“What is gender?” “Why do we care about gender?” Batamaka Somé, of the World Food Programme, posed these questions as keynote speaker and opening presenter at the ‘Strategies and Tools for Integrating Gender into Agriculture and Nutrition Curriculum’ Symposium jointly organized by USAID/Senegal Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) and innovATE. 

The symposium was held in Mbour, Senegal, June 17-18, 2014, and brought together university and technical educators, representatives of the private and non-profit sectors, and government officials, as well as regional experts in gender and agricultural curriculum development.  Over the course of two days, the 39 participants discussed theories of gender and gender inclusion, examples of gender in agricultural and nutrition education, and identified areas within their own teaching and outreach programs for inclusion of gender issues.  The symposium culminated with group presentations of course modules in animal production, child nutrition, seed production, food processing and more, all of which will provide students with concrete examples of how to incorporate gender issues in their specific fields.  By the end of the symposium, the question “What is gender?” had helped participants understand not only gender as a social characteristic, but also how to use a gender approach to teaching and outreach to increase inclusivity and equality in agricultural and nutrition education.

Participants in small group discussions about curriculum development