Equal Exchange: Training As a Means to Transform Gender Inequalities
Aug 28, 2024
By Leslie Rosales and Paola Coronado, Equal Exchange
Over many years, Equal Exchange has established trade relationships with agricultural cooperatives made up of small farming families, committing to long-term partnerships with these agricultural organizations.
Currently, it is implementing the Cooperative Development Program (CDP) funded by USAID, through which it has identified both technical and social challenges that remain persistent. In light of this, it is crucial to recognize the transformative potential of agricultural cooperatives in promoting greater equality of opportunities and conditions for both men and women.
As part of the CDP, Equal Exchange developed a strategy to promote and incorporate gender equity in cooperatives in Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Peru– focusing on three key action lines: a) internal strengthening of cooperatives, b) development and institutionalization of gender-focused policies and management documents, and c) training processes on gender equity aimed at the cooperative’s farming families.
The program implemented by Equal Exchange views training as an opportunity to build new knowledge, foster dialogue, question, and transform socially imposed imaginaries, all from a critical perspective that is deeply connected to the realities of the people involved in these processes.
For this reason, during the implementation of the CDP, special emphasis has been placed on designing participatory methodologies that are rooted in the cultural context of each cooperative and aimed at fostering changes in attitudes and practices that promote inclusion and gender equity.
However, some challenges were identified in this process: the lack of facilitators with experience in cooperative training from a gender perspective and the shortage of materials contextualized to this theme.
In response, a consultation process was initiated to assess the needs of each organization, leading to the creation of the Gender Equity Training Guide. This pedagogical tool is designed to strengthen the human resources of each cooperative, particularly technical teams, by supporting their own education and enabling them to facilitate training for others.
The guide includes 9 interconnected workshops, each addressing how cooperatives can incorporate an inclusive perspective and work towards eliminating gender inequalities.
To ensure that this process was truly adapted to the needs of each cooperative, cultural elements, language, and design considerations were taken into account. Finally, a validation process was carried out in collaboration with organizations involved in the banana value chain, located in Sullana, Peru.
In the coming months, we hope to share this educational material with other cooperatives, encouraging the creation of additional materials and training processes that can lead to greater participation, opportunities, and access to economic resources for women involved in cooperatives.