Contribution of Winrock International Institute of Agricultural Development

I would like to begin by commending KARl for convening this national gender conference which has facilitated very intensive sharing between the field, the KARl headquarters and NGOs. I believe that, this conference is a reflection of KARl's recognition of the relevance of gender in the development and adoption of agricultural technologies. For KARl, increased adoption of agricultural technologies means greater realisation of its mission of improving the food security situation in Kenya. Gender is a new concept in development but even more so in agricultural research. Within the scientific fields, the relevance of gender has hardly been recognised, leave alone being addressed. For KARl to have taken this risk and gone this far is a real plus and demands recognition. KARl is therefore a real pioneer in this area. By venturing into the unknown, KARl has taken a big risk but this conference confirms that the step is bearing fruit two years down the line. I believe that the experiences shared and lessons learned will benefit others who are in the process of adopting a gender strategy. This conference has confirmed one thing about KARL That they have made a real mark in terms of awareness and general acceptance of the concept and that an irreversible momentum has been set in motion and is likely to be sustained if the promise of higher levels of agricultural technology adoption is realised. With this, the KARl scientists have an incentive to hang on. The success discussed above is at the field level but there is still work at the institutional level where policies and resources are decided upon. For the field level efforts to succeed, the institutional environment needs to embody the principles of gender equity. These principles underline the gains to be made by having a good balance of male and female scientists at the field and management levels as well as effective facilitation of the individuals in order for them to realise their full potential, and in so doing contribute to the growth of the organisation. Success for KARl will come from the sum total of individual work of each of the scientists, both male and female. If we agree that maximising the human resource use is the way for the future, KARl may then wish to review its institutional gender situation and framework for better results. It is also important to recognise KARl for opening its doors to other partners such as NGOs (such as Winrock International and FARM Africa who are represented here including those invited but were unable to attend) Forging partnerships with such organisations increases diversity and complimentarity As an illustration, KARl's strength lies in the development of research technologies while NGOs have the ability to move those technologies to potential users because they work close to the ground and therefore understand rural communities a lot better than most organisations. A partnership between KARl and NGOs would therefore be mutually beneficial. It will be a win-win situation. As I conclude, let me underline some of the areas that KARl could consider collaborating with NGOs. 1. 2. 3. NGOs act as liaison between the farmers and the Institute. NGOs facilitate Participatory Needs Assessments to assist KARl better understand the farmer technological needs and thus assist KARl design client-driven technologies which are likely to be adopted. NGOs work with KARl on institutionalisation of gender at both the research and human development levels.