Gender transformative approaches for sustainable rural development: Experiences from Sub-Saharan Africa
On Thursday May 21 Clare Bishop-Sambrook, Lead Technical Specialist (Gender and Social Inclusion), Policy and Technical Advisory Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome, will give a public talk entitled „Gender transformative approaches for sustainable rural development: Experiences from Sub-Saharan Africa“.
Clare discussed the importance of ensuring a gender perspective when implementing projects on rural livelihood and food security in IFAD’s work in sub-Saharan Africa. She leads the gender and social inclusion team in IFAD´s Policy and Technical Advisory Division, which works to ensure that gender equality and social inclusion are mainstreamed in the design and implementation of IFAD-supported loans. The work also involves capacity building for IFAD´s staff in gender mainstreaming approaches. Before joining IFAD in 2011, Clare worked as an independent consultant with FAO, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and IFAD on gender, HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods, with a particular focus on east and southern Africa. She lectured in agricultural economics, gender and social development in universities in Uganda and the UK. A current area of special interest is promoting household methodologies for gender equality and social inclusion.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution that invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience through projects funded by grants and low-interest loans. IFAD's goal is to empower poor rural women and men in developing countries to achieve higher incomes and improved food security. The mandate is to alleviate poverty and to improve nutrition and livelihood levels through agricultural development. It is essential to understand that while poverty affects both men and women members of a household, it affects them in different ways, since their roles are substantially different. Any solution to poverty related problems needs to take these differences into account. This is why gender issues are important within IFAD’s scope of activities.