The Interview: How can we integrate gender in the research process?

Abstract

We sat with Mrs. Bezaiet Dessalegn, a livelihoods and development specialist to discuss the challenges of integrating gender in the research process in order to increase the participation and empowerment of women in rural dryland communities. Mrs. Bezaiet Dessalegn has been working at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) since 2011. She holds a BA in Economics, MScs in International Development and in Community Change, and is an ABD in International Relations and Public Policy. Currently, she manages the Water and Livelihoods Initiative (WLI), and serves as the gender focal person for the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Eco-Systems (WLE) within ICARDA’s Integrated Water and Land Management Program (IWLMP). Her projects span several countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Palestine (West Bank), Tunisia, and Yemen.