An IFAD Approach to Gender Mainstreaming

AN IFAD APPROACH TO 

Gender 

mainstreaming 

The Experience of the Latin America and the Caribbean Division

AT THE BEGINNING THE 

TECHNICIANS THOUGHT THAT IF 

WOMEN WERE GOING TO ORGANIZE 

THEMSELVES, THEYWOULDDOIT 

ONLY IN AN INFORMAL WAY, AS THEY 

ALWAYS HAVE DONE: GOING TO THE 

MARKET EVERY NOW AND THEN AND 

LOOKING AT THE MARKET FROM A 

POINT OF VIEW OF BUYING THE 

BASICS FOR THEIR FAMILY BUT NOT 

AS A CENTER OF MAKING PROFITS. 

THAT IS WHY IN THE BEGINNING 

WE ONLY WORKED WITH MEN IN 

THE OFFICIAL TRADING GROUPS AND 

NETWORKS. NOW, WE HAVE LEARNED 

THAT THE WOMEN IN THE SAME WAY 

AS THE MEN OR EVEN BETTER, 

MANAGE PRICES, QUANTITATIVE AND 

QUALITATIVE ASPECTS OF THE 

MARKET AND HAVE STARTED TO 

MANAGE ALL ELEMENTS OF THE 

PRODUCTION-TRANSFORMATION- 

MARKETING CYCLE. SOME GROUPS 

CAN BE DEFINED AS SMALL 

ENTERPRISES AND ARE SELLING ON 

LARGE SCALE IN BOLIVIA AND ARE 

STARTING TO ENTER THE MARKETS 

IN PERU. 

Translated from a statement from 

a technician working in an IFAD project 

in Bolivia. Quoted in “Los caminos de la 

Equidad de Género”, M.E. Canedo and 

C. Ranaboldo, La Paz, Bolivia, 1999. 

IFAD PROJECT STAFF

contents 

Introduction 3 

1 The Importance of a Gender Perspective 4 

2 Evolving Approaches to Gender 9 

3 Entry Points and Instruments for Gender Mainstreaming 11 

Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses of 

Gender Mainstreaming in Ongoing Projects 11 

Programme for the Strengthening of 

Gender Issues in IFAD Projects 13 

Mainstreaming Gender Aspects in the Design/ 

Appraisal of New Projects 15 

4 Sector-Specific Approaches 23 

5 PROSGIP Impact and Recommendations 24 

6 Mainstreaming Gender in the Design of the Rural 

Development Project for the Central Region of 

El Salvador (PRODAP-II) 29 

Appendix 1 Terms of Reference Gender 

Expert 38 

Appendix 2 Project Coordination Unit 

Organigram 38 

TABLES 

Table 1: Summary of PROSGIP Participants 14 

Table 2: 

Mainstreaming Gender Issues in Rural 

Development Projects 23 

ANNEXES 

Annex 1 Consolidated Action Plans 39 

Annex 2 Follow-up 43 

Annex 3 

Documents on Gender Issues Produced within 

the Context of PROSGIP 44 

Abbreviations and Acronyms 47 

1

The purpose of this publication is to document 

what the Latin America and the Caribbean 

Division (LAC) has achieved in terms of gender 

mainstreaming in its projects and regional 

programmes. Section 1 describes why LAC 

considers gender mainstreaming important and 

what the incorporation of gender aspects means to 

its projects. Section 2 briefly describes the 

evolution from a Women in Development (WID) 

approach – an approach adopted by most projects 

during the 1970s and 1980s – to the recent, more 

integral gender and development approach. 

introduction 

Section 3 provides a brief 

overview of the strengths 

and weaknesses of gender 

mainstreaming in ongoing projects and describes 

a number of entry points and instruments 

developed and used by LAC to strengthen gender 

mainstreaming processes. In Section 4, the 

division’s sector-specific approach is discussed. 

This approach ensures that gender is taken into 

account at every phase of the project cycle and 

is included in all sub-components of the projects 

in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. 

In Section 5, some possible future directions are 

discussed. Finally, Section 6 presents the 

incorporation of gender aspects in the design 

of a project in El Salvador. 

Bolivia 

3

“I HAVE SUFFERED A LOT, 

MUCH MORE THAN MALE 

LEADERS, BECAUSE WHEN 

I GO TO THE PROJECT OFFICE 

1 

THE IMPORTANCE OF A 

gender 

TO DO SOME PAPERWORK FOR 

MY ORGANIZATION, I HAVE 

TO TAKE MY TWO BABIES 

WITH ME; I CANNOT 

LEAVE THEM ALONE. 

THE PROJECT DOES NOT 

HELP ME QUICKLY ENOUGH, 

MY BABIES START CRYING 

AND EVERYBODY IS UPSET 

WITH ME.” 

Susana Velasquez, 

President of the Handicraft 

Organization “Eben Ezer”, Peru. 

IFAD BENEFICIARY 

IFAD’s mandate is to alleviate 

poverty and to improve nutrition 

and livelihood levels through 

agricultural development. It is 

essential to understand that while 

poverty affects both men and 

women members of a household, it 

affects them in different ways, since 

their roles are substantially 

different. Any solution to povertyrelated 

problems needs to take these 

differences into account. This is why 

gender issues are important within 

IFAD’s scope of activities. If an 

effective contribution to rural 

development is to be made, projects 

must contribute to the improvement 

of living conditions of all members 

of poor, rural families, regardless of 

race, class, age or gender. 

In any rural development activity, 

a number of gender issues need to 

be taken into account, because 

different “gender relations” exist in 

each and every cultural context. 

Gender relations refer to a complex 

system of personal and social 

relations of domination and power 

through which women and men are 

socially created and maintained and 

through which they gain access to 

power and material resources or are 

allocated status within society. 

Gender is about men and women; 

it is not synonymous with men and 

women. Strengthening gender in 

development is a process. Sex, on 

the other hand, refers only to the 

biological and physiological 

differences between men and 

women. Men and women are not 

the same: they are not equal nor 

will they ever be, due to physical 

and biological conditions. Gender, 

however, does not refer to the 

biological differences but to the 

social and cultural structure that 

defines what it is to be a “man” and 

what it means to be a “woman” in a 

given society and cultural setting. 

The definition of these roles, as 

defined by a given community, 

results in a division of labour based 

on gender, i.e., based on differences 

between men and women with 

respect to their problems, needs, 

priorities and proposals for 

solutions, participation and access 

Brazil Argentina Peru 

4 

Uruguay

perspective

to productive resources and 

opportunities for development. 

Gender analysis helps us identify 

where and what kind of inequities 

may exist between men and 

women with regard to legal rights, 

opportunities for personal 

development, access to productive 

resources, political participation, etc. 

Often, but not always, women are at 

a disadvantage, due to the fact that 

most societies are dominated by men 

and based upon a patriarchal 

structure. Because of these existing 

disadvantages, it is not sufficient to 

provide equal (or the same) access to 

services for men and women. Special 

conditions need to be created to 

facilitate the participation of the most 

disadvantaged groups, thus filling the 

existing “gender gaps”. Gender 

inequalities in the communities 

where IFAD operates require 

differentiated treatment of men and 

women beneficiaries. 

More specifically, gender analysis 

in a project setting helps both project 

staff and beneficiaries identify and 

analyse, within a community: 

● factors that limit or facilitate equal 

participation of men and women 

in development processes; 

● who does what within the household 

and within the community; 

● what access and control men and 

women have over resources and 

income; and 

● their needs and priorities. 

Together, these variables can be 

called the “gender organization” of a 

community and are context-specific. 

Since gender relations are a 

social construct, they can be changed. 

It is therefore within our means and 

our responsibility as “development 

agents” to support the transformation 

of communities towards more 

democratic and equitable societies. 

Projects are instruments for the 

implementation of national and 

international policies and are created 

to induce or strengthen processes of 

change. Although societies are based 

on traditions and customs, these 

eventually change with time. The 

same is true for gender relations. 

Thus rural development projects 

should ensure gender-mainstreaming 

in all activities in order to 

contribute to the creation of a more 

equitable society. 

It is also worth noting that a 

“gender perspective” encompasses 

two dimensions: the material and the 

ideological. In rural development, 

the material dimension refers to an 

instrumental approach that seeks to 

correct the manifestations of gender 

inequities; whereas the ideological 

dimension refers to a transformative 

approach that attempts to tackle the 

root causes of gender inequities. If 

they are to contribute to changing 

rural peoples’ living conditions in a 

substantial way, development projects 

should attempt to address both the 

material and ideological dimensions. 

“WE HAVE COME FROM 

SEVERAL COUNTRIES, WE 

ARE DIFFERENT BUT ALSO 

HAVE A LOT IN COMMON. 

ALL OF US WORK HARD TO 

COMBAT POVERTY. IT WAS 

WORTHWHILE TO HAVE COME 

FROM FAR AWAY, WE HAVE 

GAINED INSPIRATION, IDEAS, 

CONCEPTS, NEW METHODS AND 

ARE CHANGING OUR ATTITUDES. 

I HAVE LEARNED THAT GENDER 

ASPECTSHAVEALOTTODO 

WITH POVERTY: THEY ARE 

INTERRELATED. IN IFAD 

WE HAVE TO MOVE FROM 

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT 

TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN 

ORDER TO INCORPORATE MORE 

PEOPLE LIVING IN CONDITIONS 

OF POVERTY AND EXTREME 

POVERTY. IN THE SAME WAY 

WE HAVE TO INVEST MORE 

IN LEADERSHIP AND THE 

ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN 

AS WELL AS METHODS FOR 

GENDER SENSITIVE MONITORING 

AND EVALUATION.” 

Statement made by 

Klemens van de Sand, 

Assistant President, Programme 

Management Department of IFAD 

at the inauguration of the 

Chile workshop. 

IFAD MANAGEMENT 

Haiti 

7

evolving

approaches 

TO GENDER 

2 

During the 1990s, there was a 

notable evolution in the design and 

strategy of IFAD projects. During 

implementation the efforts of many 

projects gradually shifted from a 

“Women in Development” (WID) 

approach to a “Gender and 

Development” (GAD) approach. 

While the WID approach targets 

women and focuses on activities 

exclusively for them, thus excluding 

them from mainstream development 

activities, the GAD approach is more 

integral and focuses on the 

relationship between men and 

women, their differences, inequalities 

and similarities, and tries to provide 

solutions for the creation of a more 

equitable society 1 . The WID 

approach seeks to incorporate 

women in development activities but 

often fails to investigate how women 

are already involved in reproductive, 

productive and communal activities. 

In many projects this has resulted in 

the creation of small-scale productive 

activities exclusively for women, 

rather than strengthening their 

participation in the main 

development process. Another result 

has often been a disproportionate 

increase in women’s workload, 

with no substantial economic or 

social gains. 

The GAD approach focuses more 

on the social, economic and political 

relations between men and women 

and tries to address the inequities 

that may exist in order to: 

● transform these relations into 

more equitable ones, and 

● improve their access to 

development opportunities 

provided by projects. 

From a historical and gender 

mainstreaming perspective, three 

groups of projects can be identified 2 : 

● Projects formulated in the 1970s 

and 1980s, with no specific 

reference to men and women 

beneficiaries or strategy for 

addressing their different needs. 

● Projects formulated in the 1980s 

and beginning of the 1990s, 

adopting a WID approach and 

including woman-headed 

households as a specific group 

within the target group. 

● Projects formulated in the 1990s, 

adopting a GAD approach. In 

addition to a description of the 

country and project area, such 

projects include information on 

existing gender inequities and 

make attempts to incorporate 

gender concerns into the various 

project components. 

As stated above, projects have 

clearly evolved in their approach 

and strategy towards gender 

mainstreaming. At present, within 

LAC’s portfolio, most of the projects 

that were designed with a WID 

approach have either shifted 

perspective towards a GAD 

approach or are in the process of 

doing so. 

To facilitate this evolution of 

approach as well as to promote 

exchanges of project experience, the 

LAC Division developed a support 

programme, the “Programme for the 

Strengthening of Gender Issues in 

IFAD Projects” (PROSGIP), (see 

Section 3). 

