Improving Gender Responsive Data Collection and use in Africa; Rationale and Review of Progress

Hannah Nyota ReSAKSS-ECA

Gender Framework WorkshopIntercontinental Hotel, Nairobi

04/09/2013

Outline

• Definitions

• Rationale for gender statistics

• Agricultural gender data collection initiatives

• African initiatives

• Conclusion

Definitions• Gender-social constructionof the roles and responsibilities of males and females (Quisumbing, 1996.)

• Gender statistics- separate data on women and men, boys and girls across a wide range of topicsand areas, reflecting mostly quantitatively, the scope of diverserealities for different population groups (UNECE, 2010).

Definitions contd’Components of gender statistics;

• Sex-disaggregated data - data collected primarily by biological and physical attributes (FAO,2005)

• Gender-sensitive indicators-information

derived from sex-disaggregated data to assess gender relations in the population(FAO,2005).

Rationale for gender data in agriculture and rural development

• In Africa, women constitute 50% of the agricultural workforce (Doss&FAO,2011)

• Existence of gender disparities in access to and control of productive resources - land, seeds, water, agricultural extension services, training, credit(FAO,2011)

• Narrowing the gender gaps in agriculture would increase agricultural output, enhance food security and reduce poverty

Cont’d

• Gender statistics provide the inter-linkages to understand gender related challenges in food security, market access and economic productivity.

• African countries face technical and institutional constraints in generating and using gender data

• Isolated and scattered efforts to develop tools/framework but not very successful

Why are gender statistics important?• Provide evidence and unbiased foundation for gender responsive policies and

interventions;

• Monitor and evaluate policies and livelihood interventions with a gender outlook;

• Increase awareness, convince policy makers/statistical bodies and promote change

• For the achievement of national, regional and international goals for promoting gender equality; SDGs, MDGs, Beijing Platform for Action, among others

• To reveal gender based differences in roles/activities, access to and control of resources, constraints, opportunities and benefits at the micro-level

Agricultural gender data collection initiatives

• Several initiatives developed for generating and analyzing gender-relevant information for agriculture and rural development

• A lot of work by FAO- SEAGA, Agri-gender toolkit, GASF etc.

Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) frameworkDeveloped by FAO work to provide a gender perspective in data collection schemes, formulated upon 3 guiding principles (FAO,2010);

• the importance of gender roles and relations

• the need to prioritize disadvantaged people on policy agendas

• the crucial need for multi-stakeholder consultative processes

Cont’d

• Uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods for collecting gender-relevant information

• Gender relations analysed at the micro, meso

and macro levels

• Help identify relevant gender-based indicators and sex-disaggregated data variables.

Key questions of the SEAGA:

• Who does what?

• Who owns what?

• Who has access to/controls what?

• Who knows what?

• Who benefits?

Global strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics

Developed through joint collaboration between MoA, NSO, international statistical bodies and government institutions.

Articulated around three pillars :

• Identification of a minimum set of core data and national priorities

• Integration of agriculture into national statistical systems

• Sustainability of agricultural statistics through governance and capacity building

Key aspects of the global strategy

• Analysis of agric issues should show clear interaction between the economic, social and environmental dimensions

• Integration of gender issues in the three dimensions

Agri gender toolkit/database

A statistical toolkit for supporting the production and analysis of gender statistics in agriculture

Reflect upon the;

• Roles and contribution of men and women farmers in the agricultural sector

• Socio-economic status of agricultural populations in rural settings

• Efforts made to address issues of food security, poverty alleviation, gender equality and women empowerment (FAO, 2007).

Data items from the Agri-Gender database

Emphasis/scope Data categories

Roles and contributions of men and women in the agricultural sector

Agricultural population and householdsAccess to productive resourcesProduction and productivityLabour and time-use

Efforts to address development issues

Destination of agricultural produce

Income and expendituresMembership in agricultural/farmer organizationsFood security Poverty indicators

Source: FAO, 2007

Gender and Agricultural Statistics Framework (GASF)

• Developed by FAO and pilot tested in several South East Asian countries.

• Is unique as it combines several other frameworks in its 5 stages of data collection and use.

• GASF gives an overview of data collection and analysis systems and describes different types of activities involved in the production of gender statistics in agriculture

Stages of the GASF

African initiatives

• Only one framework developed; Africa Programme on Gender Statistics (APGS)

• APGS-brings together current and planned initiatives aimed at the development of gender statistics to avoid duplication of efforts and optimize the use of available resources

• Indexes exist e.g. African Gender and Development Index (AGDI) by UN

Conclusion

• Despite providing guidance on gender integration, these initiatives don’t factor in measurement issues, country context

• Gender analysis is important to capture the contributions of both genders at all levels

• For evidence based policy making, there is need for gender statistics;

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