.1 WHAT IS A SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS APPROACH? 2.2 WHAT ARE THE LINKAGES BETWEEN AGROBIODIVERSITY, LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND GENDER FROM A LIVELIHOODS PERSPECTIVE? MODULE 3 Agrobiodiversity management from a gender perspective 3.1 GENDER DYNAMICS AND AGROBIODIVERSITY 3.2 VALUES AND BENEFITS OF AGROBIODIVERSITY FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE 3.3 RECOGNIZING GENDER ASPECTS IN AGROBIODIVERSITY INITIA MODULE 4 Understanding the relationship between agrobiodiversity and local knowledge 4.1 LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AS PART OF AGROBIODIVERSITY 4.2 CHALLENGES FOR LOCAL KNOWLEDGE – UNDERSTANDING THE VULNERABILITY CONTEXT 4.3 SHAPING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND AGROBIODIVERSITY – POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS AND PROCESSES MODULE 5 Gender, biodiversity loss and conservation 5.1 CONTRASTING VIEWS ON GENDER, AGROBIODIVERSITY AND FOOD SECURITY v ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women CIP International Potato Center COP Conference of the Parties DFID Department for International Development (UK) ESEAP Regional Office for East, Southeast and the Pacific FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations GPA Global Plan of Action GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH IC Intergovernmental Committee ICESR International Convention on Social and Cultural Rights IDRC International Development Research Centre (Canada) IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture IK Indigenous knowledge ILO International Labour Organization IP Intellectual Property IPGRI International Plant Genetic Resources Institute ISNAR International Service for National Agricultural Research ITPGRFA International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture IU International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources IUCN The World Conservation Union KEPDA Kenya Economic Pastoralist Development Association NGO Non-governmental organization NRI Natural Resources Institute (UK) ODI Overseas Development Institute (UK) PGR Plant genetic resources PGRFA Plant genetic resources in food and agriculture PIC Prior informed consent PIPs Policies, institutions and processes SEAGA Socio-economic and Gender Analysis Programme (FAO) SEARICE South East Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment SL Sustainable livelihoods SNNPR Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region TK Traditional knowledge TRIPS Trade Related Intellectual Property Agreement UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UPOV Union pour la Protection des Variétés Végétales UPWARD User’s Persepectives with Agricultural Research and Development WTO World Trade Organization vi INTRODUCTION TO THE MANUAL PURPOSE OF THE MANUAL This training manual focuses specifically on the linkages between local knowledge systems, gender roles and relationships, the conservation and management of agrobiodiversity, plant and animal genetic resources, and food security. Its aim is to promote a holistic understanding of these components. The training objective is to strengthen the institutional capacity in the agricultural sector and to recognize and foster these linkages in the relevant programmes and policies. Other manuals may cover these same topics, but there is an obvious lack of integrated training materials that address all three topics. Moreover, FAO’s local partner organizations have requested specific training materials that focus on these cross-cutting issues. We strongly believe that a better understanding of the key concepts, and their linkages, will lead to improved project planning and implementation. This manual therefore aims to explore the linkages between agrobiodiversity, gender and local knowledge, and to show the relevance of doing so, within the context of research and development. This manual will not equip you with the skills needed to conduct participatory or action research at the field level, or provide guidance for research tools and methods. However, it is meant to complement existing manuals covering tools, methods and approaches, such as the FAO/SEAGA handbook material
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