Dominica Paraguay Honduras 

Bolivia 

1 However, it should be recognized that there are many circumstances where a WID approach is the only possible way to secure women’s participation (for example in some societies where 

the integration of men and women is limited or in cases where women cannot express themselves due to lack of self-esteem and persistant subordination). 

2 For a more detailed analysis, see documents on the diagnosis of gender status in IFAD projects, referred to in Annex 3. 

9

entry points and

instruments 

3 

FOR GENDER MAINSTREAMING 

“I HAVE LEARNED A GREAT 

Gender mainstreaming is a 

holistic, comprehensive and multidimensional 

process that is public 

and political, but also personal. The 

objectives of mainstreaming gender 

issues in rural development projects 

are to: 

● reduce gender inequities that may 

exist in a given project area; 

● encourage both men and women 

to participate in project activities; 

ensure that their specific needs are 

satisfied, that they benefit from 

the project and that the project 

impacts positively on their lives; 

● create the conditions for the 

equitable access of men and 

women to project resources 

and benefits; 

● create the conditions for the 

equitable participation in project 

implementation and decisionmaking 

processes. 

In order to achieve its objectives 

regarding gender, a project should 

ensure that: 

● there is a strategy for 

mainstreaming gender; 

● 

● 

● 

● 

staff have an awareness of gendersensitive 

issues; 

the project incorporates methods 

which will facilitate the 

participation of both men and 

women; 

the monitoring and evaluation 

system incorporates genderdisaggregated 

data and provides 

gender impact indicators; 

adequate human and financial 

resources are available. 

ANALYSIS OF STRENGTHS 

AND WEAKNESSES OF 

GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN 

ONGOING PROJECTS 

In order to obtain an overview of 

the status of incorporation and 

acceptance of gender issues in 

LAC projects, four subregional 

studies were carried out within the 

context of PROSGIP, over the period 

1997-99. In each study the 

incorporation of gender aspects in 

project design and implementation 

was identified and analysed. 

DEAL ABOUT GENDER 

ISSUES IN THE 

CARIBBEAN. I CONSIDER 

MYSELF A FEMINIST 

(TRAINED IN THE WEST) 

BUT I HAVE A FAR BETTER 

UNDERSTANDING OF THE 

COMPLEXITIES OF 

INTEGRATING GENDER 

ANALYSIS AND GENDER 

SENSITIVE APPROACHES, 

NOW THAT I HAVE 

ATTENDED 

THIS WORKSHOP.” 

Participant in the 

Saint Lucia workshop. 

PARTICIPANT IN PROSGIP 

Paraguay Guyana Chile 

Ecuador 

11

One conclusion was that there is a 

wide range of misinterpretation and 

confusion regarding concepts such as 

gender, WID and participation 

among project staff. In the case of 

many projects, gender was 

considered synonymous with women, 

while “mainstreaming gender” was 

understood to mean obtaining 

women’s participation in project 

activities without due consideration 

of the fact that women face more and 

different types of constraints on 

participation than men. The 

emphasis seemed to be placed on the 

physical presence of women and 

men (in groups and committees) 

rather than on identifying the 

specific gender organization, 

developing specific strategies for 

each interest group and reducing 

existing gender gaps. For others, 

gender meant implementing some 

additional activities just to keep 

women busy. 

Although several weaknesses were 

identified, it was also found that 

many ongoing projects had learnt 

valuable lessons in mainstreaming 

gender that could be used by other 

projects to over-come these 

weaknesses. The initiatives 

undertaken by project teams, 3 

are: 

● the change from WID to GAD 

● 

● 

● 

● 

initiated by staff of the 

Smallholders’ Agricultural 

Development Project in the 

Paracentral Region (PRODAP-I), 

El Salvador; 

development of a gender-sensitive 

monitoring and evaluation (M&E) 

system by the project team of the 

Support Project for Small 

Producers in the Semi-Arid Zones 

of Falcon and Lara States 

(PROSALAFA), Venezuela; 

development of a training 

programme on gender issues for 

beneficiaries of PRODAP-I 

(El Salvador) and the Rural 

Development Project for the 

North-Eastern Provinces 

(PRODERNEA), Argentina; 

development of participatory 

methods to facilitate equal 


in the Upper Basin of the Cañar 

River Rural Development Project 

(CARC), Ecuador; and 

adoption of affirmative action 

policies to encourage women’s 

participation in project activities 

by the Agricultural Development 

Project for Peasant Communities 

and Smallholders of the Fourth 

Region (PRODECOP), Chile and 

the Agricultural Development 

Programme for the Western 

Region (PLANDERO), Honduras. 

In relation to the incorporation of 

gender issues in the project 

implementation phase, the following 

aspects were noted: 

● Project staff have limited skills and 

experience in participatory 

methods and tools for 

identifying gender issues at the 

community level. 

● IFAD headquarters and 

cooperating institutions staff and 

consultants also need continued 

gender training in order to better 

assist project implementation. 

● Traditional patterns continue to 

exist in the hiring of project 

personnel (women support staff 

and men professional staff). 

● Gender is often regarded as an 

isolated activity and the 

responsibility of one person only 

(almost always a woman). 

● The mainstreaming of gender 

throughout the project 

components and M&E systems is 

weak, although some projects 

have identified gender-sensitive 

M&E indicators. However, the 

indicators mainly refer to men’s 

and women’s access and 

participation in project 

components such as credit, local 

organization, soil-conservation 

activities, etc. None of the projects 

had actually identified indicators 

3 These and other experiences also formed the basis for exchange at the workshops organized by LAC within the context of PROSGIP. 

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES IN PROJECT DESIGN 

Strengths identified in the formulation and appraisal 

documents of LAC projects included: 

● a distinction made between man and woman-headed 

households in the target group, allowing for the design of 

gender-specific strategies during project implementation; 

● projects designed with a flexible and participatory 

approach, providing the project team with opportunities to 

incorporate gender issues at the implementation stage; 

● a proposal, in some of the appraisal documents, that data be 

disaggregated by sex, where appropriate, providing the 

project team with an entry point for more gender-sensitive 

M&E systems. 

Some of the weaknesses encountered at the formulation and 

appraisal stages were: 

● no provision at the formulation stage in the case of 

most projects, for gender-specific strategies to address 

the different needs and constraints of men and women 

beneficiaries; 

● no specific strategy to incorporate gender issues in each 

project component; 

● in general, a lack of gender-disaggregated information on 

the target group in appraisal documents and of analysis of 

gender inequity. As a result, “gender equity” was not 

incorporated in many projects’ general and specific 

objectives. There was often no provision for gender 

training, and most projects did not have special funds for 

addressing gender issues. Furthermore, most projects did 

not have a full-time gender expert on the team and the 

terms of reference of other team members made no 

mention of staff being responsible for mainstreaming 

gender in their respective component. 

12

and/or means of verification in 

order to measure changes in 

gender gaps, self esteem, 

opportunities for personal 

development and other qualitative 

changes in the living conditions of 

men and women. Furthermore, 

projects lack adequate indicators 

to measure possible negative 

impact on men and women. 

PROGRAMME FOR THE 

STRENGTHENING OF GENDER 

ISSUES IN IFAD PROJECTS 

As part of the Latin America and 

the Caribbean Division’s strategy to 

incorporate gender issues in its 

projects, the division initiated the 

implementation of PROSGIP at the 

beginning of 1997. The programme 

was conceived as a support 

mechanism for IFAD’s gender 

strategy. This seeks to 

incorporate women on an equal 

footing with men in development 

project activities and to facilitate 

their access to productive resources, 

services and know-how, thus 

increasing their income and 

improving living conditions for both 

them and their families. The 

programme received funding 

support through the WID grant by 

the Government of Japan and 

aimed to support staff of IFAD 

financed projects in incorporating 

gender so as to provide a more 

equitable participation of men 

and women in project activities 

and results. 

The programmes methodology 

and strategy are partly responsible 

for its success, and can be seen 

as another entry point for 

mainstreaming gender. Due to 

the sensitivity of the “gender” 

theme, from its initial stage the 

programme envisaged the 

importance of using a participatory 

approach, building upon the 

experience of participating projects 

and project staff. 

As an entry point for strengthening 

gender issues, and, on the 

basis of existing valuable project 

experience and lessons learned, as 

well as the strengths and weaknesses 

identified in the four studies 

conducted, LAC decided to 

implement four subregional 

workshops. Each workshop was 

preceded by a preparatory meeting 

in which the programme and 

themes to be discussed were 

Guyana

TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF PROSGIP PARTICIPANTS 

Venue of 

Preparatory 

Meeting and 

Coorganizer 

Participating Countries 

Workshop Venue 

Number of 

Participants 

Men 

Women 

Number of 

Participating 

Projects and 

Programmes 

Number of 

Participating 

Institutions * 

Guatemala 

(RUTA) 

Costa Rica, El Salvador, 

Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, 

Nicaragua and Panama 

Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, 

the Dominican Republic, 

Ecuador, Haiti and Venezuela 

Belize, Dominica, Guyana, 

Jamaica, Saint Christopher and 

Nevis, Saint Lucia, Grenada 

and Saint Vincent and the 

Grenadines 

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, 

Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, 

Peru and Uruguay 

Antigua, Guatemala 

29 41 

14 

8 

Venezuela 

(CIARA) 

Santo Domingo, 

Dominican Republic 

38 31 

11 

12 

Barbados 

(CDB) 

Castries, Saint Lucia 

23 13 

13 

16 

Uruguay 

(PROCASUR/ 

INDAP) 

La Serena, Chile 

50 57 

17 

19 

TOTAL 

140 142 

55 

55 

* Ministries, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations and cooperating institutions. 

identified, in close collaboration 

with project managers and staff of 

the projects involved. It should be 

emphasized that the required 

presence, commitment and 

participation of the project 

managers in the preparatory 

meeting were crucial to determining 

the success of the programme. 

By means of this participatory 

and dynamic approach, emphasis 

was placed on identifying the needs 

of participants in terms of technical 

support and the methodological and 

conceptual problems they faced, 

along with possible solutions. 

During the preparatory meetings, 

the following issues were identified 

as crucial to the success of ongoing 

projects and were therefore 

considered important themes for 

further development and discussion 

at the workshops: 

● strengthening of gender aspects 

both conceptually and 

operationally in all project 

components and subcomponents; 

● 

● 

● 

the need to define strategies for 

operationalizing gender issues in 

IFAD projects; 

the need to define participatory 

strategies, practical tools and 

viable action plans for 

incorporating gender aspects in 

project components and subcomponents; 

the need to develop and adjust 

training programmes in gender 

at project coordination unit, 

beneficiary and intermediary 

levels; 

PROGRAMME FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF GENDER ISSUES IN LAC 

In 1997, PROSGIP was implemented in IFAD-financed projects 

in Central America, Mexico and Panama, in coordination with the 

Regional Unit for Technical Assistance (RUTA) based in Costa Rica. 

In 1998, in coordination with the Foundation for Training and 

Applied Research in Agrarian Reform (CIARA), PROSGIP was 

replicated in IFAD-financed projects in the northern part of Latin 

America (Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, and 

Venezuela), partly with the aid of the grant by the Government 

of Japan and an additional grant from the Dutch Consultant 

Trust Fund. 

Given the success of PROSGIP’s experience in Latin America, 

and their common interest in mainstreaming gender in their 

projects, IFAD and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) 

decided to collaborate in the organization and financing of a 

PROSGIP training workshop in Saint Lucia in 1998 for the 

anglophone Caribbean countries. IFAD and CDB projects from 

the following countries participated: Belize, Dominica, Saint Lucia, 

Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the CDB 

Basic Needs Trust Fund Fourth Programme from Belize, Guyana, 

Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the 

Grenadines and Dominica. Although Grenada had no IFAD/CDB 

cofinanced project, the country was represented by several 

ministry officials. 

Within the framework of the programme, a fourth workshop 

was set up in Chile in June 1999. Project staff from eight countries 

were invited to participate (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, 

Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay) representing a total of twelve 

IFAD projects and five IFAD regional programmes. The 

programme was implemented in collaboration with the Regional 

Programme for Rural Development Training (PROCASUR), the 

National Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP) and 

PRODECOP in Chile. 

