Integrating gender in research and development: A case study of how organizations working in Honduras approach participatory gender analyses in agrifood systems

Abstract

Gender assessments are often used to inform gender mainstreaming in agriculture for development programming and practices. However, they often lack true community engagement, integration of critical perspectives for structural transformation, and a systems approach to support gender equality. In our qualitative case study, we conducted a content analysis of gender policies and approaches for the largest funding and implementing organizations working in Honduras. Our findings indicate that some organizations address the known gaps in the effectiveness of gender analyses such as inclusion of masculinities and moving beyond economic empowerment to address other important domains for women’s empowerment. However, the majority of organizations continued to approach participation as extractive rather than transformative, over-relied on the economic domain as the sole indicator of empowerment, failed to integrate critical contemporary theories such as intersectionality and masculinities, and inadequately addressed the fundamental structural inequalities in the systems that reinforce normative gender roles. Improving practices for participatory gender assessments and addressing dominant social norms during research is necessary to have significant gender transformative and sustainable impacts on agrifood systems.