Developing a competency framework for trainers of gender-responsive agricultural research training programs

Abstract

Despite the recent proliferation of gender training courses in agriculture, it is still not clear what competencies trainers require in order to successfully deliver interdisciplinary applied gender-responsive agricultural research training. This paper presents a competency framework for trainers developed and tested over five years (2016-2021) in the context of the Gender-responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT) project. This framework includes competency domains and assessment tools that can guide recruitment, performance assessment, and identification of competency gaps for the capacity development of trainers. Literatures on social research methods, feminist pedagogy, adult learning, competency-based training approaches, coupled with expert consultation, inform this framework. This framework is a novel tool that can be adapted to similar training programs and contribute to the development of gender training as a professional field of practice.