14

● 

● 

the need to identify gendersensitive 

indicators for project 

monitoring and evaluation; 

the need for projects to offer 

more profitable productive 

activities for both men 

and women. 

In order to ensure that projects 

would in fact implement this 

knowledge and experience, each 

project developed an action plan 

over the course of each workshop. 

This consisted in identifying 

strategies and concrete activities, key 

persons and responsible institutions 

as well as financial resources needed 

to integrate gender aspects in 

project activities. Together with 

representatives from IFAD, the 

cooperating institutions and the 

regional programmes, 

representatives from each project 

worked together to develop a 

combined action plan that 

included project experience 

exchanges and training courses to 

be held in the different countries 

with the assistance of IFAD and the 

regional programmes. 

MAINSTREAMING GENDER 

ASPECTS IN THE DESIGN/ 

APPRAISAL OF NEW PROJECTS 

One of the results of the division’s 

PROSGIP was the development of 

practical guidelines 4 for headquarters 

and project staff in order to 

strengthen the incorporation of 

gender issues in their day-to-day 

work and in project formulation and 

implementation. The following is a 

summary of these guidelines, which 

should be seen as another entry 

point for gender mainstreaming 

developed by the division. 

Analysis of Gender Inequities in the 

Project Area 

As a basis for any proposal for 

gender mainstreaming in a given 

project, it is necessary to conduct a 

study on the gender situation in the 

targeted communities. Differences 

and inequities between men and 

women with respect to tasks, 

workload, access to resources and 

development opportunities need 

to be identified. This analysis justifies 

and sets the basis for the 

introduction of the gender equity 

goal in the project’s general and 

specific objectives, expected results 

and activities. 

4 “Guidelines to Incorporate and Implement the Gender 

Approach in Rural Development Projects”. IFAD/Latin 

America and the Caribbean Division; revised version, 

June 1999. 

Dominican Republic

“ENGENDERING DEVELOPMENT 

IS COMPLEX AND INEQUITIES 

OF DECADES CAN NOT BE 

UNDONE IN A FEW YEARS. 

THE NEGLECT OF WOMEN’S 

NEEDS HAS BEEN GLARINGLY 

OBVIOUS, AS HAVE THE KINDS 

OF DISCRIMINATION THEY 

HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO IN 

THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC 

AND POLITICAL SPHERES. IT 

IS THEREFORE NATURAL, 

AND JUST, TO DISCRIMINATE 

IN THEIR FAVOUR.” 


Jeffrey Dellimore, 

Deputy Director, 

Social Development Department 

at CDB at the inauguration 

of the Saint Lucia workshop. 

COOPERATING INSTITUTION 

Definition of Project-Specific Policy 

and Strategy for Gender 

Mainstreaming 5 

When identifying the target group, 

a distinction must be made between 

man and woman-headed households 

and different strategies developed for 

each group. Projects need to define a 

gender-specific strategy for working 

with each group. Furthermore, they 

must identify factors that limit equal 

participation of stakeholders and 

define how gender issues are to be 

incorporated in each project 

component. 

A gender mainstreaming strategy 

helps to avoid the creation of 

marginal activities specifically for 

women, e.g., handicrafts, sewing, etc., 

instead of their integration as fullyfledged 

beneficiaries of the original 

project components. Separate 

“women activities” have often 

resulted in women’s exclusion from 

more profitable development 

alternatives. 

Political Will and Sensitization 

Training of project staff in gender 

issues and developing genderspecific 

strategies, participatory 

methods and tools and a gendersensitive 

monitoring system are in 

themselves no guarantee for 

attaining gender-related objectives. 

The political will to truly empower 

rural men and women, enabling 

them to take charge of their own 

development and to reduce gender 

inequalities, is one of the essential 

factors that determine project 

success. Sensitization of government 

counterparts and project staff, 

including project managers, through 

programmes such as PROSGIP, is 

essential. Positive changes in attitude 

towards a gender-sensitive approach 

and increased women’s participation 

in all project activities including at 

the project manager level, have been 

noted as two of the immediate results 

of PROSGIP. 

Gender-Sensitive Monitoring 

Indicators 6 

It is now widely recognized that 

gender-sensitive monitoring and 

evaluation systems are important for 

effective project implementation. For 

this purpose, projects need to 

enhance their information and datacollecting 

systems, disaggregating 

data by sex. 

Performance, monitoring and 

success indicators need to be 

formulated in order to: 

● measure advances made in the 

implementation of the project’s 

annual plan of operations in 

relation to gender mainstreaming; 

and 

● monitor and evaluate the effects 

and impacts of project 

intervention on gender gaps 

among beneficiaries; i.e., 

determine whether the project 

has contributed to the increase or 

reduction of gender inequalities. 

Since qualitative changes (such 

as gender inequities) cannot be 

measured on a monthly or 

three monthly basis, special 

studies should be conducted on 

a yearly basis. 

16 

Costa Rica Dominican Republic Mexico 

5 In Section 6, an experience with gender mainstreaming in project design in PRODAP-II, El Salvador, is presented.This 

experience is also reflected in the case study presented at the PROSGIP workshop in Chile, 1999. Case Study: Strategy to 

Implement Equity and the Gender Approach, PRODAP. R. Moreira and I. Schreuel, IFAD/PROSGIP, June 1999. 

6 Refer to document on gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation systems (English and Spanish).V. Budinich. IFAD/PROSGIP, 

1998 and 1999.This baseline document was produced with the support of the Programme for Strengthening the Regional 

Capacity for Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Poverty Alleviation Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean (PREVAL). 

Ecuador

Quantitative and qualitative 

gender indicators need to be 

incorporated in the project logical 

framework, ensuring that gender 

issues become an integral part of the 

project structure and rationale and 

are taken into account at the various 

evaluation stages. 

Use of Participatory Methods and 

Gender Analysis: Practical Tools for 

Fieldstaff 7 

One of the conclusions of the 

studies conducted by the division on 

gender mainstreaming is that nondifferentiation 

of beneficiaries by 

sex has often resulted in the 

invisibility of women stakeholders. 

Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) 

and gender analysis are at present 

being introduced in LAC projects. 

If adequately used, these tools help 

envisage and identify differences 

and similarities between men and 

women stakeholders, thus providing 

the basis for effective project 

intervention. 

Participation of stakeholders and 

gender issues are closely related. 

Participation in a project refers to 

the active involvement of all interest 

groups, regardless of sex, race, 

occupation, age or class, in all phases 

of the project cycle: from project 

formulation to evaluation. “Active 

involvement” means to be present, to 

be able to express opinions and to 

actively participate in the decisionmaking 

process. Technical and local 

knowledge are complementary: all 

stakeholders ought to be involved. 

This means that the presence, 

expression of opinions and decisionmaking 

powers of all participants, 

with regard to the formulation of 

technical proposals and their 

implementation and monitoring and 

evaluation, are required. To facilitate 

the active participation of men and 

women stakeholders, LAC has been 

promoting the use of PRA to collect 

the necessary data to carry out 

gender analysis. Some of the PRA 

tools used for this purpose are: 

● The 24-hour clock: allows men 

and women to describe their daily 

activities. It assists project team 

members in identifying differences 

in men’s and women’s workloads 

as well as in determining who 

performs what activities, when. 

● The annual calendar: allows 

project participants to map their 

productive and reproductive 

activities over the calendar year. It 

enables project staff to identify the 

various contributions made by 

men and women in such activities 

and when and where these are 

carried out. 

● 

● 

● 

The village map: allows men and 

women to describe the existing 

infrastructure and natural 

resource base of a given 

community. It identifies who has 

access to and control over which 

resources and opens the dialogue 

for gender needs assessment of 

access to resources. 

The village future map: allows 

men and women to visualize and 

express their expectations and 

concerns regarding the future 

development of their community. 

Institutional mapping: allows men 

and women to describe local and 

external institutions - their 

presence, structure and function - 

in a given community and how 

men and women participate in the 

decision-making processes of 

these institutions. 

As mentioned above, gender 

inequality requires differential 

treatment of each group. Gender 

analysis helps project staff identify 

where and what kind of inequities 

may exist and how to design 

mechanisms to bridge the gaps. 

Viewed this way, gender analysis in a 

project setting helps project team 

members and beneficiaries identify 

the “gender-based organization” of a 

community, which is context-specific. 

7 Refer to the case study presented by CARC in Ecuador at the PROSGIP workshop in the Dominican 

Republic, IFAD/PROSGIP, 1998. 

OBJECTIVE, RESULTS AND COMPONENTS OF LAC’s PROSGIP 

18 

The main objective of the four PROSGIP workshops was to 

“Assist IFAD projects in Latin America and the Caribbean to 

incorporate and operationalize gender as formulated in their 

Plans of Action in order to offer men and women beneficiaries 

equal opportunities to participate and benefit”. Expected results 

of the workshops were: 

● improved understanding of gender concepts; 

● field experiences in methods, gender issues and gender 

analysis documented and shared among different projects 

within the same region; 

● project staff trained in the importance and use of a gendersensitive 

monitoring and evaluation system; and 

● gender-specific strategies defined and project and regional 

action plans for mainstreaming gender issues elaborated. 

Each workshop consisted of three components: 

● presentations of concepts and practical experiences as well as 

analytical sessions through group work. As input to the 

discussions, each day papers were presented on a range of 

relevant aspects: conceptual framework, participatory 

methods, monitoring and evaluation, gender-sensitive 

indicators, training on specific gender issues, etc.; 

● a display of books, videos, brochures and training manuals on 

gender issues in projects in LAC (over 310 samples); 

● a project exhibit showing each project’s objectives, strategies 

and gender-related work, as well as agricultural products and 

handicrafts produced by project beneficiaries. 

During the workshop, time was also devoted to exchanging 

project experience. Of crucial importance were the daily groupwork 

sessions during which staff from each project discussed and 

exchanged experiences and ideas with other project staff. 

Another important activity was the field trip to an IFAD project 

in the country hosting the workshop, which provided 

participants with the opportunity of relating conceptual issues 

discussed during the workshops with concrete field examples.

There are five analytical matrices 

on which an analysis of gender issues 

should be based: 

● context matrix: refers to the 

factors limiting or facilitating equal 

participation in development 

processes; 

● activity matrix: helps identify who 

does what within the household 

and the community; 

● resources matrix: defines women’s 

and men’s access to and control 

over resources and income; 

● needs matrix: identifies the 

particular needs and priorities of 

men and women; 

● action matrix: defines mechanisms 

that could be introduced in 

project design and/or 

implementation in order to 

reduce gender inequities. 

Gender Training and Capacity- 

Building 8 

Training in conceptual aspects and 

capacity-building so as to 

operationalize gender issues 

must become an 

integral part of project training 

programmes. Training is targeted at 

all project staff, but also intermediary 

or coexecuting institutions and 

organizations, as well as men and 

women beneficiaries. 

Project Manuals and Procedures 

In order to be consistent, a 

project needs to ensure that project 

manuals and procedures are 

conducive to gender equity and to 

explicitly discuss gender issues and 

other social criteria. 

Gender Specialist 

Although gender is a crosscutting 

issue and should be the concern of 

the project management team/unit as 

a whole, one person should be 

responsible for facilitating gender 

mainstreaming. A gender specialist 

would have a full-time job in 

8 Refer to the case study presented by PRODAP 

(El Salvador) at the PROSGIP workshops in Guatemala, the 

Dominican Republic and Chile; revised version, 

IFAD/PROSGIP, June 1999. 

Mexico

“IN OUR ASSOCIATION 

THERE ARE MANY WOMEN, 

MOST OF THEM ELDERLY 

AND WIDOWS WHO CANNOT 

WRITE OR READ. FOR THEM 

IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO 

PARTICIPATE IN TRAINING 

AND IT TAKES LONGER FOR 

THEM TO UNDERSTAND. 

THEREFORE THE TRAINING 

NEEDS TO BE IN AYMARA 

LANGUAGE AND PRACTICAL. 

