Gender Equality Initiative Brief Gender transformative intervention profile Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania Devis Mwakanyamale, Sarah Msita, Eustard Shumbusho, Geraldina Mushema, Andrew Kagya, and Inviolata Asimwe December 2024 Photo credit: Kolping Society of Tanzania December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 2 Acknowledgments This work was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Initiative on Gender Equality: https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/gender- equality/. The initiative aims to use impactful gender research to address the four dimensions of gender inequality by applying gender transformative approaches to harmful norms, bundling sociotechnical innovations for women’s empowerment, leveraging social protection to increase women’s access to and control over resources, and promoting inclusive governance and policies for increased resilience. We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: https://www.cgiar.org/funders/. https://www.cgiar.org/funders/ Exhibits Figure 1. Gender transformative interventions co-designed with the Kolping Society of Tanzania ...................................................6 Photo 1. Cassava processors showing peeled cassava roots ..................................................................................................................5 Photo 2. A woman spreading grated cassava dough under the solar dyer ...........................................................................................7 Photo 3. Cassava processors displaying a bag of cassava flour ............................................................................................................8 Photo 4. Processors making cassava biscuits ............................................................................................................................................9 Contents Acknowledgments 2 Introduction 4 Details of the gender transformative interventions 5 Development challenge(s) .........................................................................................................................................................................5 Description of the technical and gender transformative interventions .................................................................................................6 Existing structures that support the gender transformative interventions ............................................................................................7 Approaches that will be used to implement the gender transformative interventions ........................................................................7 Overall aim of the gender transformative interventions .........................................................................................................................8 Location of the gender transformative interventions ...............................................................................................................................9 Target audience of the gender transformative interventions .................................................................................................................9 Other information related to the gender transformative interventions ................................................................................................9 December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 3 December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 4 1 Singh et al. (2022). PROTOCOL: Gender transformative approaches in agriculture for women’s empowerment: A systematic review. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1265 2 Cislaghi, B., & Heise, L. (2018). Theory and practice of social norms interventions: Eight common pitfalls. Globalization and Health, 14(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0398-x 3 Cislaghi, B., & Heise, L. (2020). Gender norms and social norms: Differences, similarities and why they matter in prevention science. Sociology of Health & Illness, 42(2), 407–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13008 4 Seymour et al. (2023). Measuring gender and social norms in agrifood systems: Evidence from Tanzania and Nigeria. CGIAR Gender Equality Initiative. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/136080 5 Mwakanyamale et al. (2024). Identifying leverage points and levers to reduce normative constraints in agrifood systems in Tanzania and Nigeria. CGIAR Gender Equality Initiative. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149345 Introduction Women account for a significant portion of the agricultural labor force, representing 43% of the total workforce in agriculture across low- and middle-income countries (Singh et al., 2022).1 Yet despite their substantial involvement, women often face unequal norms that hinder their ability to participate fully and benefit meaningfully from agricultural activities. Social norms are the informal rules that prescribe behavior considered to be acceptable, appropriate, and obligatory within a group (Cislaghi & Heise, 2018).2 Gender norms, in particular, define acceptable and appropriate behavior for women and men (Cislaghi & Heise, 2020)3 and can create gender inequalities in agricultural development outcomes. These norms can significantly shape women’s access to resources and training and their decision-making power, ultimately affecting their productivity and economic opportunities. A recent quantitative study conducted in Tanzania highlighted the prevalence of inequitable social and gender norms within agrifood systems (AFSs), which restrict women’s capacities to build economic resilience (Seymour et al., 2023).4 Other studies generated qualitative evidence that showcased the significance of gender norms in AFSs in Tanzania. These studies specifically targeted the cassava, chicken, and fisheries AFSs in the country. This evidence base was shared with relevant stakeholders working in these three AFSs in Tanzania at a dissemination and validation workshop in 2023. During the workshop, participants reflected on the evidence base and identified leverage points and levers for intervening at a deeper level to address the normative constraints in the country’s AFSs (Mwakanyamale et al., 2024).5 Following the workshop, organizations were identified to partner with to design gender transformative interventions that address the normative constraints women face in the cassava AFS. According to FAO et al. (2023, 40), gender transformative interventions “include specific measures to change discriminatory social structures, sociocultural norms and gender relations to achieve more shared and equal power dynamics, decision-making and control of resources, as well as support for women’s empowerment.” This document provides detailed information on the interventions that the Gender Equality Initiative co-designed with the Kolping Society of Tanzania (KST), one of its development partners working in Tanzania’s Kagera Region. The interventions aim to help transform gender norms that limit women’s ability to take out financial loans and make decisions about major expenditures. