By Seipati Mokhema, Sanju Koirala, Khadija Begum, Sidra Khalid, Ojong Baa Enokenwa, Everisto Mapedza, Karen Nortje & Deepa Joshi
At the opening session of the CGIAR Gender Science Exchange in Peru, Ojong Baa, one of the International Water Management Institute’s (IWMI) early career researchers in Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI), reminded the participants that we are technical specialists with a critical focus on social and environmental justice. “Unfortunately, within the CGIAR, there is still a limited understanding and expectation that gender researchers provide support and services to disciplinary scientists in diverse programs and initiatives. Coming together in Peru ahead of the start of the CGIAR Science Programs (SP) provides the opportunity to reframe this narrative”.
A team of eight GESI researchers from IWMI contributed to this CGIAR Gender Science Exchange. Our shared vision with the rest of the CG GESI researchers was to inform the roll out of the Science Programs with a focus on a shared understanding that transformative change is not possible without social and environmental justice.
The enthusiasm and commitment for transformative change was infectious. Karen Nortje, IWMI’s Gender and Social Inclusion Group Leader, summed up the expectations of a group of CGIAR Gender Researchers. “It is time to move the needle. So often GESI researchers are afraid of pushing the boundaries and breaking down the proverbial box we have been placed in. This Science Exchange has given us that opportunity and that safe space to test how far we can push the needle and how we can explore the frontiers of our research better and with more positive impact,” Nortje explained.
Participation in this event was not based on nomination. The attendees had submitted abstracts corresponding to eight Science Exchange thematic areas which were assessed by a double-blind peer review. Based on this review, four IWMI researchers were leading/co-leading the development of GESI briefs corresponding to the eight science programs, the others were part of select writing teams.
Our contributions to the thematic briefs on reframing transformative change in the Science Programs, as well as our personal learning from this Science Exchange meeting were uniquely individual. However, we were all bound by one shared understanding that in relation to transformative change, sustainability and justice for both nature and society are not possible in a water insecure world.
Youth inclusion and human-centered approaches
Seipati Mokhema, another early career GESI researcher, co-led the thematic group on productivity, resilience and sustainability at scale corresponding to SP8 on Sustainable Farming. “Co-leading this session with a senior researcher from CIMMYT gave me an opportunity to explore my own leadership and writing style, as well as learn the art of collaborative and collective thinking, synthesizing and writing in real time, and in person, which is a rare opportunity.” A personal take-away for Seipati was the growing interest within the CGIAR on youth inclusion in food systems both as integrated to thematic issues, as well as a stand-alone research stream. In this niche area of future work, intersectionality – both as a research method and practice, helps to contextualize the needs and experiences of diverse groups of youth. “I feel positive that future CGIAR programs will be informed by and address the issues we discussed, which is also what I can contribute to as an emerging researcher within the CGIAR system,” Seipati noted.
“Unlike traditional conferences, the Gender Science Exchange was a write-shop, which allowed for a powerful convergence of ideas, expertise and insights, leading to an inspiring exchange of experiences,” said IWMI researcher Khadija Begum commented that. Begum was a writing team member for the thematic group co-led by Mokhema. “A key focus of SP8 is integrated water management. Being part of this group enabled me to highlight IWMI work on climate-smart agriculture and irrigation in Pakistan. However, as a group we emphasized the need and urgency for a shift from technocentric to human-centered approaches and from disciplinary to transdisciplinary co-creation and co-design of innovations. As Ojong Baa Enokenwa highlighted, we are water researchers with an eye on intentional inclusion.” Everisto Mapedza contributing on socio-technical bundling interventions reminded everyone that our strength was in working alongside other disciplinary scientists, working collaboratively on new transdisciplinary innovations.
A boost for collaboration
Sanju Koirala from Nepal, another early career researcher from IWMI has been working on the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains for the past two years. She was a writing team member of the thematic group on Innovative Institutions and Policies corresponding to SP2. “Our team brainstormed on the term “transformative” and we believe going forward, feminist approaches can significantly inform CGIAR’s transformative agenda by moving beyond apolitical governance frameworks and narratives.” For Koirala, this science exchange allowed for both professional and personal growth, “there was a building of a ‘we-feeling’ among gender researchers across Centers.”
For Sidra Khalid from Pakistan, the Gender Science Exchange “was a much-needed energizer to boost collaboration” as well as to recognize and champion “the water angle” in future CG portfolios. “One key takeaway for me was the crucial role water plays across the SPs. On Day three of the ‘write shop’, I provided feedback to the group working on Sustainable Diets and Nutrition (SP3) and they were very keen to hear IWMI’s expertise on water. We had an interesting discussion about making stronger links between water management, including post-disasters, and its impact on nutrition and diets. We also touched on the social norms surrounding water and its implications for food access. It was clear from this event that IWMI’s knowledge and experience will be key to shaping more holistic solutions across the SPs.”
Inequality, digitalization and scaling
The Science Exchange also allowed reflection on new frontiers of inequality in the food systems arena. Deepa Joshi and Sidra Khalid contributed to the thematic group on Digital, corresponding to CGIAR’s Digital Accelerator Program. Here, IWMI-led work on the Multidimensional Digital Inclusiveness Index (MDII) was a key focus on what it would take to strategically impact digital innovations in emerging food systems. At the closing review session for this thematic group, Nicoline de Haan, the CGIAR Gender Platform Director agreed with the approach presented by the group: digital innovations which will transform food systems could likely pose a next generation gender inequality challenge. CGIAR GESI researchers are already thinking of strategic ways to ensure more positive outcomes of digitalization, which can also empower and strengthen voice, visibility and agency of women and marginalized groups. The MDII has the potential to be a powerful methodology to standardize inclusivity within CGIAR digital innovations.
Karen Nortje and Ojong Baa both were part of the working group on Scaling. Bringing GESI into the world of scaling is already pushing disciplinary as well as GESI researchers to think differently and more innovatively about the work we do and the methods and approaches we use. Ensuring that the CGIAR’s scaling program embraces inclusive and responsive scaling practices is essential for the future of how interventions are sustainably adopted.
A key takeaway was that IWMI’s GESI research, collaborations and partnerships as well as the skills and commitment of our researchers positions us well to contribute to a transformative science agenda and a water secure world.