WE AREALLEQUALINA 

SOCIETY. ALL OF US, MEN 

AND WOMEN, NEED TO 

KNOW. ONLY IF OUR 

ASSOCIATION MOVES AS ONE 

PERSON AND WE DO NOT 

DISCRIMINATE WE WILL 

MOVE AHEAD.” 

Don Alberto from the 

“Asociacion Nueva Vida”, 

Bolivia. 

IFAD BENEFICIARY 

providing advice, elaborating overall 

project and component strategies, 

developing and providing training in 

practical methods, developing 

monitoring indicators and assisting in 

the gender awareness-raising process 

with project staff as well as training at 

the beneficiary level. 

Team Composition 

For ongoing and new projects, it is 

important to look at the present 

gender composition of project staff, 

and ensure that when recruiting new 

staff, the selection criteria include the 

“gender awareness” of the men and 

women candidates. The project 

manager is also responsible for 

creating the conditions for equitable 

access to opportunities and for 


team members. 

Terms of Reference 

As gender is a crosscutting issue, it 

should be the concern of each 

member of the project management 

team/unit to ensure the incorporation 

of a gender approach in his or her 

specific component or activity. 

Gender mainstreaming is therefore 

being introduced as an explicit part 

of the terms of reference of all team 

members. 

Budget 

Each project should have a specific 

budget in order to implement the 

gender mainstreaming strategy. 

may have regarding the project 

gender strategy, and provide 

guidance on how to operationalize 

such a strategy. At these workshops 

the project team is invited to start 

formulating the initial steps for the 

implementation of the project’s 

specific gender strategy. 9 

Gender in Project Launch 

Workshops 

At present, the division includes a 

gender expert in project launch 

workshops in order to illustrate the 

importance of mainstreaming gender 

issues, discuss the different concerns 

project staff and other participants 

20 

9 A recent experience is the launch of the PRODERNOR project in El Salvador.This project included a specific gender strategy in its 

design and highlights gender equity as an integral part of the main project objective. A man and a woman gender expert 

conducted a-one day session on gender issues, which included the clarification of concepts in an interactive session, as well as 

working groups with the participation of project staff, NGOs and selected project beneficiaries to discuss how, in practical terms, 

the project will promote gender equity throughout its operations.The findings and experiences of PROSGIP were also shared with 

the participants.The session furthermore benefited from the participation of staff from the PRODAP-I project, one of the projects 

of the region that has the richest experience in terms of gender training methodologies. 

Guatemala

sector-specific 

APPROACHES 

4 

Although good project design is 

an essential factor, it does not 

necessarily guarantee good project 

implementation. Poor composition 

and commitment of project staff, as 

well as other external factors, can 

turn a well-designed project into a 

failure. In the same way, with a good 

project team and an adequate policy 

environment, a poorly designed 

project may be transformed into a 

successful one during 

implementation. However, taking 

gender issues into account at 

formulation and appraisal stages 

contributes greatly to the attainment 

of objectives in an equitable manner, 

thus contributing more effectively to 

rural development. 

It is necessary to take gender 

issues into account at project 

identification, formulation, appraisal, 

implementation, monitoring and 

evaluation stages (see Table 2). The 

Latin America and the Caribbean 

Division considers that gender 

aspects must be an integral part of 

all project components: credit, smallscale 

rural enterprises, local capacitybuilding, 

community organization, 

training, marketing, etc. In order to 

implement a gender mainstreaming 

strategy in its newly formulated 

projects, LAC includes a gender 

expert in the formulation and 

appraisal missions to provide 

assistance to other team members 

and ensure that technical proposals 

are gender sensitive. 

TABLE 2: MAINSTREAMING GENDER ISSUES IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS 

PROJECT CYCLE 

COSOP/Inception 

Formulation 

Appraisal 

Implementation 

Monitoring and 

Evaluation 

HOW 

Policy direction (highlighting gender issues, equity and participation) 

Gender-sensitive mission personnel and gender-sensitive terms of reference (TOR) 

Differentiation of the target group by sex 

PRA and gender analysis (roles and needs assessment) 

Identification of specific gender objectives 

Strategies for mainstreaming gender throughout the project 

Gender sensitive mission staff and gender sensitive TOR 

Inclusion of a gender expert 

Gender-sensitive logical framework and M&E indicators 

Gender issues mainstreamed in all components 

Budget for gender mainstreaming 

Apply participatory methods and gender analysis 

Gender-sensitive baseline studies 

Staff selection criteria should include gender awareness 

Gender specialist 

Gender-balanced team composition 

Training of staff, local organizations and staff from coexecuting institutions 

Implementation of gender mainstreaming strategies 

Men’s and women’s participation in all project activities 

Men and women beneficiaries’ participation in project decision-making committees 

Gender assessment in baseline study 

Gender-sensitive M&E data collection system 

Yearly gender impact studies 

Participatory evaluations at beneficiary level 

Gender issues explicit in TOR of mid-term and pre-terminal project evaluation missions 

Gender sensitive mission staff 

Paraguay 

23

5 

“THIS SEMINAR WILL GO A 

PROSGIP 

impact and 

LONG WAY IN ENSURING THAT 

GENDER ISSUES REMAIN ALIVE 

DURING THE WHOLE 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 

PROJECT BY ENSURING THAT IT 

WILL BE USED IN THE 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

OF THE PROJECT.” 

Participant in the 

Saint Lucia workshop. 

PARTICIPANT IN PROSGIP 

Based on the opinions expressed 

by the participants at the different 

PROSGIP workshops, and the 

different follow-up activities that 

have evolved during its three years 

of implementation, it can be 

concluded that the division’s 

PROSGIP has been successful. 

Gender clearly is a theme of interest 

to IFAD project staff and there seems 

to be a high degree of willingness to 

learn. Most discussions with project 

and headquarters staff revolve 

around the question of how to 

implement and incorporate gender 

rather than why it is important. One 

of the impacts of the division’s efforts 

in gender mainstreaming is that 

project staff have developed a 

more positive attitude towards 

gender issues. 

This new positive attitude has an 

effect not only on IFAD-assisted 

projects, but also on the national and 

international institutions 

participating in the PROSGIP 

workshops 10 . To take just one 

example, thanks to the 

participation of staff from IFAD 

headquarters, and institutions such 

as the United Nations Office for 

Project Services (UNOPS), World 

Food Programme (WFP), CDB, the 

Andean Development Corporation 

(CAF) and regional programmes, 

many of the workshop findings and 

results are being shared with other 

projects in other countries. 

Another impact of PROSGIP 

can also be demonstrated in the 

activities being carried out by the 

cooperating institutions. For 

example, UNOPS and CAF have 

actively participated in the series 

of workshops and are presently 

fulfilling the various commitments 

they made in the PROSGIP plans of 

action. Annex 2 presents a summary 

of the different activities the 

cooperating institutions have been 

implementing within the context of 

PROSGIP. There is also a growing 

interest within IFAD in replicating 

LAC’s experience in other regions, 

such as the recent initiative by the 

Eastern and Southern Africa Division. 

However, in spite of these 

positive results, it should be 

Panama Uruguay Bolivia 

24 

10 In each workshop, a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations participated. In the case of the Santo Domingo 

workshop, the demand to participate was so great that a one-day forum was organized to allow the presentation of papers 

on GO/NGO experience. See list of papers in Annex 3. 

Belize

ecommendations

emphasized that the process 

initiated through PROSGIP 

requires follow-up action in order 

to obtain the required changes 

towards a gender-equity approach 

in IFAD projects. To achieve such 

results, project staff, IFAD 

headquarters staff and consultants 

must be convinced of the 

importance of equitable 

participation of men and women, 

recognizing the generic limitations 

women confront and the 

importance of using adequate 

methodology and resources to 

empower them. The development 

and implementation of a sensitizing 

programme at headquarters level 

would consolidate the advances 

made at the field level. 

It should be noted, however, that 

PROSGIP has been implemented 

under conditions similar to those 

found in many IFAD projects, i.e., 

with a limited budget and resources 

for mainstreaming gender. The 

three-year programme was 

implemented with a total budget of 

USD 506 000 11 , while responsibility 

for the coordination and implementation 

of the programme was 

assigned to a gender focal point. 

One of the lessons learned with 

PROSGIP is that the success of the 

programme cannot be guaranteed 

unless there is a strong 

commitment and engagement from 

division staff. Even though the 

programme used the valuable 

input of senior consultants 12 , its 

design and implementation were 

directly supervised by the regional 

director and coordinated by a 

country portfolio manager (CPM) 

and a programme assistant, 

ensuring that the policies, strategic 

thrusts, mandate and vision of 

IFAD were maintained and played 

a prominent part in the 

programme’s strategy. 

Mechanisms need to be 

established to ensure that the 

terms of reference of each IFAD 

consultant participating in 

formulation or appraisal missions 

include the responsibility to 

incorporate gender issues in their 

technical proposals. Gender 

awareness needs to become an 

important selection criteria for the 

hiring of consultants, project 

managers and technical staff. 

Cases in which gender 

considerations have been successfully 

incorporated in project design need 

to be documented and shared. 

Follow-up also needs to be provided 

(see Section 6). 

The guidelines mentioned in this 

paper should be systematically 

shared with IFAD staff and 

distributed among all projects, 

cooperating institutions and 

counterpart ministries in the various 

countries. It is therefore imperative 

that IFAD commit itself to the 

process already initiated and 

provide, from its own financial 

sources, the funds necessary to 

implement the various action plans 

at the subregional level agreed upon 

by IFAD, the projects, the 

implementing institutions (RUTA, 

CDB, CIARA, PROCASUR) and the 

cooperating institutions (CAF, CDB, 

UNOPS) (see Annex 1). 

Guatemala Nicaragua Colombia 

Venezuela 

11 The Governments of Japan and The Netherlands contributed grants of USD 367 000 and USD 95 000 respectively.The remainder was obtained from part of the cofinancing received from 

the CDB, RUTA, PROCASUR and CIARA. 

12 Special recognition is given to the following consultants: Pilar Campaña, Ingrid Schreuel, Ana Lucía Moreno, Reina Moreira,Valeria Budinich, Christine Barrow, Claudia Ranaboldo and Eudine 

Barriteau. 

27

mainstre

aming gender 

6 

IN THE DESIGN OF THE RURAL 

DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR THE CENTRAL REGION 

OF EL SALVADOR (PRODAP-II) 

BACKGROUND 

Since 1990, the Division has been 

making efforts to mainstream 

gender in its projects 13 . This 

example reflects how gender 

mainstreaming has evolved in the 

project design process over the 

last years. 

In March 1998, an IFAD 

pre-terminal evaluation of the 

PRODAP–I project was conducted. 

The preliminary conclusions 

indicated that the project, which 

initiated operations during the 

implementation of the Peace 

Accords, has substantially 

contributed to social stability in the 

area through the provision of 

agricultural support services to 

men and women and the 

implementation of a number of 

community activities identified by 

local organizations. 

The evaluation mission 

recommended that the significant 

achievements of PRODAP–I be 

consolidated further by means of 

implementing a new project phase 

which would seek to define the 

sustainable administration of the 

credit trust fund, agricultural and 

market support services, labour 

opportunities, and to increase the 

availability of technical assistance 

and credit funds for new areas. In 

particular, the new phase would 

promote the full participation of 

beneficiaries, the gradual transfer of 

extension services to local grassroot 

organizations and the gradual 

transfer of the credit programme to 

financial intermediaries. 

As PRODAP–I had successfully 

started to identify important gender 

issues in the project area and 

incorporate a gender focus in its 

activities, (mainly in training), 

gender was to remain an integral 

part in the project design of 

PRODAP–II. This was true, 

particularly in the case of creating 

conditions for equal access and 

participation of men and women to 

farmers organizations, project 

services and in decision-making. 

IFAD’s presentation of an 

inception report to the Government 

of El Salvador in 1998, marked the 

intial stages of the formulation 

process. A multidisciplinary 

formulation mission, including a 

gender expert, visited El Salvador in 

August 1998 in order to formulate 

the “Rural Development Project for 

the Central Region” (PRODAP–II). 

