GLF Discussion Forum jointly organized by World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO); International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO);
Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR);
Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN);
On Sunday, 17 November 2013 at 15:00-17:30, Old Library Building, (Room 214-216).

http://www.landscapes.org/agenda-item/day-2-nov-17-2/discussion-forums/linking-gendered-knowledge-gender-responsive-action-landscape-works/#.Umr8SJz-Jhg

Keynote speaker Seema Arora-Jonsson from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences senses a resurgent anxiety about gender in environmental policy and practice today. The landscape approach with its focus on the geographical context and its overlapping relationships makes the importance of gender all the more apparent.

(Photo by IUFRO)

(Photo by IUFRO)

But, as gender research has become more sophisticated and theoretically strong, Seema Arora-Jonsson also notes a frustration among both researchers and practitioners and policy makers that much gender research appears to have had a marginal effect on environmental practice on the ground. Scholars feel that their work is rarely taken up in policy and practice while practitioners complain that gender theories are far removed from the practical work of dealing with gender relations in environmental and development interventions. Gender research in many cases has provided us with precise concepts to understand society but the link between the research and every day work appears to be more elusive.

Drawing from the experiences of farmers, practitioners and researchers this discussion forum will explore the conditions under which gendered knowledge can influence the formulation and implementation of gender equitable policies, programs and projects, especially in the context of climate change. It asks the following questions:

A) What are the different ways that researchers have approached the generation of gender-relevant knowledge and attempted to make that available to practitioners?

B) How have farmers, implementing agencies and practitioners contributed to the generation of gender-relevant knowledge and made use of such knowledge to advance gender equity in agriculture and natural resource management  at different scales such as local, sub-national and national levels?

The panelists will explore constraints from the researcher, farmer, policy makers and NGO practitioner perspectives. They will offer lessons on tools and approaches to more effectively link and embed research and local knowledge with policy and practice across landscapes that comprise different resource systems such as crop fields, pastures, forests, fisheries, and which are critical to the lives and livelihoods of women, men and small-holders more broadly.

Overall, the forum hopes to generate lessons on how landscape-level problems and opportunities can be jointly defined and prioritized, activities jointly implemented, and knowledge jointly produced and harnessed in order to advance gender equity in access, use, management and benefits of resources across the landscape. The role of global processes such as the UNFCCC and the SDGs in advancing gender equity at national, sub-national and community levels will also be explored.

Speakers

Seema Arora-Jonsson, Coordinator of IUFRO Working Party on Gender Research in Forestry; Associate Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Sue Carlson, Women’s Committee, World Farmers Organization

Nathalie Eddy, Coordinator, Global Gender and Climate Alliance

Amy Sullivan, Program Manager, FANRPAN

Moderators

Antonia Andugar, Senior Policy Adviser, Copa-Cogeca, European farmers and European agri-cooperatives

Esther Mwangi, Senior scientist, the Forests and Governance Program, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO Working Party on Gender Research in Forestry