This study describes what did and did not work in the prioritization of preferred traits within the value chain of yam and associated food products (boiled and pounded yam) in Nigeria. Demand-led breeding protocols have enhanced participatory methods along gender lines to increase the clarity of information on the yam traits preferred by farmers and other end users.

Background
An understanding of farmers' preferences of new banana cultivars and their characteristics is critical for developing and selecting cultivars that meet consumer needs. Therefore, phenotypic selection in a genetically variable population remains an important aspect of plant breeding.
Methods

ICRISAT organized a training for county extension officers and Trainer of Trainers (ToTs) with the primary objective of increasing production and productivity of Drought Tolerant Crops (DTC) in the arid regions of Kenya. This training held from 8th to 30th August 2023, was conducted across Kitui, Makueni and Taita Taveta Counties. The main focus of the training was to enhance participants' understanding of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), quality seed production and post-harvest handling of DTCs, while also providing insights into climate information systems.

Inadequate and poor-quality feed resources constrain livestock production that compromises the livelihoods dependent on livestock in low- and middle-income countries. Several forage varieties have been developed, targeting smallholder farmers in developing countries, yet the level of adoption remains low, particularly among women farmers. Adoption of varieties could enhance livelihoods by increasing livestock productivity and by providing income from the sale of surplus forage. Evidence on gendered barriers to, and incentives for, adoption of forage varieties is scarce.

Research on gender inequality in seed systems has underscored the need to build more inclusive interventions. For gender-transformative (GT) interventions in seed systems to succeed, there is urgent need to test new models which should be guided by empirical evidence. We present findings from research that unraveled the underlying causes that prevent women and youth from actively participating and benefiting as cassava seed entrepreneurs (CSEs). This study underpins the designing and testing of GT interventions as part of the Muhogo Bora cassava seed systems project in Tanzania.

Women play an important role in agriculture and account for around 50% of the agricultural labor force in Asia. Strong evidence exists to prove that women farmers have less access to land, inputs, labor and information compared to men, which, in turn, can influence technical efficiency in farms, that is the effectiveness with which a given set of inputs is used to produce output. Strong reasons indicate that women’s empowerment may contribute to enhancing technical efficiency, most notably through improvements in women’s access to human, physical, and social capital.

Gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in many agri-food systems (AFS), limiting the potential of women—especially those from agriculture-dependent communities—to be empowered and to build social and economic resilience to climate change challenges. The Harnessing Gender and Social Equality for Resilience in Agri-food Systems (HER+) initiative will generate learning and evidence on where and how to intervene at a deeper level to disrupt the foundations of inequality in AFS. This effort requires high-quality data.

There is a push toward natural, chemical-free farming in India, reflected in the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). Working to promote on-farm bio-input preparations and agro-ecological practices, the NMNF notably prioritizes working among “traditionally low or no fertilizer input users… generally confined to hilly, tribal, high forestland districts,” ostensibly viewing these areas as more amenable to chemical-free farming.

International standards and policies are clear about women’s right to equality in the enjoyment of all their rights, including rights to access, use, inherit, control and own land. Sustainable Development Goal Target 5.a specifically calls for reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to, ownership and control over land and natural resources. Securing women’s land and resource rights is a critical goal in and of itself - and also a crucial factor in achieving many of the other SDGs.

The Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles (STIBs) framework, developed by the CGIAR's Initiative on Gender Equality, in collaboration with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), offers a systematic approach to enhance women's empowerment and resilience in the agrifood system by addressing gender-specific barriers and challenges, combining technological and social innovations in a demand-driven and context-specific manner.

Mainstreaming women in agriculture is the need of the hour and its imperative to bring and discuss innovations and approaches which can accelerate the pace of it. In spite of her back-breaking work women farmers remain invisible and is aspiring for her identity as a farmer. There are various challenges which is in the ecosystem of a woman farmer ranging from lack of an equal level playing field with that of men, identity crisis, lack of gendered extension system, lack of control over resources like land, input etc. which needs a planned strategy and intervention aiming to reduce the gaps.