FORMULATION PROCESS 

Gender Mainstreaming as a 

Responsibility of all Team 

Members 

Since gender was to be 

mainstreamed in all project 

components, project structure and 

strategy, gender aspects and their 

importance were discussed with 

El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador 

El Salvador 

13 Refer to projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Mexico. 

29

“WE SAY THAT OUR PROJECT 

IS BEING IMPLEMENTED FROM 

A GENDER PERSPECTIVE 

BECAUSE THERE ARE WOMEN 

IN THE TRAINING 

PROGRAMMES, BECAUSE RURAL 

WOMEN HAVE ACCESS TO 

CREDIT AND RECEIVE 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, BUT 

SOME OF US GIVE ATTENTION 

TO WOMEN BECAUSE IT SAYS 

SO IN OUR ANNUAL 

OPERATIONAL PLAN AND 

BECAUSE WE WANT TO REACH 

OUR TARGETS. SO, FOR MANY 

OF US, WORKING WITH BOTH 

MEN AND WOMEN IS A 

TARGET IN ITSELF AND NOT 

NECESSARILY AN IDEAL 

STRATEGY. WE NEED MORE 

HELP TO SHOW US THAT 

INCORPORATING BOTH MEN 

AND WOMEN REALLY 

INCREASES POSSIBILITIES 

FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF 

THE RURAL FAMILY 

AS A WHOLE.” 

Extension worker from 

PRODAP–I, El Salvador. 

IFAD PROJECT STAFF 

the team leader and team members. 

The team as a whole was made 

co-responsible for the incorporation 

of gender specific information and 

strategies in their components. 

However, this sense of “shared 

responsibility” would have been 

strengthened had gender 

mainstreaming been made more 

explicit in their respective terms 

of reference. 

In this case, it proved to be 

useful that team members had 

been introduced to gender issues 

on previous missions as they had 

developed a certain degree of 

acceptance and awareness towards 

gender issues. In spite of this, 

however, jokes about gender still 

occured and the view of the gender 

expert was accepted more for the 

reason that it is imposed, in this 

case by IFAD, rather than out 

of conviction. 

One of the lessons learned, is that 

the gender expert has a tougher task 

to prove himself/ herself and to gain 

credibility among team members and 

other actors in the formulation 

process. Directly related to this is the 

way gender issues and the gender 

expert are introduced by the team 

leader in meetings with national 

authorities, personnel and staff of 

NGOs. If, at the stage of 

introduction, jokes are made and 

gender is accorded a low priority, the 

gender expert’s task becomes 

increasingly difficult. If, on the other 

hand, the mainstreaming of gender 

in project design is supported by the 

team leader and is shown to be an 

integral part of IFAD’s strategy, an 

important step has been made. 

A lesson learned from the 

experience of the Formulation and 

Appraisal Mission of PRODAP–II is 

that the gender specialist should 

never work in isolation or assume 

sole responsibility for the 

incorporation of gender aspects; the 

whole team should be involved in 

order to attain the target of gender 

mainstreaming. In cases where the 

gender expert encounters a less 

gender-sensitive team, it is essential 

that at least half a day of the mission 

be spent in a short introduction 

session on gender for the team, 

clarifying concepts and providing 

examples of how gender has been 

incorporated in other projects and 

what is expected from each team 

member. Obviously, this would 

require the team leader’s full 

agreement and understanding of the 

importance of such an exercise. 

In the case of PRODAP–II, the 

workload of the gender specialist was 

further increased by the fact that she 

had to review all technical proposals 

made by each team member to 

ensure that gender was consistently 

incorporated in all project 

components. This mainly involved 

ensuring that a gender approach was 

used and not just inclusion of the 

word “women”. At the request of the 

team members, the gender specialist 

made specific proposals for strategic 

elements to be included in each 

component (see below). 

In this particular case, during 

formulation and appraisal, gender 

issues were introduced in: 

● the main text of the project 

document; 

● the section identifying project 

beneficiaries and providing the 

country and project area 

description; 

● annexes of all components; 

● a specific annex, detailing 

elements to be incoporated in 

the mainstreaming strategy of 

each component; 

● the budget; 

● the terms of reference of the 

project technical staff; 

● the project brief; and 

● the presidents report. 

Methodology 

An important activity in the 

process of identifying elements to be 

incorporated in the project’s 

mainstreaming strategy was the 

organization of participatory 

workshops. Six workshops were held 

with the participation of male and 

30

female representatives in four 

villages. In these workshops men 

and women separately identified 

their specific problems, needs and 

expectations. This process enabled 

the formulation team to gain some 

insights into the type of gender 

inequities that exist in the project 

area and possible factors limiting 

women’s participation in project 

activities and benefits. 

The participatory workshops were 

attended by approximately 140 men 

and 100 women whose suggestions 

were an important input for the 

formulation of gender-specific 

strategies and actions proposed in 

the project design. The methodology 

followed was based on the use of 

some of the instruments generally 

used in participatory rural appraisal 

(PRA), referred to on page 18: 

● The 24 hour-clock 

● The annual calendar 

● The village map 

● The village future map 

● Institutional mapping 

Gender is Integrated into the 

Process of Identifying Project 

Beneficiaries, thus Ensuring the 

Identification of Gender-Specific 

Strategies 

In identifying the target group, 

due account was taken of the fact 

that the group consist of poor 

smallholders and landless farmers, 

woman-headed households, 

agricultural workers, nonagricultural 

workers and those 

heading small rural enterprises. 

Another important factor was that in 

the project area 10% of the families 

are permanently headed by women. 

When assessment was made of 

women’s workload, it was noted that 

about 40% of rural households use 

rivers as their main source of water; 

most houses are made of local 

materials (adobe) resulting in an 

increased incidence of health 

problems. Only 29% of rural 

households have access to electricity; 

most rural families use firewood as 

their only source of energy for 

cooking and heating. The 

participatory workshop enabled the 

formulation team to gain a better 

understanding of how this particular 

socio-economic situation was 

affecting both men and women, in 

different ways. Women, for instance, 

have to spend a great deal of time 

collecting water and firewood, and 

caring for the elderly and sick 

members of the family, thus 

having less time for productive work 

and leisure. 

On the basis of the analysis 

conducted, the mission defined the 

project target group as 30 000 poor 

smallholder families, landless 

farmers, woman-headed households, 

agricultural and non-agricultural 

workers, and small rural 

entrepreneurs. Seventy-four per cent 

of the rural population lives under 

the poverty line (estimated at 

USD 550 per capita/year). The 

project will directly benefit 13 500 

families, of which 7 500 will receive 

technical support services and credit 

(6 000), while 4 600 will benefit from 

the Social and Productive Investment 

Fund and 1 400 will receive specific 

training. Men represent 70% of the 

beneficiaries while women represent 

approximately 30%, either as 

woman-headed households or as 

women farmers or entrepreneurs. 

Gender Issues are Integrated in the 

Analysis and Description of the 

Country’s Socio-Economic Situation 

and Project Area Description 

The analysis of existing gender 

issues at national and local level was 

based on: 

● the revision of secondary 

information; 

● interviews with staff of NGOs 

and government organizations; 

● the participatory diagnostics 

implemented with project 

beneficiaries (see above); and 

● a workshop with the social 

workers of PRODAP–I. 

31

“POVERTY MEANS EXCLUSION, 

TO BE PUT ASIDE FROM A 

PROCESS, TO HAVE NO ACCESS 

TO ESSENTIAL RIGHTS, FOR 

INSTANCE EDUCATION AND 

HEALTH. FROM THE ANALYSIS OF 

RURAL POVERTY, ITS CAUSES AND 

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS, IT CAN BE 

NOTED THAT POVERTY AFFECTS 

BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, BUT IN 

A DIFFERENT WAY AS THEIR ROLE 

IN DECISION-MAKING IN SOCIETY 

DIFFERS SUBSTANTIALLY. THUS, 

ANY SOLUTION PROPOSED NEEDS 

TO CONSIDER THESE 

DIFFERENCES. ADEQUATE 

OPTIONS MUST BE OFFERED NOT 

ONLY TO MEN BUT ALSO TO 

WOMEN SO AS TO INCLUDE 

RURAL FAMILIES WITHIN THE 

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.” 


Raquel Peña-Montenegro, 

Director, Latin America and 

the Caribbean Division of IFAD 

at the inauguration of the 

Chile workshop. 

IFAD MANAGEMENT 

This analysis identified existing 

gender inequities and set the stage 

for the justification and design of 

gender strategies. In the case of 

PRODAP–II, the analysis of the 

actual gender situation highlighted, 

for example, that: 

● There is a gender division of roles 

in the project area. Women are 

responsible for all household 

chores and receive some help 

from their husbands (in some 

cases the men help with the 

collection of water, firewood and 

taking care of the children). In 

agriculture, both women and men 

work in the fields. The women 

participate in most agricultural 

activities, together with their 

husbands; only a few activities 

seem to be dominated by men, 

like the preparation of soil and 

cultivation of basic grains, such as 

beans. Both parents are assisted by 

their children who, each day after 

school, help either in agricultural 

production or with household 

activities. 

● Men and women who belong to 

the target group also dedicate 

themselves to other productive 

activities, such as cheese making, 

buying and selling of bread, 

selling of eggs, poultry, etc. to 

generate income. 

● Two groups of women can be 

defined: those who are spouses of 

farmers and are responsible for 

many of the agricultural 

activities, and those (representing 

● 

● 

● 

approximately 10% of the target 

group in the project area) who 

head their households and are 

responsible for all agricultural and 

livestock activities in addition to 

the household chores. 

Because of womens’ many and 

varied activities, they work, on 

average, more hours a day than 

men, and have less time for 

personal development and to 

participate in community 

development matters such as 

committees and training courses. 

The gender division of roles is 

different from one community to 

another and would need to be 

identified in more detail during 

project implementation. 

Of the landowners in the project 

area (40% of the target group) 

11% are women as compared to 

89% of men. Women with limited 

or little access to land also 

encounter difficulties in 

obtaining credit. During the 

implementation of PRODAP–I, 

14% of loans were provided to 

women as compared to 86% to 

men. Recognition of women’s 

participation in agricultural and 

income generating activities is 

growing, but in the past they have 

often been offered loans for 

financing marginal or 

economically non-viable activities. 

This may have influenced the 

repayment capacity of women 

borrowers, resulting in a higher 

proportion of overdue 

El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador 

32 

El Salvador

● 

● 

● 

repayments of debts among 

women (31% women and 27% 

men among PRODAP–I 

beneficiaries). 

Illiteracy rates in the project area 

are higher than the national 

average: 40% of men and women 

in the project area are illiterate. 

According to a study implemented 

during PRODAP–I about 25% of 

the women beneficiaries of 

PRODAP–I have reproductive 

health problems. 

Constraints affecting the 

participation of women in rural 

development activities can be 

summarized as: 

- having less access to land and 

credit facilities; 

- the patriarchal society and macho 

culture which prevent women 

from participating on equal 

terms with men and results in a 

lack of self-esteem; 

- the heavy workload of women; 

- limited access to information 

on markets, opportunities, 

rights, etc. 

Gender is Incorporated in Project 

Objectives and Scope 

Like many other projects, the 

main objective of PRODAP–II is to 

contribute to the alleviation of rural 

poverty through the improvement of 

income levels and living standards of 

the rural poor, men and women. 

The project will strive to increase 

employment opportunities in the 

region for the landless men and 

women workers as well as to increase 

the value added to agricultural 

production by crop diversification 

and increased productivity. 

