KIT Royal Tropical Institute carried out gender audits of the CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) on MAIZE and WHEAT. The goal was to strengthen the institutional capacity of the CRP partners to integrate gender equality concerns in research for development projects.

Strengthening capacity for gender integration in agricultural research

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) commissioned KIT to undertake the audits. The gender audits were designed to contribute to the goals of the CRP MAIZE and WHEAT gender strategies. These strategies reflect the growing awareness of CRP partners that gender equality is essential in the quest to enhance agricultural growth, food security, and sustainable use of natural resources. The audits also provided an opportunity to advise CRP lead partners on how to maximise the impact of their research and their contribution to reducing gender inequalities in maize- and wheat-based farming systems.

The audits involved an external stock-taking exercise of the steps taken to integrate gender into eight research-for-development projects under CRP MAIZE and WHEAT. They also looked at organisational functions – i.e. monitoring and evaluation systems, resource allocation, and performance management – to see how they enabled or constrained gender integration. In addition, the audits analysed how epistemologies affect the way the CRPs address gender equality concerns. Epistemology is the study of knowledge and justified belief.

Our methods included:

• online staff capacity assessment
• literature and document reviews
• field visits
• semi-structured interviews
• focus group discussions