Advancing Gender and Youth Inclusivity in Agricultural Research and Innovation

In May 2024, a one-day consultation workshop was held to garner interest to address Gender and Youth related concerns in relation to the CEA-FIRST Project. The CEA-FIRST aims to implement an effective work programme development, knowledge brokerage, research upscaling, and outreach in the AU-EU International Research Consortium Platform for Food Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (IRC).
‍

The main objective of the workshop was to introduce and institutionalize a gender action plan through collaborative problem identification and solution planning. Thus, the Consultation Workshop was intended for the joint development of a comprehensive Gender and Youth Strategy for the CEA-FIRST and IRC that draws from existing gender strategies of participating organisations. This strategy document will serve as a co-created guide for the co-implementation of the CEA-FIRST and IRC work in a youth— and gender-sensitive manner. 
‍

Interactions in the workshop allowed for the 21 Consortium Member Institutions to explore different options in the promotion of Gender and Youth Inclusivity in the CEA-FIRST and IRC. The exchanges comprised presentations and information sharing on the background and context of the CEA-FIRST/ IRC feedback collection on the work done on the development of the strategy so far on the thematic analysis of the unique strategies of partners related to gender and youth inclusivity; as well as brainstorming sessions on partners’ expectations as a vision of the strategy. The two-hour consultative workshop also facilitated the validation and refinement of the proposed outline of the Gender and Youth strategy. This task in the project is led by the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) and Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles (CORAF) supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).

The strategic premise of the CEA-FIRST Gender and Youth Strategy involves:

• Creation of mentorship, guidance and counseling mechanisms in project development will lead to increased participation of youth in IR4D
• The collaboration among Consortium Member Institutions of the CEA-FIRST/IRC Project will lead to increased engagement of Africa’s youth in IR4D.
• The different parties see the need and are willing to collaborate and their strategic objective is clearly articulated, especially if the partnership involves youth focused interventions. 
• The suggested framework will be non-discriminatory and therefore address the needs of both young males and females equally.

The Consortium members were enthusiastic about the Gender and Youth Strategy. In her address to the Consortium Members, the Project Coordinator, Dr Irene Annor-Frempong stated that,

" The long-term sustainability of the IRC requires a robust Youth and Gender Strategy, and this should be linked with the overarching strategy of the CEA-FIRST. "

‍