The specific objectives of the 

project include: 

● increased family income by 

improving agricultural 

productivity, diversifying income 

opportunities in agricultural and 

non-agricultural activities, small 

scale business enterprises and 

marketing; 

● strengthening local farmers 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

organizations and local institutions 

in order to facilitate their 

participation in the identification, 

design, implementation and 

evaluation of PRODAP–II 

activities; 

implementing an efficient and 

sustainable credit system based 

on a gradual transfer of 

responsibilities and funds to local 

intermediary financial institutions; 

building a sustainable technical 

assistance and extension service 

through the gradual transfer of 

supervision and administration to 

local farmers’ organizations; 

mainstreaming and strengthening 

the gender perspective in all 

project activities, thus ensuring 

the equal participation of men 

and women in these activities and 

in the benefits derived, as well as 

reducing gender inequities in the 

project area; 

improving environmental 

conditions, thus ensuring the 

sustainable management of soil, 

water and forest resources; and 

establishing coordination and 

formal links among IFAD projects. 

The objective of the 

mainstreaming of gender issues was 

defined as: “to contribute to the 

decrease of gender inequities 

between men and women in the 

project area”. 

Gender Mainstreaming in Each 

Sub-Component 

The objective of the subcomponent 

“Coordination of gender 

issues” is to mainstream and 

strengthen the gender perspective 

throughout project activities, 

ensuring the equal participation of 

men and women in these activities 

and in benefits derived, as well as 

reducing gender inequities in the 

project area. This can only be 

achieved by ensuring that all 

activities implemented directly, or 

contracted by the project, maintain a 

gender focus. 

PRODAP–II will be implemented 

over a six-year period and will 

consist of four components: 

● social organization, comprising of 

two sub-components: 

- strengthening of grassroots 

organizations; 

- Social and Productive 

Investment Fund. 

● Productive support services, 

comprising of four subcomponents: 

- agricultural technical services; 

- marketing support; 

- small-scale rural enterprise 

development; 

- sustainable natural resource 

management. 

● Rural financial services, 

comprising of two subcomponents: 

- strengthening financial 

intermediaries; 

- credit fund. 

● The Project Coordination Unit, 

comprising of four units, will be 

responsible for the 

implementation and management 

of the project: 

- management and administration; 

- coordination of gender issues; 

- monitoring and evaluation; 

- inter-project coordination 

council. 

STRATEGIC ELEMENTS FOR 

GENDER MAINSTREAMING 

Office for the Coordination of 

Gender Issues 

The office for the coordination of 

gender issues will have an advisory 

role at Project Management Unit 

(PMU) level but will also coordinate 

with the technical division in order 

to ensure that all activities 

implemented directly, or contracted 

by the project, maintain a gender 

focus. It will also coordinate with the 

operational division in order to 

ensure that the technical 

multidisciplinary teams assist the 

beneficiaries on the basis of an 

34

integrated and participatory 

approach and have access to the 

tools that may assist them in 

facilitating equitable participation 

of men and women. 

Appendix 1 of this section 

provides the terms of reference for 

the gender expert; Appendix 2 

provides the chart for the Project 

Coordination Unit. 

Gender issues will be 

mainstreamed and strengthened 

throughout the project, ensuring 

equal participation of men and 

women in project activities and in 

derived benefits. The final objective 

is to reduce gender inequities in the 

project area. This means that each 

head of project component will be 

responsible for developing and 

implementing strategies for 

incorporating a gender approach 

in the component’s particular 

activities. 

Training Programmes 

Equitable participation of men 

and women will be ensured by 

means of gender sensitization 

workshops and a training 

programme in participatory 

methodologies and gender analysis 

provided by the office for 

coordination of gender issues and in 

coordination with the Production 

Support Services Unit. Training 

programmes will also be developed 

in order to strengthen the gender 

sensitivity and methodological and 

operational capacity of the PMU, its 

staff, financial intermediaries and 

innovative producers. The objective 

will be to create conditions that will 

ensure that services be provided 

equally for men and women. 

Furthermore, within the training 

programme for men and women 

beneficiaries and project staff, 

themes such as reproductive health, 

equity, division of roles, etc. will 

be included. 

● Following the activities initiated 

by PRODAP–I, collaboration with 

the Ministry of Education will be 

● 

reinforced in order to 

incorporate gender issues in 

curricula for elementary schools 

and train teachers within the 

project area. 

In the same way strategic 

alliances will be developed with 

organizations specializing in 

literacy programmes, thus 

meeting the needs of project 

beneficiaries. 

Participatory Methodology 

In order to respond to the real 

and specific needs of men and 

women, the participatory rural 

appraisal described above and 

gender analysis will be applied. 

Training will be provided at 

beneficiary level in order to increase 

local capacity in identifying 

demands, problem diagnosis and 

participatory planning. 

Alleviating Women’s Workload 

The project will contribute 

directly to reducing the time spent 

by women on household chores 

through the cofinancing of specific 

activities by means of the socioproductive 

investment fund. The 

main objective is to alleviate 

women’s workload, if so desired, 

and thus facilitate their 

participation in more productive or 

remunerated activities or personal 

development. 

The impact on household food 

security and nutrition will be 

positive. Not only will beneficiaries 

increase their income, thus enabling 

them to buy more food, but crop 

diversification, improvement of 

vegetable gardens, cultivation of 

fruit trees and other programmes 

such as goat and rabbit breeding will 

all contribute to increased food 

security and better nutritional levels. 

Gender Mainstreaming in the 

Productive Support Services 

Component 

Using a gender-specific approach, 

the project will focus on family 

“THANKS TO THE HELP FROM 

THE PROJECT IN PUNO, PERU, 

OUR ‘ENTERPRISE FOR 

AGRICULTURAL AND LIVESTOCK 

SERVICES AND AGROINDUSTRIAL 

PRODUCTS’, HAS BEEN ABLE TO 

CONTRACT A TECHNICIAN. THE 

TECHNICIAN HAS GIVEN US 

COURSES IN THE ELABORATION 

OF CHEESE AND HAS HELPED US 

WITH OUR LIVESTOCK. THE 

ACCESS TO CREDIT AND THE 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE HAS 

MADE THAT NOW WE CAN 

SELL OUR LIVESTOCK FOUR 

TIMES A YEAR INSTEAD OF 

ONCE A YEAR. NOW THAT WE 

HAVE MORE INCOME SOME 

OF THE MALE MEMBERS OF 

THE ENTERPRISE DO NOT 

HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR FAMILY 

ANYMORE IN ORDER TO LOOK 

FOR WORK ELSEWHERE.” 

Juan Medina Estufanero 

and Maria Mamani. 

IFAD BENEFICIARIES 

35

members, distinguishing between 

men and women in relation to: 

● their problems, needs and 

priorities; 

● their socio-economic conditions; 

and 

● their opportunities and constraints 

to participate and have access to 

project resources. 

The multidisciplinary teams will be 

introduced to the use of simple tools 

that facilitate the active participation 

of both men and women in 

producers’ organizations, 

administration and decision-making 

processes at group, community and 

project level. 

Other elements of the gender 

strategy include: 

● Each farm production model take 

into account the number of men 

and women beneficiaries as well as 

the present division of labour 

within the community. 

● In identifying the innovative 

farmers, special attention is to be 

paid to women in order to assist 

and train an equal number of men 

and women innovative farmers. 

● Crop diversification in order to 

address both food security and 

producer surplus needs. 

● In the microenterprises subcomponent, 

of the total number of 

beneficiaries, 60% will be men and 

40% women. 

● The provision of “kindergartens” 

will enable mothers to take 

advantage of the opportunities 

created by the microenterprisessub-component. 

● A link will be made with the 

literacy programmes in order to 

enable men and women 

beneficiaries to have equal access 

to training programmes, and 

increase their management and 

administrative capacity in 

small-business administration. 

● The programme for the creation 

of job opportunities for young 

men and women will pay special 

attention to avoid reinforcing 

traditional patterns. 

Financial Services Component 

In this component, a number of 

strategic elements were included, 

such as: 

● 30% of the beneficiaries of the 

credit programmes will be women. 

● Financial intermediaries will be 

selected on the basis of their 

attitude towards men and women 

clients and whether, for example, 

they have a positive attitude 

towards women borrowers. 

● The monitoring and evaluation of 

financial intermediaries will 

include the incorporation of 

gender issues in their manuals, 

procedures and actions. 

● A special information campaign 

will be designed and directed at 

women in order to inform them of 

the services provided within the 

context of this component. 

Monitoring and Evaluation 

In order to incorporate gender 

issues in the project’s monitoring and 

evaluation system, a specific study 

will be conducted on a yearly basis. 

The purpose of this will be to define 

project impact, both at qualitative 

and quantitative level and to monitor 

changes in gender inequities, gender 

roles, attitudes of beneficiaries, 

organizations and project staff. 

Workshops will be set up for the 

dissemination of the results of these 

studies, which will be shared with 

project team members and 

representatives of producer 

organizations. The information will 

also be incorporated in the project 

annual plan of activities and budget. 

Gender indicators were included 

in the project logical framework and 

a special appendix with qualitative 

and quantitative indicators was 

attached for further development 

during project implementation. 

Special Funds for Gender 

Mainstreaming 

The funds for implementing the 

gender mainstreaming strategy are 

included in the sub-component for 

“coordination of gender issues”. The 

financial resources for the activities to 

reduce women’s workload and other 

local initiatives that will benefit young 

men and women were included in 

the fund for socio-productive 

investments. The cost for gender 

training has been included in the 

training sub-component. 

El Salvador 

37

APPENDIX 1 

TERMS OF REFERENCE 

gender expert 

He/she will be under the direct 

supervision of the project manager, 

and will work in close collaboration 

with other project component 

coordinators. He/she will be 

responsible for the following 

activities: 

● support the design and 

implementation of a gender 

training programme targeted at 

users/ leaders/financial 

intermediaries/ innovative 

producers and providers of 

services; 

● annual planning and follow-up 

of gender activities; 

● supervise and monitor the 

incorporation of the gender 

● 

● 

● 

● 

approach in a cross-cutting 

manner in all project activities; 

support the development and 

implementation of a training 

programme for the Project 

Coordination Unit and the 

multidisciplinary technical teams; 

coordinate, with the relevant 

institutions, the implementation 

of the literacy programme; 

coordinate, with the local offices of 

the Ministry of Education, the 

introduction of an environmental 

education programme for schools, 

and the implementation of a 

training programme for teachers; 

advise the project manager in all 

aspects related to gender; 

● 

● 

● 

support the coordinators of the 

different project components and 

sub-components to design 

mechanisms which facilitate an 

equal participation of men and 

women beneficiaries; 

support the M&E Office in the 

identification of gender-sensitive 

indicators and the implementation 

of annual impact studies; 

provide methodological support 

to the social organization area 

so as to strengthen grassroots 

organizations. 

Duration: six years. 

Headquarters: San Vicente. 

APPENDIX 2 

project coordination unit ORGANIGRAM 

FISP 

(Social and Productive 

Initiatives Fund) 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

Trust Fund 

Coordination of 

Gender Approach 

Planning, M&E 

•Coordination of 

Gender Approach 

•Promoters 

Auditing 

•M&E Coordinator 

•Technical Assistant 

•Auditor 

Technical Area Supervisory Area Administrative Area 

•Agriculture Supervisors 

•Natural Resource Supervisors 

Natural 

Resources 

Administration 

FISP 

Production 

Support 

Services 

Social 

Organization 

Rural 

Financial 

Services 

Administration of 

Contracts and 

Agreements 

Finance 

•FISP 

Administrator 

• Production Support 

Services Officer 

• Natural Resources 

Officer 

• Agricultural 

Production 

Support Officer 

• Marketing and 

Microenterprise 

Officer 

•Extension Agents 

• Social Organization 

Officer 

• Farm/Training 

Centre Officer 

• Rural Financial 

Services Officer 

• Technical Assistant 

• Administration 

Officer Assistant 

• Secretaries 

• Drivers 

• Cleaners 

• General 

Accountant 

38

ANNEX 1 

CONSOLIDATED 

action plans 

Consolidated Action Plan for Strengthening and Mainstreaming Gender Issues in 

the Projects in Central America, Mexico and Panama (IFAD/RUTA). 

ACTIVITIES 

RESPONSIBLE 

Complete workshop conclusions and prepare guidelines. 

Provide projects and national authorities with gender guidelines. 

In coordination with country projects, gather together and list 

training and technical assistance requirements, applying a demanddriven 

approach in order to define priority areas. 

