Project-level Experiences in Addressing Gender-based Violence in Agriculture
Event Information
While on the surface it may appear that addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is outside the purview of an agriculture or market systems development (MSD) project, in fact, GBV can manifest within the day-to-day activities of many actors across all levels of the agricultural market system. During this session, we will discuss what GBV is and what it may look like when it occurs within the context of agriculture projects. Speakers will also share experiences from their agriculture projects in addressing GBV, including how they identified it in their programs, key steps taken to address it, and how they worked with local partners. This event will reference the USAID Feed the Future Advancing Women’s Empowerment (AWE) Program’s Toolkit to Address Gender-based Violence in Agriculture and Market Systems Development as a practical, how-to guidance for agriculture and MSD project technical staff and gender and social inclusion advisors to address GBV in Ag/MSD programs.
Speakers
Jenn Williamson
Vice President, Gender and Social Inclusion
ACDI/VOCA
Dr. Jenn Williamson leads a team of advisors in developing and implementing ACDI/VOCA’s organizational policy and strategy to promote gender equality and the inclusion of systemically excluded groups who may be at risk due to social factors, such as age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ethnic, or racial identity. Dr. Williamson also serves as the gender and agriculture systems advisor (deputy chief of party level) for the Advancing Women’s Empowerment (AWE) program, funded by the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security. She previously led the women’s economic empowerment learning track under the USAID-funded Leveraging Economic Opportunities project. Prior to joining ACDI/VOCA in 2015, Jenn was global technical advisor at Counterpart International. She holds a BA in English and studies in women and gender from the University of Virginia and an MA and PhD in English with a research concentration in gender, race, class, and intersectionality from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Annet Namunane
GESI Advisor
MarketShare Associates
Annet is a Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor at Feed the Future Inclusive Agricultural Markets (FtF IAM) in Uganda. She leads the program gender and social inclusion efforts through MSD approach to place women, youth, and other marginalized groups at the heart of business models. She engages in the development, piloting and adaptation of the GEYSI tools including the scorecard and framework and has led over 45 periodic assessments of partnerships using this scorecard. She further led the development and operationalization of the FtF IAM GEYSI action plan and manual. She has in the past 12 months led the piloting of the Feed the Future Advancement of Women Empowerment GBV tool kit in the program from identification, prevention and mitigation of GBV in agricultural market systems.
She is a seasoned equality and social inclusion specialist with experience in providing technical assistance, staff and partner trainings, mainstreaming gender equality into agricultural market systems development, livelihood programming, economic strengthening programs, food security projects, water and sanitation and health programs funded by USAID. She is passionate about equality and has a strong background in the designing and implementation of women and youth economic empowerment programs.
(TBC)
GENDER Researcher
CGIAR