Towards responsible scaling: Incorporating gender and social differentiation in scaling initiatives

Abstract

This paper reports on the development and testing of a new scaling support method, GenderUp. As Agriculture Research for Development (AR4D) organizations and others aim to scale innovation for social transformation, practical attention must be given to gender and its intersectionality with other relevant diversity. If not, scaling initiatives risk evoking unintended consequences that exacerbate social marginalization. Scaling and gender research has demonstrated the consequences of not acknowledging or overlooking social differentiation – highlighting unintended outcomes such as loss of income, increased labor, or exacerbated community and household power dynamics. The objective of GenderUp is to provide guidance to innovation teams to address these unintended consequences.