A Gender Framework for Ensuring Sensitivity to Women’s Role in Pulse Production in Southern Ethiopia

The main objective of this paper is to highlight components of a gender framework developed to guide a Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) project that sought to address food security through pulse productivity and nutrition in southern Ethiopia. The framework was developed based on baseline data collected from 665 households randomly drawn from four pulse growing districts of Ethiopia (Damot Gale; Halaba; Hawassa Zuria; and Adami Tulu Jido Combolcha). The descriptive analysis shows that female-headed households owned significantly lesser land, livestock and other important strategic resources compared to male-headed households. Moreover, women’s role was found to be less valued in pulse production, with local cultural practices limiting them from benefiting economically from the sale of pulses. The gender framework in this paper indicates five key gendered pillars for improving pulse productivity/management and nutrition; namely, knowledge, skills and training acquisition; participation in production and decision-making; access to resources; control over resources; and policy development. Finally, the framework underscores the importance of taking into account gender differences in terms of access to land, technologies and other strategic resources in pulse crop productivity/management and related interventions.