Following the launch of a new gender research webinar series by the IITA Gender Science Network (GSN), the GSN held its first quarterly meeting in 2022. The meeting took place on 29 March and assembled scientists, communications staff, and project managers to discuss activities carried out in the first quarter of the year, plans for the next quarter, and highlights of the first webinar. Steven Cole, Coordinator of the GSN, moderated the meeting.
Gender Scientist Martina Cavicchioli introduced the new network members and their activities in IITA. After this, Cassava Seed Mainstreaming Officer Devis Mwakanyamale recapped the last quarterly meeting held in 2021.
Mwakanyamale emphasized the high attendance and impressive gender-focused research efforts by colleagues around the different IITA research stations. He also highlighted the initial brainstorming efforts by Network members to implement a gender research webinar series at IITA that will increase the visibility of gender research activities in the Institute and increase the knowledge and participation of staff in gender-focused activities. The first webinar from the series themed “Gender research Learnings and Exchanges for New inSights (G-LENS)” was held on 2 March.
Reflecting on the G-LENS webinar, members commended the high level of participation and engagement, despite being the first in the series. Some network members requested an increase in the webinar duration to allocate more time to the question-and-answer session.
Following reflection on the webinar series, network members reported on their gender-focused research, and the team reflected on their levels of gender integration in projects. The team also discussed the contribution of GSN members to some of the One CGIAR initiatives, such as the Sustainable Intensification of Mixed Farming Systems initiative, Market Intelligence and Product Profiling initiative, HER+ (Harnessing Gender and Social Equality for Resilience in Agrifood Systems) initiative, and Excellence in Agronomy initiative.
As part of a new initiative to promote gender-focused research, aside from news story development for the IITA newsletter, IITA Gender Communication Focal Person Favour Eleta shared insights about the “Gender Talk Show” on Radio IITA. The show features IITA gender research and the celebration of gender-focused international days. “It is aired every Tuesday at 2 pm WAT and rebroadcast at the same time on Thursdays. The radio is internet-based and can be listened to on the one-time link radio.iita.org,” she said. Cole emphasized that this is an excellent opportunity for GSN members to showcase their work.
Concluding the meeting, Cole responded to the question of a new GSN member on the place of IITA’s Gender Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) activities in the workplace in the GSN activities. He asserted that having a gender-inclusive and diverse workforce is essential to carrying out high-quality gender research. However, the GSN currently serves as a platform for sharing knowledge and supporting researchers integrating gender into their research activities. “There are, however, opportunities for collaboration with the One CGIAR GDI Initiative,” he said.
Senior Research Associate Olamide Olaosebikan appreciated GSN members for attending and providing positive feedback. She also encouraged them to participate actively in the radio shows and webinars to continuously promote IITA’s gender research.
Contributed by Favour Eleta
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