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1265 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0398-x https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13008 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/136080 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149345 December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 5 Details of the gender transformative interventions Development challenge(s) The Gender Equality Initiative generated a body of evidence on normative constraints that limit women’s capacity to build economic resilience through their engagement in the cassava AFS. From this evidence base, the KST focused on the following two restrictive norms when designing their gender transformative interventions: (1) it is inappropriate for women to take out loans, and (2) it is inappropriate for women to make decisions about major expenditures. These norms reinforce inequality and lead to several key development challenges: 1. Women have limited ability to purchase or use cassava technologies and adopt good agronomic practices (GAPs): Because of normative constraints, women face challenges accessing financial resources, such as loans or credit. Financial resources help women purchase improved cassava technologies (e.g., improved varieties, fertilizers) and use GAPs. In addition, norms often suggest that women should not make independent decisions about major household expenditures, including purchasing improved cassava technologies and using GAPs. Thus, even if women have access to financial resources to purchase these technologies and use GAPs, they must rely on male family members to make the decisions to utilize income for these purposes. 2. Women have limited involvement in cassava production as a business: Gender norms restrict women’s involvement in cassava production as a business. As men dominate decision-making about major household expenditures and access to financial resources, women primarily cultivate cassava on a smaller scale for household consumption. This focus on producing cassava as a food crop, and not also as a cash crop, excludes them from economically benefiting from participating in the cassava AFS. 3. Women’s productivity in cassava production is lower than men’s: The combined effect of limited access to loans and credit and the ability to make decisions on purchasing improved cassava technologies and using GAPs results in lower productivity for women cassava farmers compared to men. This constrains their use of improved technologies and GAPs that could increase yields and other efficiencies. The inequitable norms perpetuate a cycle where women work harder with fewer resources, leading to reduced output compared to their male counterparts. Addressing the gender norms that create these key development challenges is critical to reducing gaps in gender productivity and income and ensuring inclusive agricultural development. Photo 1. Cassava processors showing peeled cassava roots. Photo Credit: Kolping Society of Tanzania December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 6 Description of the technical and gender transformative interventions The technical interventions will involve training women and men on the group savings and lending methodology and increasing their knowledge and skills to use improved cassava technologies and GAPs. These interventions will also involve training of trainers (ToT) for farmer field facilitators (FFFs) and extension agents. The ToT will build the capacity of FFFs and extension agents to facilitate sessions focused on group savings and lending. In turn, the training will equip women and men with the skills to run their group savings and lending associations. Additionally, the ToT will strengthen the capacity of the FFFs and extension agents to train women and men farmers on the use of improved cassava technologies and GAPs. The trained FFFs and extension agents will then implement the technical interventions with farmer organizations in close collaboration with the KST. This approach seeks to ensure women receive extension services and technical advice from trained FFFs and extension agents. The FFFs and extension agents will also be trained to integrate and facilitate the gender transformative sessions in these technical interventions. Figure 1 summarizes the gender transformative interventions that address the norms that limit women’s ability to take out loans and to make decisions about major expenditures. The inequitable norms are presented on the far left, followed by development challenges resulting from such norms. The figure then highlights proposed research activities, outputs, development interventions, and expected outcomes. To address the inequitable norms, gender transformative sessions will be developed for inclusion into group savings and lending and cassava-based training sessions to help increase women’s decision-making power and ability to take out loans to purchase improved cassava technologies and use GAPs. Figure 1. Gender transformative interventions co-designed with the Kolping Society of Tanzania. Women’s productivity is lower compared to men’s Women’s involvement in cassava production as a business is limited IINNEEQQUUIITTAABBLLEE NNOORRMM It is inappropriate for women who work in the cassava AFS to make decisions about major expenditures IINNEEQQUUIITTAABBLLEE NNOORRMM It is inappropriate for women who work in the cassava AFS to take out loans Women’s ability to purchase cassava technologies and use good agronomic practices is constrained Develop gender transformative sessions for inclusion into group savings and lending methodology and cassava-based training to help increase women’s decision-making power and ability to take out loans to purchase cassava technologies and use good agronomic practices Gender transformative training sessions Cassava-based training sessions Conduct gender transformative sessions with Kolping Family Groups Cassava farmers and other stakeholders develop plans for action within their communities to increase women’s decision-making power and ability to take out loans to purchase cassava technologies and use good practices A greater number of women access loans A greater number of women increase their use of cassava technologies and good agronomic practices A greater number of women increase their decision-making power on purchasing cassava technologies and using good agronomic practices A greater number of women increase their decision-making power on taking loans Women increase their productivity in cassava production and other value chain activities More women become involved in cassava production as a business Perceptions of women’s decision- making power change Perceptions of women taking out loans change Modify existing cassava-based training manuals and savings and lending methodology Savings and lending training sessions Conduct training of trainers with farmer field facilitators to facilitate the gender transformative sessions with Kolping Family Groups who also receive training on savings and lending as well as cassava technologies and good agronomic practices DDeevveellooppmmeenntt cchhaalllleennggeess RReesseeaarrcchh aaccttiivviittiieess RReesseeaarrcchh oouuttppuuttss DDeevveellooppmmeenntt