IFPRI's research on gender is conducted in the different divisions of the Institute and is supported by the institute-wide Gender Task Force. Research themes include:
- Gender and Governance
- Gender, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Management
- Gender, Human Capital and Food Security
- Gender and Innovation Systems
- Gender, Markets, and Trade
- Past Projects on Gender and Intrahousehold Research
IFPRI research on gender and governance analyzes gender in the interplay between economic principles and institutional and governance arrangements. It addresses how attention to gender in public policies and investments can create an enabling environment within which public and private interests and civil society can best contribute to pro-poor economic growth. This research is led by the Development Strategy and Governance Division (DSGD). Within its new governance program, DSDG also plans to address the role of gender in political processes, in local governance systems and in agricultural service provision.
Woman and child selling
animal intestines in Egypt
© 1997 Richard Adams/IFPRI
IFPRI’s research on agriculture and natural resource management examines the linkages between gender and agricultural growth, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability. The Environment, Production, and Technology Division (EPTD) leads this work, which includes research on the socioeconomic impacts of agricultural technologies targeted to women; the relationship between gender-focused investments and global food supply and the gendered dimensions of collective action for natural resource management, including women’s access to assets such as land and water. Other work within the division examines the role of gender in affecting sustainable land management and how institutions and economic incentives for water allocation affect women and men differently.
Gender analysis is a key focus of IFPRI's research on food and nutrition security, which examines how policies and programs can best help families rise out of poverty, achieve food and nutrition security, and strengthen their human capital. This work, led by the Food Consumption and Nutrition Division (FCND), includes research on intrahousehold resource allocation; the relationship between women's status and children's nutrition; gender-differentiated causes of poverty, human capital formation and challenges to urban food and nutrition security; and the role of gender in the interaction between HIV/AIDS and food and nutrition security. Women are also a target group for the division’s research on micronutrient deficiency and obesity. Planned work on the linkages between agriculture and health will incorporate gender in research, communications and capacity building activities and include comparative analyses of the impacts of different strategies on men and women.
IFPRI’s research on innovations systems is led by the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) division. ISNAR’s projects aim to analyze the impact of institutional and technological innovations that result from partnerships among public sector institutions, private firms and civil society organizations, on the social and economic well-being of rural households, women and children. Planned activities include examining the role of gender in the adoption of new technologies and the role of women in farmer participation groups, as well as identifying ways to support innovation processes that reach women farmers. ISNAR also collects data on the share and education levels of female scientists in agricultural research.
Mother holding child in Mauritania
© 1997 Alison Slack/IFPRI
The Markets, Trade, and Institutions Division (MTID) analyzes the role of gender in agricultural market reforms, crop and income diversification, postharvest activity, and agroindustry. It seeks to understand how gender analyses can help countries best develop markets, institutions and infrastructure in ways that contribute to agricultural growth, help alleviate poverty and ensure food and nutrition security for all. Current research examines the impact of infrastructure and food value chains on women and girls in Bangladesh and identifies ways to enhance gender equality and empowerment through infrastructure and institutions. Proposed research includes examining the gender-specific constraints women face in diversifying into high-value agricultural products while current work in the Development Strategy and Governance Division (DSGD) analyzes how trade liberalization in South Africa has affected men and women differently.
Available here are IFPRI resources from a major multi-country study on Gender and Intrahousehold Aspects of Food Policy. This study provides evidence that increasing resources in the hands of women is critical to improving project performance and attaining many important development outcomes. This new understanding has been the catalyst for a host of innovative public policies for alleviating poverty and hunger, including microfinance directed to women, food for education, child care programs, and integrated health, nutrition, and education programs.