Prepare curricula which incorporate a gender approach for project 

courses. 

Identify national and regional consultants to participate in IFAD 

formulation, evaluation and supervision missions and provide them 

with training in IFAD’s gender approach. 

Draw-up the projects’ Annual Operational Plans, ensuring that 

programmed activities incorporate a gender-orientated approach. 

Incorporate gender sensitive indicators in M&E systems. 

Institutionalize among projects a gender system for exchanging 

experiences on gender. 

Homogenize and systemize gender training-materials for their 

dissemination through FIDAMERICA and GEMA. 

Document and systemize project experience and working 

methodologies with a gender focus. 

IFAD and RUTA 

IFAD 

Projects and RUTA 

RUTA 


Projects, IFAD and RUTA 

Projects, IFAD and RUTA 




39

Consolidated Action Plan for Strengthening and Mainstreaming Gender Issues 

in the Projects that are Members of CIARA (IFAD/CIARA). 

THEMES / ACTIVITIES 

RESPONSIBLE 

Exchange of Experiences 

● Field visits for project staff. 

PRODECOP, PRODAP, PROSALAFA 

● 

Project experience exchange to be conducted through the 

Internet. 

CARC, PROSALAFA and Dominican 

Rep, IFAD, PADEMER, SARAGURO 

PPI, PRODECOP, PADEMER and CARC 

● 

Technical assistance for gender disaggregated information. 

Projects 

Training 

● Training in gender issues for extension workers, NGOs, 

universities, etc. 

● Training in productive systems and gender analysis. 

● Training in the use of participatory methods with a 

gender focus. 

● Technical Assistance for the formulation of gender training 

programmes. 

● Develop expertise in gender aspects within CIARA. 

● Training in gender for IFAD consultants and headquater staff. 


● Assistance in the development of gender sensitive M&E systems 

and the identification of gender sensitive indicators. 

● Workshop on gender sensitive M&E systems based on the 

experience of PROSALAFA, Venezuela. 

● Revision of the M&E document on the basis of project 

experience. 

Special Activities 

● A series of workshops to exchange project experience from 

IFAD gender–focused projects with other projects and 

national institutions. 

● Creation of a database providing examples of positive 

experiences from IFAD projects. 

● Assistance in the reformulation and revision of gender 

mainstreaming strategies in IFAD project design. 

● Consultancy for documenting and increasing the number of 

literacy programmes in IFAD projects, based on the 

experience of the CARC project in Ecuador. 

Projects and IFAD/CIARA 

Projects 


Projects and PROSGIP 

IFAD/CIARA 


Projects, PREVAL, IFAD/CIARA 

PREVAL, IFAD 

IFAD/PREVAL 

Projects 

IFAD/CIARA and FIDAMERICA 

Projects/PROSGIP 


40

Consolidated Action Plan for Strengthening and Mainstreaming Gender Issues 

in Projects in anglophone Caribbean countries (IFAD/CDB). 


RESPONSIBLE 

Data Collection: 

● Implement or improve (revise) baseline surveys using a 

gender focus; ensure inclusion of gender sensitive data. 

● Improve community profiles through the use of participatory 

rural appraisal and gender analysis. 

Include Gender Issues in Start-Up Workshops. 

Training Activities: 

● Sensitize the project management staff, project steering 

committees and management committees on gender issues. 

● Train M&E officers in identifying gender sensitive 

indicators. 

● Train loan officers in rural credit as it relates to gender issues. 

● Train technical service suppliers in gender analysis. 

● Training of small business owners (men and women). 

● Sensitizing community organizations on gender issues. 

Monitoring and Evaluation: 

● Revise monitoring plans and systems in order to 

incorporate gender concerns. 

● Identify and incorporate gender sensitive M&E indicators. 

● Measure on a yearly basis the project’s impact on 

gender inequities. 

Project Management: 

● Inclusion of a gender specialist in project team. 

● Ensure gender sensitivity in media coverage and project 

awareness campaigns. 

● Ensure women’s participation in the project decision-making 

process through the establishment of inter-agency linkages. 

PMUs 

PMUs 

PMUs and IFAD/CDB 

CDB/IFAD 

CDB/IFAD 

CDB/IFAD and PMU 

PMU 

PMU 

PMU 

M & E Officers and PMU 



Project Steering Committee 

PMU 

PMU 

41

Consolidated Action Plan for Strengthening and Mainstreaming Gender Issues in 

the Projects that are Members of PROCASUR (IFAD/PROCASUR). 


RESPONSIBLE 

Training in gender issues. 

Gender approach-oriented training in the identification of 

productive activities. 

Gender approach-oriented strategic planning. 

Technical assistance to improve gender sensitive monitoring and 

evaluation systems and to define performance indicators. 

Systematization of experiences. 

Technical assistance for the design of gender sensitive 

baseline studies. 

Development of a methodology to evaluate the economic impact 

of gender aspects in productive projects. 

Development of a methodology to evaluate the social impact of 

gender aspects. 

Adjustment of institutional relations in order to strengthen 

gender mainstreaming aspects in the project. 

PROSAT/PRONAPPA/MARENASS/ 

PRODERCO/PRODECOP/UNEPCA/ 

PRODESIB 

PROSAT/PRONAPPA/TRIPLE C 

TRIPLE C/PRODAP/PRODECOP 

PROSAT/PRODERNEA/TRIPLE C/ 

PRODERCO/PRODAP/UNEPCA/ 

PRODESIB/ PRONAPPA 

PRODERNEA/PRODERCO/PRODAP 

TRIPLE C 

PRODERNEA/PRONAPPA/PRODAP/ 

TRIPLE C/ PRODERCO 

TRIPLE C 

PRODARIEN/PRODESIB/PRODECOP 

42

ANNEX 2 

follow-up 

PROVIDED BY COOPERATING 

INSTITUTIONS 

ANDEAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (CAF): 

● 

● 

● 

● 

Staff responsible for supervising projects are more 

aware of gender issues. 

Advances made by projects, and problems encountered 

in articulating a gender strategy are reflected in the 

supervision reports conducted by CAF staff. 

CAF has expressed interest in including gender 

experts in supervision missions for the purpose of 

strengthening gender mainstreaming. 

CAF was actively involved in the publication of a 

book on IFAD experiences in gender mainstreaming 

in Bolivia. 

CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (CDB): 

● 

● 

The staff responsible for supervising projects are more 

aware of gender issues. 

Gender aspects are an important element in the CDBs 

strategy for social impact. 

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR PROJECT 

SERVICES (UNOPS): 

● 

● 

● 

● 

Generally speaking, UNOPS staff, who are 

responsible for project supervision, have become more 

aware of gender issues, taking these aspects into 

account in their missions, consultants’ TOR and 

project supervision. 

The consultants involved in the implementation of 

PROSGIP have been invited by UNOPS to provide 

technical assistance in operationalizing gender 

strategies in some projects of the region. 

UNOPS promotes the exchange of project experience 

among the projects it supervises. For instance, staff 

from PROSERTAO (Brazil) visited PRODAP and 

PROCHALATE (El Salvador) to witness the experience 

on gender training and the M&E system. 

Gender experts are contracted to participate in project 

supervision missions and project launch workshops in 

order to strengthen gender mainstreaming. 

PROVIDED BY THE REGIONAL 

PROGRAMMES 

REGIONAL UNIT FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

(RUTA): 

● 

● 

● 

Staff of RUTA undertook follow-up missions to assist 

projects in defining priorities and actions to be taken. 

A questionnaire was shared with all projects in Central 

America, Mexico and Panama for the purpose of 

making an inventory on what projects have done so far 

with regard to their own particular plan of action. 

A second phase of the PROSGIP has been designed for 

this sub-region and is presently being implemented. 

REGIONAL PROGRAMME FOR RURAL 

DEVELOPMENT TRAINING (PROCASUR): 

● 

● 

Throughout the year 2000, PROCASUR is planning to 

implement a programme for the training of ten 

experts (men and women) in gender issues. Also, 

PROCASUR will carry out long-distance training 

courses in gender issues (by means of virtual 

conferences, internet, etc.). 

PROCASUR has integrated the gender approach in its 

daily training activities, and will also offer a special 

training course in gender for its associated projects. 

43

ANNEX 3 

DOCUMENTS ON 

gender issues 

PRODUCED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF PROSGIP 

FINAL REPORTS: 

Report of the Programme for the Strengthening of Gender Issues 

in IFAD Projects for Central America, Panama and Mexico. 

Latin America and the Caribbean Division and Regional 

Unit for Technical Assistance (RUTA), (available in 

English and Spanish) Costa Rica, December 1997. 

Strengthening Gender Issues in Rural Development Workshop. 

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) 

and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), (available 

in English and Spanish) Castries, Saint Lucia, 

9-13 November 1998. 

Summary Report on the Workshop for the Reinforcement of 

Gender Issues in IFAD´s Project in the Countries Members of 

CIARA (PROSGIP). International Fund for Agricultural 

Development (IFAD) and Foundation for Training and 

Applied Research on Agrarian Reform (CIARA), 

(available in English and Spanish) Santo Domingo, 

Dominican Republic, 8-13 June 1998. 

Seminario-Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de 

Género en los Proyectos FIDA Asociados al PROCASUR. 

Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA) y el 

Programa Regional de Capacitación de Desarrollo Rural 

(PROCASUR) (available in Spanish). La Serena, Chile, 

20-26 de junio 1999. 

CASE STUDIES: 

Acceso a los Recursos Productivos con Enfoque de Género. 

Proyecto de Desarrollo de las Comunidades Rurales 

Marginadas de las Áreas Ixtleras de México. Seminario- 

Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género 

en los Proyectos FIDA en Centroamérica, Panamá y 

México. Antigua, Guatemala, 7-11 de julio 1997. 

Los Aspectos de Género y Capacitación del PRODAP. Proyecto 

de Desarrollo Agrícola para Pequeños Productores de la 

Región Paracentral (PRODAP). Departamento de Apoyo 

a la Participación de la Mujer (DAPM). Seminario-Taller 

para el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género en los 

Proyectos FIDA Asociados al PROCASUR. La Serena, 

Chile, 20-26 de junio 1999. 

Capacitación con Enfoque de Género. Proyecto de Desarrollo 

Agrícola para Pequeños Productores de la Región 

Paracentral de El Salvador (PRODAP). Seminario-Taller 

sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género en los 

Proyectos FIDA en Centroamérica, Panamá y México. 

Antigua, Guatemala, 7-11 de julio 1997. 

Capacitación en el Enfoque de Género: Un Mecanismo para 

Facilitar la Participación Equitativa de Hombres y Mujeres en el 

Proyecto MARENASS. Manejo de Recursos Naturales en la 

Sierra Sur del Perú (MAARENASS). Seminario-Taller 




Dos Experiencias Productivas y Sociales en el Uruguay. 

Programa Nacional de Apoyo al Pequeño Productor 

Agropecuario (PRONAPPA). Unidad Ejecutora del 

Programa, Componente de Apoyo a la Producción, 

Subcomponente Área Mujer y Joven Rural. Seminario- 

Taller para el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género 

en los Proyectos FIDA Asociados al PROCASUR. La 

Serena, Chile, 20-26 de junio 1999. 

Estudios de la Asociación Regional Integral de Ganaderos de 

Camélidos Alto Andinos del Norte de La Paz (ISQANI). 

Programa Regional de Camélidos Sudamericanos 

(PRORECA) y la Unidad Ejecutora del Proyecto 

Camélidos (UNEPCA). Seminario-Taller para el 

Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género en los 



Estrategia para Operacionalizar el Enfoque de Género y 

Equidad en el PRODAP. Proyecto de Desarrollo Agrícola 

para Pequeños Productores de la Región Paracentral 

(PRODAP I y II). Departamento de Apoyo a la 

Participación de la Mujer (DAPM). Seminario-Taller para 

el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género en los 

Proyectos FIDA. Asociados al PROCASUR. La Serena, 


Gender? What is it, What is it not? Gender Analysis and 

Development Projects. Violet Eudine Barriteau (IFAD/CDB 

Consultant). Regional Workshop on Strengthening 

Gender Issues in Rural Development. Castries, Saint 

Lucia, 9-13 November 1998. 

