General
Agriculturalists Advised on Integrating Gender in Research as NARO-Mak18 Closes
Agriculturalists advised on Integrating Gender in Research for systematic, holistic, transformative and equitable development during the NARO-MAK Scientific Conference
Men and women play key roles in agricultural production, processing and natural resource management. However, youth and women face greater constraints in agricultural production.
In her keynote address during the 2nd NARO–Makerere University (Mak) Joint Scientific Conference on Thursday, 15th November, 2018 at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Forough E. Olinga said, redressing the balance is key to increasing productivity and reducing poverty. Ms. Forough E. Olinga is a Gender Mainstreaming and Training Consultant.
She was speaking on Gender Mainstreaming in Research and Development with special focus on Advancing Gender Research in Agriculture where she stressed that the human factor in agricultural Research and Development is as critical as other inputs such as land and water.
Ms. Forough said that research has shown that households do not act as one when making decisions, and that one’s share of resources depends on bargaining power.
“Women control fewer resources than men. Women’s assets and incomes are used to improve the health and food security of their children and therefore improving women’s access to assets can increase agricultural productivity, food security, and children’s nutrition, health, and education”, she said.
She reported that women and most youth are disadvantaged with respect to access and user rights in both customary and statutory land tenure systems, human capital, pervasive misconception and false assumption, inputs and technologies and social capital among others.
“Reducing inequality in human capital, physical capital and inputs between male and female farmers in sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to increase agricultural productivity by up to 20%”, she added.
Ms. Forough advised academicians and researchers to look through a “gender lens” by involving women and youth in agricultural research and development and asking questions relevant to both female and male farmers, noting that boundaries of “farming” go beyond the field edge.
Basic questions for gender integration according to Forough include asking what different roles/stakes women and men have in the activity, how the program might affect them differently, whether both men and women will realistically be able to participate and benefit (in terms of time, assets etc) and the program contribution to gender equity.
She observed that in many societies these inequalities are due to gender differences in the division of labour. These social constructions, she shared, attach themselves to behaviors, expectations, roles, representations, and sometimes to values and beliefs that are specific to either men or women.
She explained that the call for Modernization of Agriculture was a call for a paradigm shift, which necessitates a transformation in the mind-frames of the people, involvement in the social and legal structures that support the agriculture sector and that all people and different categories of people in farming communities are the key stakeholders in development.
“Basing research on sex-disaggregated data is one way researchers can ensure that gender is factored into their study. At each step of the research, men and women should act as informants, collaborators, and evaluators about current practices and experimental technologies”, Forough stated.
She defined Gender as an organizing factor that works around systems within a community e.g. production, consumption and distribution. Furthermore, she referred to Gender Mainstreaming in Research as a Unit of gender analysis which is based on each individual at the household level by age, location and culture. She also defined Gender Analysis is a tool to better understand the realities of the women and men by age and location, whose lives are impacted by planned development.
“Principally it is about understanding culture expressed in the construction of gender identities and inequalities, and what that means in practical terms is also political. Gender analysis goes far beyond counting the number of women and men.
It highlights the differences between and among all categories in terms of their relative distribution of resources, opportunities and constraints”, she said.
Ms. Forough also gave an overview of why and how to pay attention to gender in agriculture, the root causes of present global crises, linkage between social structure and scientific technology and how to integrate sex and gender in agricultural research and development.
Other insights were on the use of Sex-Disaggregated Data (SDD) and Gender-Disaggregated Data (GDD), characteristics of a good data for planning, the role of information in gender-sensitive planning and programming, tools and methods appropriate to SDD and gender perspective and methods for gender analysis among others.
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango
Principal Communication Officer, CAES
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The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has today, Friday, 26th June 2026 handed over the CCE (Complex) Hall of Residence Site to National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) Managing Director and CEO, Lieutenant General James Mugira for renovation and overhaul works. The UGX 12billion Government of Uganda-funded works, expected to be completed within a year, are the fourth project to be undertaken by NEC. They were preceded by; construction of the University Perimeter Wall, Renovation of Lumumba Hall, and Renovation of Mary Stuart Hall.
NEC’s Record Lauded
Prof. Nawangwe in his remarks at the handover ceremony lauded these projects. “The quality of work done by NEC makes us proud because we can finally say that we have Ugandans who can do the things, which we previously depended on foreigners to do.” He therefore thanked the Government of Uganda for fully funding the projects and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Museveni, whose visit set the renovation projects in motion.
The Vice Chancellor added that as the Alma mater for most members of both the Contractor and Project Management Teams, this was a moment of great pride as their expertise and skills have saved the country billions of taxpayers’ money. “Thank you for being patriotic”, he commended.
Prof. Nawangwe concluded by noting that CCE Hall, by virtue of its location, provides a first impression of Makerere University as a whole. He therefore urged the contractor to ensure that upon renovation, CCE Hall would create a memorable and lasting first impression, exceeding even that of the renovated Mary Stuart Hall.
A Project Fueled by Nostalgia
Speaking of impressions, Lt. Gen. Mugira, with nostalgia recalled that close to 42 years ago, he not only attended his first lectures in Hall 1 of the CCE Complex but also, on a more personal note added, “my wife was a resident, and so I have every motivation to put in a lot of effort and make sure that I deliver more than was done with Mary Stuart and Lumumba.”
He therefore extended heartfelt appreciation to his Alma mater Makerere University for the trust and confidence bestowed in NEC, which underscored their ability to deliver. “Trust is earned through performance, through integrity and consistency, and your decision to engage us motivates us to work even harder to exceed your expectations.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. Henry Alinaitwe reechoed the need to ensure that the project is executed with adherence to the cost, quality, specifications and safety related issues as earlier shared by the Acting (Ag.) Chief Engineer of Estates and Works, Eng. Ezra Sekadde.
“NEC has already demonstrated this (with previous projects), and that is why we have all the confidence that you can deliver this project within 12 months” remarked Prof. Alinaitwe. He equally lauded the Project Management Team (PMT) led by Arch. Dr. Kenneth Ssemwogerere whose supervision ensures timely project completion.
Relatedly, Arch. Dr. Semwogerere was on 25th June 2026, the eve of the handover, promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, a milestone Prof. Alinaitwe attributed to his track record as Head of PMT. He therefore, on a light note, urged him to keep up the good work as this could equally contribute to his promotion to the rank of full Professor.
Also present at the handover ceremony was the Principal, College of Education and External Studies (CEES) Prof. Anthony Mugagga, whose unit will be greatly affected by the renovations. He nevertheless welcomed and reiterated his full support for the project, noting that just as renovation of Lumumba and Mary Stuart Halls had resulted in many alumni revisiting, the CCE Complex would upon renovation attract former residents and teaching professionals to give back or forge new partnerships.
Student Welfare at the Forefront
On her part, the Dean of Students Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli lauded the renovations of Halls of Residence as a clear demonstration of Government’s dedication to the improvement of student welfare, and creating an environment conducive for nurturing responsible citizens who can contribute to national development. She pledged her Office’s and the Student Leadership’s readiness to ensure that the renovated facilities used responsibly for the benefit of future generations.
As a resident of the recently renovated Mary Stuart Hall, 92nd Guild President H.E. Kadondi Gracious could not help but appreciate how impactful the renovation of CCE Hall would be to student welfare. “The female students will be very excited (to occupy CCE Hall) but the male students will be left complaining – so we shall be expecting more renovations, not just for the female but also the male students,” she amiably concluded.
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