iinntteerrvveennttiioonnss OOuuttccoommeessIInneeqquuiittaabbllee nnoorrmm December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 7 Existing structures that support the gender transformative interventions The KST is working with farmer organizations, some of which are involved in group savings and lending activities in different districts across Kagera Region. The implementation of this intervention will be embedded in the established group savings and lending methodology of farmer organizations who work with the KST. In addition, such farmer organizations will receive training on how to use improved cassava technologies and GAPs to increase productivity and produce cassava as a business. Approaches that will be used to implement the gender transformative interventions Gender transformative sessions will be designed to challenge the inequitable gender norms and promote equal access to loans and participation in making decisions about major household expenditures. These sessions will be integrated into the group savings and lending methodology to ensure that women and men in farmer organizations are able to access loans (and/or save) to purchase improved cassava technologies and use GAPs. Members of farmer organizations, along with their spouses (if married), will engage in critical reflection about the restrictive gender norms. They will then come up with solutions through action planning and implementation to challenge the norms that restrict women from accessing loans and making decisions about major household expenditures, including purchasing improved cassava technologies and using GAPs. The gender transformative sessions will also be embedded in the cassava-based training. This integration ensures that cassava-based training equips participants with technical knowledge and skills on how to use improved cassava technologies and GAPs to increase productivity and produce cassava as a business, while also addressing the gender norms that limit women from accessing loans and making decisions about major household expenditures. Again, members of farmer organizations will critically reflect with their spouses (if married) about the restrictive gender norms and then come up with actions to implement at home or within the community that challenge these norms. Photo 2. A woman spreading grated cassava dough under a solar dyer. Photo Credit: Kolping Society of Tanzania December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 8 Overall aim of the gender transformative interventions The gender transformative interventions seek to contribute to the following achievements: Increase in the number of women who access loans: The interventions focus on improving women’s ability to take out loans. This will, in turn, improve their access to financial resources. Increase in the number of women who use cassava technologies and GAPs: By challenging gender norms and reshaping people’s perceptions, the interventions promote equitable decision-making processes within households and communities. Increasing women’s decision-making power will lead to more women using improved cassava technologies and GAPs. Increase in women’s involvement in cassava production as a business: The interventions also seek to enhance women’s involvement in cassava production and other related activities by challenging norms that deter women from taking up such opportunities as a business. Increased decision-making in taking out loans, purchasing improved cassava technologies, and using GAPs will enable women to enhance their productivity and profitability, which are key cornerstones of a successful business. Photo 3. Cassava processors displaying a bag of cassava flour. Photo Credit: Kolping Society of Tanzania December 2024 | Gender transformative intervention profile: Addressing normative constraints to building women’s economic resilience in the cassava agrifood system in Tanzania 9 Location of the gender transformative interventions The gender transformative interventions will be implemented with selected farmer organizations in the districts of Bukoba, Missenyi, Karagwe, Kyerwa, and Muleba in Kagera Region. Target audience of the gender transformative interventions The gender transformative group savings and lending methodology will target members of selected farmer organizations involved in both savings and lending and also activities related to the cassava value chain. When conducting gender transformative sessions with these organizations, the spouses of married members will also be invited. Other information related to the gender transformative interventions The interventions seek to contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as agricultural development and economic growth outcomes. They do so by addressing restrictive gender norms, enhancing women’s decision-making power, and increasing access to loans so that women can purchase or use improved cassava technologies and adopt GAPs. Respective local governments will be informed about the interventions, and, where necessary, representatives, especially from cooperatives and community development departments, will be invited to contribute and share their insights during the training sessions. Photo 4. Processors making cassava biscuits. Photo Credit: Kolping Society of Tanzania Devis Mwakanyamale, Sarah Msita, Eustard Shumbusho, Geraldina Mushema, Andrew Kagya, and Inviolata Asimwe CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Its research is carried out by 13 CGIAR Centers/Alliances in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations, and the private sector. www.cgiar.org We would like to thank all funders who support this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: www.cgiar.org/funders. To learn more about this Initiative, please visit www.cgiar.org/initiative/gender-equality. To learn more about this and other Initiatives in the CGIAR Research Portfolio, please visit www.cgiar.org/cgiar-portfolio. © 2024 CGIAR System Organization. Some rights reserved. Photo credits Front cover, pages 5, 7, 8, 9, Kolping Society of Tanzania. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC 4.0). | | | https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/gender-equality/ https://twitter.com/CGIAR?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.facebook.com/onecgiar/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/cgiar/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYuSEwWKAsoNwg6MJEI-qeA Photo 1. Cassava processors showing peeled cassava roots. Photo 2. A woman spreading grated cassava dough under the solar dyer. Photo 3. Processors making cassava biscuits. Photo 4. Processors making cassava biscuits. Acknowledgments Introduction Details of the gender transformative interventions Development challenge(s) Description of the technical and gender transformative interventions Existing structures that support the gender transformative interventions Approaches that will be used to implement the gender transformative interventions Overall aim of the gender transformative interventions Location of the gender transformative interventions Target audience of the gender transformative interventions Other information related to the gender transformative interventions