44

Gender in Caribbean Development with Specific Emphasis on 

Agriculture and Rural Development. Christine Barrow, 

(IFAD/CDB Consultant). Regional Workshop on 

Strengthening Gender Issues in Rural Development. 

Castries, Saint Lucia, 9-13 November 1998. 

Organización y Participación para la Toma de Decisiones con 

Enfoque de Género. Plan de Desarrollo Rural de la 

Región Occidente de Honduras (PLANDERO). 

Seminario-Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los 

Aspectos de Género en los Proyectos FIDA en 

Centroamérica, Panamá y México. Antigua, Guatemala; 

7-11 de julio 1997. 

Sistemas de Producción: Intervención Campesina con Enfoque 

de Género. Proyecto de Desarrollo Rural de la Sierra de 

los Cuchumatanes de Guatemala. Seminario-Taller 

sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género en 

los Proyectos FIDA en Centroamérica, Panamá y 

México. Antigua, Guatemala, 7-11 de julio 1997. 

Transformando el Trabajo del Campo: La Experiencia de 

Capacitación en Género en un Programa de Desarrollo. 

Programa de Crédito y Apoyo Técnico para Pequeños 

Productores del Noreste Argentino (PNEA). Seminario- 

Taller para el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de 

Género en los Proyectos FIDA Asociados al 

PROCASUR. La Serena, Chile, 20-26 de junio 1999. 

Recursos y Ventajas Socieconómicas de AGROFLOR. 

Proyecto de Desarrollo para Comunidades Campesinas 

y Pequeños Productores de la IV Región (PRODECOP). 

Seminario-Taller para el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos 

de Género en los Proyectos FIDA. Asociados al 

PROCASUR. La Serena, Chile, 20-26 de junio 1999. 

Sistema de Seguimiento y Evaluación con Enfoque de Género. 

PROSALAFA, Venezuela. Proyecto de Apoyo a Pequeños 

Productores y Pescadores Artesanales de la Zona 

Semiárida de los Estados Lara y Falcón (PROSALAFA). 

Seminario-Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los 

Aspectos de Género en los Proyectos FIDA en los Países 

Miembros del CIARA. Santo Domingo, República 

Dominicana, 8-13 de junio 1998. 

Género y Desarrollo Rural: Un Estudio de caso de la Cuenca 

Alta del Río Cañar, Ecuador. Seminario-Taller sobre el 


Proyectos FIDA en los Países Miembros del CIARA. 

Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, 

8-13 de junio 1998. 

BASELINE STUDIES AND GENDER GUIDELINES: 

Lineamientos para Incorporar la Perspectiva de Género en 

Sistemas de Seguimiento y Evaluación. Valeria Budinich 

(Consultora FIDA). Seminario-Taller para el 




Sistema de Seguimiento y Evaluación con Enfoque de Género en 

los Proyectos de Desarrollo Rural. Lineamientos para Incorporar 

la Perspectiva de Género en Sistemas de Seguimiento y 

Evaluación. Valeria Budinich, (Consultora FIDA). 

Seminario-Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos 

de Género en los Proyectos FIDA en los Países Miembros 

del CIARA. Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, 

8-13 de junio 1998. 

Guidelines to Incorporate the Gender Perspective in Monitoring 

and Evaluation Systems. Valeria Budinich (IFAD 

Consultant). Regional Workshop on Strengthening 

Gender Issues in Rural Development. Castries, Saint 

Lucia, 9-13 November 1998. 

DIAGNOSIS: 

Situación de los Aspectos de Género en los Proyectos FIDA en 

Centroamérica, Panamá y México. Fondo Internacional de 

Desarrollo Agrícola y la Unidad Regional de Asistencia 

Técnica del Proyecto de Asistencia Técnica para el 

Desarrollo Agropecuario de América Central (RUTA III). 

Pilar Campaña (Consultora FIDA). Antigua, Guatemala, 

7-11 de julio 1997. 

Análisis de la Aplicación del Enfoque de Género en los Proyectos 

FIDA. Seminario-Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los 



Dominicana, 8-13 de junio 1998. 

Mainstreaming Gender in IFAD and CDB Projects. A Review. 

Ingrid Schreuel (IFAD Consultant). Regional Workshop 

on Strengthening Gender Issues in Rural Development. 

Castries, Saint Lucia; 9-13 November 1998. 

El Enfoque de Género en la Ejecución de los Proyectos FIDA 

Integrantes de PROCASUR. Pilar Campaña e Ingrid 

Schreuel (Consultoras del FIDA). Seminario-Taller para el 


Proyectos FIDA. Asociados al PROCASUR. La Serena, 

Chile; 20-26 de junio 1999. 

45

Situación de los Aspectos de Género en los Proyectos FIDA en 

Centroamérica, Panamá y Honduras. El presente documento 

es un Anexo al “Diagnóstico Situación de los Aspectos de 

Género en los Proyectos FIDA en Centroamérica, Panamá 

y México” presentado en el Seminario PROFAGEP en 

Antigua, Guatemala en julio de 1997. Seminario-Taller 




PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE FORUM 

ORGANIZED FOR NGOS/GOS AT THE 

SANTO DOMINGO WORKSHOP: 

Situación de las Mujeres Rurales Dominicanas. Rosa Rita 

Alvarez. - Mujeres en Desarrollo (MUDE). Seminario- 

Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género 

en los Proyectos FIDA en los Países Miembros del CIARA. 

Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, 

8-13 de junio 1998. 

La Situación del Agro, las Políticas Agrarias y el Papel de los 

Campesinos en el Nuevo Desarrollo. Secretaría de Estado de 

Agricultura de la República Dominicana (SEA). 

Seminario-Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos 

de Género en los Proyectos FIDA en los Países Miembros 

del CIARA. Santo Domingo, República Dominicana; 

8-13 de junio 1998. 

Breve Descripción del Campesinado en los Valles de San Juan y 

Neyba, en la República Dominicana. Jan Lundius, (Consultor 

FIDA). Seminario-Taller sobre el Fortalecimiento de los 



Dominicana, 8-13 de junio, 1998. 

Análisis y Perspectivas de la Participación Social y Económica de 

la Mujer Rural. Carmen Julia Gómez. Centro de Estudios 

Sociales y Demográficos (DESDEM). Seminario-Taller 

sobre el Fortalecimiento de los Aspectos de Género en los 

Proyectos FIDA en los Países Miembros del CIARA. Santo 

Domingo, República Dominicana, 8-13 de junio 1998. 

Programas y Políticas para la Mujer Rural de República 

Dominicana. Yris Rossi Quintana. Dirección General de 

Promoción de la Mujer (DGPM). Seminario-Taller sobre el 


Proyectos FIDA en los Países Miembros del CIARA. Santo 

Domingo, República Dominicana, 8-13 de junio 1998. 

46

abbreviations and acronyms 

CAF 

CARC 

CDB 

CIARA 

FIDAMERICA 14 

GAD 


INDAP 

IXTLERA 

LAC 

M&E 

MARENASS 

NGO 

PADEMER 

PLANDERO 

PMU 

PPI 

PRA 

PREVAL 

PROCASUR 

PROCHALATE 

PRODAP 

PRODAP-II 

Andean Development Corporation 

Upper Basin of the Cañar River 

Rural Development Project, Ecuador 

Caribbean Development Bank 

Foundation for Training and Applied 

Research in Agrarian Reform 

Sistema de intercambio de información 

sobre los programas del FIDA a través de 

toda América Latina 

Gender and Development 

International Fund for Agricultural 

and Development 

National Institution for Agricultural 

Development 

Development Project for Marginal 

Rural Communities in the Ixtlera 

Region, Mexico 

Latin America and the Caribbean 

Division 


Management of Natural Resources in 

the Southern Highlands Project, Peru 

Non-Governmental Organizations 

Rural Microenterprise Development 

Programme, Colombia 

Agricultural Development 

Programme for the Western Region, 

Honduras 

Project Management Unit 

Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes 

Rehabilitation Project, Haiti 

Participatory Rural Appraisal 

Programme for Strengthening the 

Regional Capacity for Monitoring 

and Evaluation of Rural Poverty 

Alleviation Projects in Latin America 

and the Caribbean 

Regional Programme for Rural 

Development Training 

Rehabilitation and Development 

Project for War-Torn Areas in the 

Department of Chalatenango, 

El Salvador 

Smallholders’ Agricultural 

Development Project in the 

Paracentral Region, El Salvador 

Rural Development Project for the 

Central Region of El Salvador 

PRODARIEN 

PRODECOP 

PRODERCO 

PRODERNEA 

PRODERNOR 

PRODESIB 

PRONAPPA 

PROSALAFA 

PROSAT 

PROSERTAO 

PROSGIP 

PSC 

RUTA 

RUTA III 

SARAGURO 

TAG 

TOR 

TRIPLE C 

UNEPCA 

UNOPS 

WFP 

WID 

Sustainable Agricultural 

Development and Environmental 

Protection Project for the Darien, 

Panama 

Agricultural Development Project for 

Peasant Communities and 

Smallholders of the Fourth Region, 

Chile 

Rural Development Project in the 

Central Eastern Region, Honduras 


North-Eastern Provinces, Argentina 


North-Eastern Region, El Salvador 

Sustainable Development Project by 

Beni Indigenous People, Bolivia 

National Smallholder Support 

Project, Uruguay 

Support Project for Small Producers 

in the Semi-Arid Zones of Falcon and 

Lara States, Venezuela 

Small Farmers Technical Assistance 

Services Project, Bolivia 

Low-Income Family Support Project 

in the Semi-Arid Region of Sergipe 

State, Brazil 

Programme for the Strengthening of 

Gender Issues in IFAD Projects 

Project Steering Committee 

Regional Unit for Technical 

Assistance 

Technical Assistance Project for 

Agricultural Development of Central 

America 

Saraguro-Yacuambi Rural 

Development Project, Ecuador 

Technical Assistance Grant 

Terms of Reference 

Sustainable Rural Development 

Project in the Provinces of Cocle, 

Colon and Panama West, Panama 

Camelid Producers Development 

Project in the Andean High Plateau 

United Nations Office for Project 

Services 

World Food Programme 

Women in Development 

14 An Internet-based network of organizations and projects working with 

the rural poor in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

47

Prepared by: Latin America and the Caribbean Division with the support of Ingrid Schreuel. 

Produced by: The Publications and Desktop Publishing Team of IFAD. 

Design: Paul Hollingworth. 

Printed by: U. Quintily S.p.A., Rome, Italy • July 2000. 

Photos (all photos IFAD except page 11 PRODECOP): 

Cover: Giuseppe Bizzarri • Page 2: Albert Conti • Page 4: Franco Mattioli, Giuseppe Bizzarri, Susan Beccio • Page 5: Giuseppe Bizzarri • Page 6: Franco Mattioli • 

Page 8: Alberto Conti • Page 9: Horst Wagner, Giuseppe Bizzarri, Franco Mattioli • Page 10: Giuseppe Bizzari • Page 11: Giuseppe Bizzarri, Horst Wagner, PRODECOP • 

Page 13: Horst Wagner • Page 15: Franco Mattioli • Page 16: Carlos Salazar, Franco Mattioli, Louis Dematteis • Page 17: Giuseppe Bizzarri • Page 19: Louis Dematteis • 

Page 21: Nancy McGirr • Page 22: Giuseppe Bizzarri • Page 24: Franco Mattioli, Giuseppe Bizzarri, Alberto Conti • Page 25: Franco Mattioli • Page 26: Horst Wagner • 

Page 27: Nancy McGirr, Louis Dematteis, Ricardo Gaitan • Page 28: Louis Dematteis • Page 29: Lucilla Salimei, Giuseppe Bizzarri, Louis Dematteis • 

Page 32: Giuseppe Bizzarri, Giuseppe Bizzarri, Lucilla Salimei • Page 33: Giuseppe Bizzarri • Page 36: Louis Dematteis 

48

An IFAD Approach to Gender Mainstreaming

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