Introduction
Gender plays a critical role in shaping agricultural production, access to resources, and decision-making in rural economies. Despite their substantial contributions, women in agriculture often face systemic barriers to land ownership, inputs, credit, training, and market access. This course is designed to deepen participants’ understanding of how gender relations affect agricultural outcomes and rural development, and to equip them with the knowledge and tools needed to address gender inequalities within agricultural systems.
The training provides a comprehensive overview of gender concepts and their relevance to agriculture, including land tenure, labor dynamics, food security, and climate resilience. Participants will learn to apply gender analysis frameworks to assess roles, responsibilities, access to resources, and power dynamics within farming households, cooperatives, and agricultural value chains. The course also examines the intersection of gender with other social factors such as age, ethnicity, and class, which compound marginalization and influence development impacts.
Through case studies, practical exercises, and group discussions, participants will explore best practices in designing gender-responsive agricultural programs and policies. Emphasis will be placed on mainstreaming gender in agricultural planning, data collection, extension services, value chain development, and climate-smart agriculture. Participants will also learn how to measure the impact of gender integration using sex-disaggregated data and gender-sensitive indicators.
Ultimately, this course aims to strengthen institutional and individual capacity to foster inclusive agricultural development. By equipping practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders with the skills to identify and address gender-based constraints, the training supports efforts to build equitable, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems that benefit women and men equally.
Duration
5 days
Who should attend?
This course is suitable to:
· Agricultural extension officers and field staff involved in community outreach and farmer support services
· Program managers and technical staff working with NGOs, government agencies, and international development organizations in the agriculture and rural development sectors
· Gender specialists and gender focal points seeking to strengthen gender integration within agricultural programs and policies
· Researchers, and academics in agriculture, rural development, gender studies, or related disciplines
· Policy-makers and planners responsible for designing national or regional agricultural strategies and policies
· Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) professionals aiming to include gender-sensitive tools and indicators in agricultural project assessments
· Staff from farmers’ cooperatives, producer groups, and agricultural value chains looking to promote equitable participation and benefits
· Climate resilience and food security practitioners interested in addressing gender disparities in climate-smart agriculture and disaster risk management
· Donor agency representatives and development partners responsible for overseeing or funding gender-responsive agricultural initiatives
· Gender advisers in NGOs and UN agencies,
· Development practitioners with an interest in gender mainstreaming
Course objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
· Understand core concepts related to gender equality, gender mainstreaming, and their application within agricultural and rural development contexts.
· Recognize the importance of sex-disaggregated agricultural data and gender-sensitive indicators for informed planning, implementation, and monitoring of agriculture-related initiatives.
· Design and implement gender-responsive agricultural surveys, including effective methods for collecting, recording, and analyzing sex-disaggregated and intersectional data.
· Conduct robust gender analysis within agricultural programs, projects, and policy frameworks using appropriate tools and methodologies.
· Integrate gender considerations across all stages of the agricultural development cycle, including needs assessments, strategy formulation, budgeting, implementation, and evaluation.
· Use evidence-based approaches to inform policy-making, ensuring that agricultural policies and practices are inclusive and responsive to the needs of both women and men.
· Appreciate the interconnectedness between gender and key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—especially SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
· Critically assess the structural barriers and socio-cultural norms that limit women’s and marginalized groups’ access to land, credit, technology, and decision-making roles in agriculture.
· Apply gender analysis frameworks (such as the Harvard, Moser, or FAO frameworks) to assess gender-based needs, roles, and access to agricultural resources and opportunities.
· Integrate gender into strategic and operational agricultural planning, including policy formulation, resource allocation, capacity-building efforts, and value chain development.
· Strengthen institutional capacity for gender integration, including fostering organizational gender awareness, accountability mechanisms, and inclusive leadership in agricultural settings.
· Promote gender equality as a driver of resilient and sustainable food systems, rural livelihoods, and community development.
Course content
Module 1: Introduction to Gender and Agriculture
- Overview of gender concepts: sex, gender, gender roles, equality, and equity
- The role of women and men in agricultural systems
- Gender disparities in access to resources, services, and opportunities
- Importance of gender integration in agriculture and rural development
- Linkages to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1, 2, 5 & 13
Module 2: Gender Roles, Responsibilities, and Relations in Rural Contexts
- Gender-based division of labor in agricultural households
- Time-use studies and workload analysis
- Access and control over agricultural resources: land, labor, inputs, credit
- Gender norms and cultural influences on agricultural participation
- Gendered impacts of climate change and land degradation
Module 3: Gender Analysis Tools and Frameworks
- Introduction to gender analysis and its purpose in agriculture
- Common gender analysis frameworks: Harvard Analytical Framework, Moser, Gender Analysis Matrix, FAO’s SEAGA
- Selecting and applying appropriate frameworks for agricultural contexts
- Practical exercises in gender data collection and analysis
- Stakeholder analysis with a gender lens
Module 4: Gender-Sensitive Agricultural Data and Indicators
- Importance of sex-disaggregated data in agricultural planning
- Designing and conducting gender-sensitive agricultural surveys
- Qualitative and quantitative data analysis
- Gender indicators and metrics for agriculture, food security, and nutrition
- Using data to inform gender-responsive policies and programs
Module 5: Gender Integration in Agricultural Policies and Programs
- Mainstreaming gender into national and subnational agricultural policies
- Gender budgeting and gender-responsive planning
- Gender-sensitive agricultural extension services and research
- Inclusive value chain development and market access strategies
- Monitoring and evaluation with gender considerations
Module 6: Gender and Emerging Issues in Agriculture
- Gender and climate-smart agriculture
- Women’s role in sustainable land management and agroecology
- Digital inclusion and gender in agricultural technology adoption
- Gender-responsive disaster risk reduction and resilience building
- Social protection, food systems transformation, and gender equity
Module 7: Institutional and Organizational Gender Integration
- Building gender-responsive institutions and organizational cultures
- Gender policy development and implementation at institutional level
- Capacity building for gender mainstreaming in agricultural sectors
- Developing gender action plans for agricultural organizations
- Gender audits and institutional accountability
Training Approach
This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.
Tailor-Made Course
This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808
Training Venue
The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.
Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant
Certification
Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.
Airport Pickup and Accommodation
Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808
Terms of Payment
Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better
