TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR GENDER-RELATED MISSIONS: Agriculture

Adapted from: Toolkit on Gender in Agriculture: Gender Toolkit Series No.1, by Monica S. Fong and Anjana Bhushan, World Bank, 1996.

A. Identifying Gender Specialists for Missions

Task managers should consider several factors in identifying a suitable gender specialist for agricultural sector- or project-related work within a given country context. These considerations include:

  • Degree of gender specialization in the farming system
  • Specific project objectives to address gender inequalities in access to resources and benefits
  • Borrower awareness toward gender issues
  • Information available on gender
  • Gender-specialized skills among bank mission members.

Task managers can tap a variety of possible sources of gender specialists. These include:

Bank staff with a gender specialization. For example:

  • The Gender Anchor Team in the PREM Network provides operational support.
  • The Social Development Family in the ESSD Network provides operational support on participation in projects and in participatory poverty assessment.
  • The Grassroots Management Training team in the Economic Development Institute provides in-country gender analysis training
  • The Gender Analysis and Poverty (GAP) Team in the Asia Technical Department, Human Resources and Social Development Division (ASTHR), has regional gender expertise and provides operational support, particularly in microfinance, agriculture, and NRM.
  • Similarly, AFTI1 in the Africa Region has regional gender expertise and gives operational support for the Africa Region.

Previous experience of task managers. Most task managers choose consultants they have worked with before or know about from colleagues. Several staff share their own lists with colleagues.

  • The Bank's consultant roster of 35,000 names, which can be accessed via the internalmanagement information system as follows: Type CHRIS after the IBRD screen. Use the search codes for skills, DGS (agriculture and rural development: WID), or NAM (sociology/anthropology: women).
  • The Gender Anchor Team in the PREM Network has a consultant roster on gender experts, classified by discipline.
  • The gender and poverty specialists in AFTI1 and ASTHR maintain lists of gender consultants with agricultural expertise. The consultants included have experience in the two regions (although several have worked elsewhere). Africa's list is accessible on the All-in-One via IS and 5 /5 / 2 or find wid and Asia's from extension 82722).
  • Lists of local consultants that may be available through the resident missions.
  • Consultancy firms that specialize in gender issues, for example, FemConsult.
  • Consultant rosters maintained by bilateral partners, especially Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Canada.
  • Specialist agencies such as UNIFEM.

The following sections give examples of one generic and two task-specific TORs, respectively, for ensuring gender analysis in agricultural sector.

B. Generic Terms of Reference for Gender Analysis in Agriculture

These terms of reference can be adapted at any stage of the project cycle and for all subsectors, bearing in mind, however, that it is most effective to incorporate gender early on in the project cycle.

The consultant will:

  1. Describe in general terms the agricultural system(s) of the main agroecological zones or project areas
  2. Determine the major agricultural activities of men and women, with reference to field crops, livestock, farm forestry, processing, marketing, storage, and income-generating activities
  3. Identify constraints and barriers faced by men and women in carrying out their activities
  4. Ascertain the extent to which available technology and agricultural research responds to the needs of men and women farmers
  5. Assess how current agricultural extension services meet the needs of men and women farmers, including the focus of extension for women as farm managers or partners
  6. Identify the technical, logistical, and attitudinal constraints facing the extension service in supporting men and women farmers
  7. Identify the nature and extent of training needed by men and women agricultural extension agents (or other rural agents) to improve their support for farmers, especially women farmers
  8. If appropriate, work with extension staff to plan pilot interventions to improve services for both men and women farmers and to monitor and evaluate their success
  9. Prepare a descriptive and analytical report on the main findings, suggesting appropriate options and recommendations

Recommended methodologies


The consultant will use rapid rural appraisal or participatory techniques, including:

  • Discussions with men and women farmers on their farms and in household compounds, women's groups, community leaders, and selected adults
  • Interviews with men and women extension staff at all levels
  • Interviews with agricultural and social researchers at research institutes and universities
  • Discussions with staff of other ministries, such as ministries of community development or women's affairs
  • Discussions with NGOs working in rural areas and agencies providing different rural services such as credit, inputs, and marketing

She or he will:

  • Analyze project documents and existing data.
  • Attend extension meetings or activities with farmers.
  • construct case studies, as required, of interactions between farming and other activities within households

C. Terms of Reference for Gender Analysis During a Project Identification Mission

The consultant will:

  • Gather information on rural women's and men's roles in society and the economy, with particular reference to agricultural production, processing, storage, and marketing
  • Assess women's and men's access to current public and private services provided to agricultural and rural activities
  • Analyze the technical benefits to be expected from providing gender-balanced access
  • Evaluate the legal, social, technical, and financial feasibility of actions to achieve greater gender balance in access.

She or he will produce:

  • A descriptive and analytic report of findings, with appropriate options and recommendations
  • Terms of reference for studies to define gender-related development activities under the project
  • Outline of themes that might be addressed in future analytic work
  • Specific measures to be included in the proposed agriculture project

At the end of the mission, she or he will:

  • Present preliminary conclusions to government and leave a draft aide memoire
  • Prepare a back-to-office report on return to Washington
  • Present a draft outline of detailed report within one week

Present the final report within one month.

D. Terms of Reference to Review Agricultural Services with Reference to Gender

To the extent that information is available, the consultant will:

  • Identify major farming systems in the project area, the role played by men and women, and the factors influencing those roles
  • Assess the ability of agricultural support services to meet the needs of men and women farmers
  • Identify problems in providing services to underserved clients, most often women
  • Identify innovative approaches already used in organizing delivery systems, the relevance of messages, staff training, and input supply
  • Recommend potential interventions to raise the productivity of both men and women farmers in the context of the agricultural project in a sustainable manner

She or he will liaise closely with staff at:

  • The Bank's resident mission
  • The Women's Farming Division of the Agricultural Extension Service of the Ministry of Agriculture
  • The Women's Affairs Ministry.

Within one month of return, the consultant will prepare a report summarizing the main findings.