Nchanji Eileen Bogweh

Dr. Nchanji is a Gender and Social Inclusion expert, who works with the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, in the bean programme - Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance. She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology with over 10 years in gender research. Dr. Nchanji leads strategic gender research across 31 Central, Eastern, Southern, and West African countries, collaborating with gender researchers in National Agricultural Research Systems in these countries.

Her interest in reducing gender gaps across diverse value chains and building the agency and voice of women, youths and vulnerable groups in agri-food systems is evident through her research discourse. In gender interventions, she believes men should be part of all gender activities as women and youths do not live on an island. To champion gender equality and equity, men need to understand the benefits of the interventions in their families and communities.

Eileen works with a multidisciplinary team (market, nutrition, breeding, soils and climate, seed system, communication, knowledge management) and with public-private sector partners, national and international NGOs, universities, and research institutions to co-develop and co-design healthy, equitable and resilient solutions for women, men, and youth in agri-food systems. She is a feminist to the core and believes in equal opportunities and fairness for men, women, and youths from an intersectional lens.

She has co-developed gender mainstreaming frameworks to build the capacity of partners and colleagues in and developed manuals, briefs, book chapters, peer-reviewed articles, reports, newspaper articles and blogs) on gender dynamics in the agrifood system, focusing on crops, livestock, water and forest.

Her favourite quote is:

“Achieving true gender equality and equity requires enabling environment that includes policy frameworks, adequate resources, trust-building measures, accountability, and transparency. Mindset shift in women and men is insufficient in achieving gender parity, a multifaceted approach that includes concrete action towards creating a more equitable society is paramount.”