Integrating Gender in Agricultural Development

Learnings from South Pacific Contexts

Author: Lila Singh-Peterson and Michelle Carnegie

Integrating Gender in Agricultural Development

This book is grounded in the ideology that an alignment between the conceptual and practical understandings of gender equality is a critical component of sustainable development. It draws on six rural case studies to examine the various ways in which gender has been integrated in agricultural research for development projects.

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South Pacific island nations are committed to international agreements and regional declarations to progress gender equality within their own territories, yet progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5, Gender Equality, has been reported as slow and uneven. Tackling persistent gender inequalities in agriculture has been identified as a priority due to the industry's commercial importance to economies and communities across the region, and its role in food security.

This book is grounded in the ideology that an alignment between the conceptual and practical understandings of gender equality is a critical component of sustainable development. Two introductory chapters establish the book's broader context. The following chapters draw on six rural case studies from Melanesia (Vanuatu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea) and Polynesia (Samoa and Tonga) across cropping, livestock, horticulture and aquaculture sectors to examine the various ways in which gender has been integrated in agricultural research for development projects. The case study authors explore the opportunities and challenges involved in integrating or mainstreaming gender, from research design to implementation, and reflect on the lessons learned. The final chapters synthesise these shared, field-based learnings and positions them within contemporary gender concepts to contribute to an understanding of how they are translated in practice to diverse South Pacific contexts.

About the Author

Dr Lila Singh-Peterson holds appointments with the University of Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Lila's research spans the fields of community development in relation to food security, social equality and community resilience which she pursues in Australian and South Pacific Island community settings. Dr Michelle Carnegie is a Research Fellow in Smallholder Livelihoods and Gender at the University of New England, Australia. Michelle conducts applied development research on the economic, socio-cultural, environmental and gendered aspects of rural livelihoods in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.