Gender-Responsive Extension During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research was funded by the CGIAR Research Program (CRP) on Policies Institutions and Markets (PIM), CRP on Livestock, and the CGIAR Gender Platform, which are supported by contributors to the CGIAR Trust Fund, and the IFAD-funded ICARDA project “Use of conservation agriculture in crop-livestock systems (CLCA) in the drylands for enhanced water use efficiency, soil fertility, and productivity in NEN and LAC countries.”  

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The past two years of pandemic lockdowns, border closures, and social distancing measures have meant that agricultural extension services delivered through digital channels have been crucial to maintaining vital information flows to farmers.

Yet, while research shows that agricultural extension is most effective when targeting both women and men, in practice, extension messages are still often intended for men, assuming they are the lead farmers and heads of households.

During the global pandemic, ICARDA Gender Scientist Dr. Dina Najjar designed a study on gender-responsive digital extension activities in Tunisia. The study was co-authored by Dr. Rosalie Rateglie from the University of Western Ontario and Mrs. Dorsaf Oueslati from ICARDA in Tunisia and carried out through the IFAD CLCA project.