A case of transdisciplinarity and collaborative decision making: the co‐construction of Gendered Food Product Profiles

Forsythe, Lora; Olaosebikan, Olamide; Teeken, Béla; Ngoh Newilah, Gérard; Mayanja, Sarah; Nanyonjo, Ann Ritah; Iragaba, Paula; Okoye, Benjamin; Marimo, Pricilla; Kenneth, Akankwasa; Adinsi, Laurent; Kendine Vepowo, Cedric; Sounkoura, Adetonah; Tinyiro, Samuel Edgar; Bouniol, Alexandre; Dufour, Dominique; Akissoé, Noel; Madu, Tessy

doi:10.1002/jsfa.13460

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 63 publications

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“…Feedback on the results of the participatory approach is provided through an inclusive workshop that includes all actors. This is, for example, comparable to the methodology followed by Forsythe et al (2021), whose implementation is reflected in the study of Forsythe et al (2024):…”

Section: Good Practicesmentioning

confidence: 66%

A gender-responsive breeding approach to the intensification of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) production in the Maradi region of Niger

Lawali,

Boureima,

Idi

2024

Front. Sociol.

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Climatic variability and a decrease in soil fertility have had a detrimental effect on the productivity of the main rainfed crops in Niger (millet, sorghum, and cowpea) and led to a deterioration of the nutritional status and income of the country's farmers. The spatio-temporal variability in rainfall has led rural populations to diversify their farms by integrating sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) into their cropping systems because of its low water and fertilizer requirements. Sesame is increasingly becoming a significant source of income for farmers, and it contributes to their food and nutritional security. To boost the production of sesame and facilitate its rapid adoption, our breeding program focused on participatory breeding and varietal selection with the inclusion of gender-specific preferences, from the variety design to the evaluation of new lines on farms. This case study shows that, although women have more experience in sesame cultivation than men, they have less access to production factors such as land. This limited access is especially problematic, as recent trends in land tenure mean that the poorest are no longer able to exploit large areas of cultivable land. It also evidenced that the varietal preferences of sesame growers as well as the mastery of production techniques are a function of the livelihoods and the investment capacity of actors in the value chain. Our study found that men mainly prefer production traits, whereas women have fewer trait preferences, and their preferences tend to be related to marketing and processing. This finding highlights the contrasting roles and responsibilities between men and women in the sesame value chain. Therefore, the inclusion of complementary traits preferred by women and men, provided that they are not negatively correlated with a variety profile, will help meet the full range of needs across the value chain. We recommend the inclusion of gender research in setting breeding goals prior to variety design.

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Section: Good Practicesmentioning

confidence: 66%

A gender-responsive breeding approach to the intensification of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) production in the Maradi region of Niger

Lawali,

Boureima,

Idi

2024

Front. Sociol.

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Varietal impact on women's labour, workload and related drudgery in processing root, tuber and banana crops: focus on cassava insub‐SaharanAfrica

Bouniol,

Ceballos,

Bello

et al. 2023

J Sci Food Agric

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Roots, tubers and cooking bananas are bulky and highly perishable. In Africa, except for yams, their consumption is mainly after transport, peeling and cooking in the form of boiled pieces or dough, a few days after harvest. To stabilize, better preserve the products and, in the case of cassava, release toxic cyanogenic glucosides, a range of intermediate products have been developed, mainly for cassava, related to fermentation and drying after numerous processing operations. This review highlights, for the first time, the impact of genotypes on labour requirements, productivity, and the associated drudgery in processing operations primarily carried out by women processors. Peeling, soaking/grinding/fermentation, dewatering, sieving, and toasting steps were evaluated on a wide range of new hybrids and traditional landraces. The review highlights case studies of gari production from cassava. Results show that, depending on the genotypes used, women's required labour can be more than doubled and even the sum of the weights transported along the process can be up to four times higher for the same quantity of end product. Productivity and loads carried between each processing operation are highly influenced by root shape, ease of peeling, dry matter content and/or fiber content. Productivity and the often related experienced drudgery are key factors to be considered for a better acceptance of new genotypes by actors in the value‐addition chain, leading to enhanced adoption, and ultimately to improved livelihoods for women processors.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Genetic and environmental effects on processing productivity and food product yield: drudgery of women's work

Bello,

Agbona,

Olaosebikan

et al. 2024

J Sci Food Agric

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BackgroundCassava processing is a crucial source of livelihood for rural farmers and processors in Nigeria and Cameroon. This study investigated the varietal effect on the processing productivity of women farmer processors within their working environment and compared this to the field yield and the food product quality as evaluated by the processors. Field trials were established in Nigeria (Benue and Osun state) and Cameroon (Littoral zone). Eight cassava genotypes, including improved, regional, and processors' preferred checks were evaluated. Roots of these genotypes were harvested, and processed into gari and eba by processors with the time of each processing step recorded. Through pairwise ranking processors assessed the quality of the roots and food products.ResultsSuperior field performance of improved genotypes was observed over checks in Cameroon and Nigeria (Benue state) for dry matter content and fresh and dry yield. During processing, genotypes showed significant variation for most assessed parameters in both countries, with some improved varieties exhibiting lower productivity that can make them more prone to drudgery experienced by the processors than local checks. Improved varieties were ranked higher or equal to processors' preferred checks concerning fresh root and food product quality.ConclusionsA varietal effect was observed on yield, product quality, processing productivity, and potential drudgery levels. Although some breeders' germplasm combined increased yields and good food product quality, those with low processor productivity should be avoided during selection. Further research is recommended to enhance color, latent culinary qualities, and processing productivity of improved varieties to improve acceptability and reduce processing drudgery for women.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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A case of transdisciplinarity and collaborative decision making: the co‐construction of Gendered Food Product Profiles

Cited by 3 publications

References 63 publications

A gender-responsive breeding approach to the intensification of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) production in the Maradi region of Niger

A gender-responsive breeding approach to the intensification of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) production in the Maradi region of Niger

Varietal impact on women's labour, workload and related drudgery in processing root, tuber and banana crops: focus on cassava insub‐SaharanAfrica

Genetic and environmental effects on processing productivity and food product yield: drudgery of women's work

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