The role of extension and advisory services in realizing gender equality and improved nutrition.
Extension services have been an integral part of agricultural development in several African countries since independence. For example, in Kenya, many national development plans since the 1960s put emphasis on agriculture as the basis for industrial development. The way to enhance agricultural production was through a developed extension system that reached households in rural areas.
Though many of the extension services previously provided by government have now been privatized, the sector still has a role to play, whether through government departments, NGOs or private sector - at the end of the day the objective remains the same; how best to equip agricultural producers to achieve better harvests which in turn provide nutrition to individuals and groups.
One approach would be to learn from past extension projects. For example, one of the most notable challenge was the view that farmers were the legally recognized land holders and the traditionally recognized household heads = men. The end result was that extension officers focused more on finding and imparting knowledge to men within households, leaving out women who happen to be the majority of agricultural workers and the main providers of balanced diets to families. Subsequently, the current extension programs need to review the training curricular for agricultural trainees - to incorporate information on gender in African agriculture and household nutrition.
A similar focus on evaluation of past projects will lead to a new focus on other agricultural support areas such as technology, more so agricultural machinery - are they relevant, affordable and practical enough to be used by women? In the past, the majority of improved agricultural implements tended to be designed for men in terms of the required strength to handle the machinery. This will be one area where equity comes in - the current developers of agricultural technology put more emphasis on machinery for women and girls, otherwise we will continue to see them with the jembe while men are on tractors.
In relation to improved nutrition, there is need to consult more with women within rural households, where they are the majority of food providers and as a result developed knowledge on food items for a balanced diet. The objective will be to start from where they are, rather than where we want them to be. For example, if they still get most of their nutrients from indigenous vegetables and other foods, how best to equip agricultural extension people to use those familiar food items, rather than introduce a new food product that will be too new/foreign for many to adopt = is food cultural?
Once extension providers have a good idea on where women and men are as agricultural producers, it will be easier/practical to promote relevant seeds, food crops, agricultural machinery, information on harvesting/storage and consumption which will result in improved nutrition - people will consume proper nutrition once the food items are freely available.
How to incorporate children/students/youth into the new message for they are the agricultural producers, consumers and extension providers of tomorrow.
Eileen Omosa