Research Highlights of the CIMMYT Wheat Program 1999-2000

the pivotal role of Kulumsa in the regional
networks. One surprise finding was that a
significant area in eastern South Africa exhibited
climatic similarity to Kulumsa, yet this is not a
wheat producing region. This prompted an
investigation into what additional factors were
involved in this particular region. It was
discovered that several factors were involved,
including difficult terrain, wheat not being a crop
of choice for traditional smallholders, and high
levels of commercial production in southwestern
areas. This highlights the fact that factors,
including socio-economic issues, must also be
considered when examining crop distribution.
Empowering Women Farmers
Another important aspect of EACP and ECAMAW
is an emphasis on empowering the region’s women
farmers as well as sensitizing the researchers (male
and female) who work on their behalf. The
importance of women to Africa’s agricultural
economy is indisputable, but many researchers and
extension workers have not previously received
training in methods that would ensure that
research benefits female producers. To address this
problem, ECAMAW launched a series of gender
analysis and training initiatives in concert with the
Centre for Women’s Studies and Gender Analysis,
Egerton University, Kenya. Over the last three
years, these initiatives have included:
• Participation of the ECAMAW steering committee
in a gender orientation training session.
• A course entitled “Training of trainers in gender
analysis and planning for the ECAMAW research
network” empowered researchers to conduct
gender analysis training for colleagues in their
respective national programs.
• Of the 228 people included in ECAMAWsponsored
training activities during 1997-1999, 49
(21.7%) were women—more than the proportion of
female scientists (15.3%) in national maize and
wheat research programs in the region.
• Reflecting an initiative to empower women
scientists, women researchers led 28 experiments
funded by the network’s small grants program
during 1997-1999.
• More studies on gender issues in agriculture are
being undertaken. During 1998, the network
funded a synthesis of farm-level survey
information generated in four countries,
highlighting the roles of women in maize and
wheat cropping systems and identifying research
domains requiring gender-differentiated
approaches. Since 1997, six studies on the adoption
of technologies, including the collection of genderdisaggregated
data, have been funded by the
network’s small grants program.
• All research proposals submitted to ECAMAW’s
small grants program are required to include an
analysis of the gender dimensions and implications
of proposed technological interventions.
• More than 25 research proposals funded each year
by this program have included a gender analysis
component.
• Under the small grants program, 31 projects have
examined issues that are significant to women
farmers (e.g., evaluation of technologies for soil
fertility management; the effects of green manure
and cropping sequences on soil fertility; the role of
drought tolerant legumes in cereal production
systems; participatory evaluation of bread wheat
technologies; on-farm evaluation of integrated crop
management practices for weed control; and
informal seed production, distribution, and
diffusion for resource poor farmers).
60