The objective of this proposed scientific session aims to introduce the Equity Principles for Transformative Innovation (Equity Principles), which have been recently submitted to a Special Collection Supplement in Agricultural Systems. This session aims to help researchers understand the importance of inclusive Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) frameworks, and Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) tools, and how to incorporate them into their work on socially effective and responsible innovation and scaling.

Persistent gender and social inequities undermine agri-food systems’ potential to contribute to inclusive and sustainable development. Systems thinking recognizes the interconnectedness and complexity of agri-food systems, emphasizing the need to consider various interrelated components and their dynamic interactions and highlights the need for integrated and transformative strategies that target multiple levels of the agri-food systems, from local to global.

IFPRI is participating in the 2023 annual CGIAR Gender Research Conference. This conference is co-hosted by the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and will take place in New Delhi, India, on October 9-12, 2023.

There has been considerable debate on how to develop gender-equitable agri-food innovations. Much of the debate is on whether gender-accommodative approaches (GAAs) and the more-recent gendertransformative approaches (GTAs) can work and how. Evidence on best pathways for gender-equitable agri-food innovations is limited. Livestock contributes to animalsource foods and to progress toward gender-equitable agri-food systems.

Nepal’s agriculture sector is facing various challenges including, amongst others, inadequate infrastructures, investment, labor shortage, climate-induced changes, and weak agriculture governance mechanisms. With the increase in migration trends among males, the ‘left behinds’ in the mid-hills of Nepal, are mostly women, middle-aged men, and the elderly. Due to the massive decline in the labor force, arable land is left fallow, ultimately affecting food security.

Women inhabiting biosphere reserves experience heightened vulnerability, attributable to the intricate interplay between constrained resource accessibility and their dependence on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture and natural resource management. However, there exists a dearth of comprehensive research regarding the gender facets of climate change adaptation within biosphere reserves.

The increasing agricultural wages in rural India have lent significant R&D and policy support for laborsaving agricultural technologies. While some are heralded as ‘game changers’ in achieving food sufficiency goals, less research is devoted to understanding whether farmer adoption of these technologies worsens economic inequalities. We hypothesize that the rapid diffusion of laborsaving agricultural technologies could result in a reduction in employment and loss of a key source of livelihood for the nonfarming rural poor, especially women from socially marginalized groups.

This research examines the relationship between soil inequalities, gender disparities, and health outcomes in Guatemala. The historical context of land concentration, limited access to land, internal conflict, and socioeconomic factors contribute to soil inequalities, which in turn affect household gender dynamics and health outcomes. Using a case study approach in San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala, this research examines the challenges faced by male and female farmers in managing their soil.

Strong evidence exists that women farmers have less access to land, inputs, labor, and information compared to men. Over the discourse of empirical research conducted in the domain of agricultural productivity, agricultural economists have always pondered over the inclusion of gender diversity as a separate dimension to identify the efficacy of gender roles in agricultural decision-making.

The agriculture sector plays an important role for food security and national income. However, climate change and business models have challenged the development in agriculture, especially in limitedresource regions like Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. Therefore, a study on climate-smart agriculture, value chains, gender, and partnerships is needed to develop a business model, especially for horticulture products. This research applied observation, survey, and interview methods to four elements (climate adaptation, value chain, inclusive entrepreneurship, and partnership).

The Indian agricultural system is undergoing rapid degradation because of climate-induced shocks and stressors. As a result, there have been endeavors among governments, civil society organizations and researchers to embrace transformative approaches toward the agri-food system. Within this context, agroecology has emerged as a comprehensive methodology that aims to reshape food systems by harnessing the interconnectedness between indigenous knowledge, local conservation practices, social capital and strategies for adapting to the climate crisis.