American International Journal of Social Science

Gender Mainstreaming within Agriculture and Natural Resources Institutions in the Sudan: Gaps and Ways Forward
Omer Tyseer Elhadi

Abstract
This study investigates the level of gender mainstreaming on planning and implementation of activities within number of governmental, nongovernmental and academic organizations in Sudan. Gender mainstreaming isthe process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action including legislation policies or programs in all areas and at all levels. Organizations included on this research are entities that mainly involved on natural resources management disciplines, humanitarian activities, and academia. The problem stated on this study stemmed on the fact that information on agriculture and natural resources management domains including farming, forests, range management, livestock production is not disaggregated by sex and this situation resulted in an ambiguity about gender roles and rights with concern to the use and control of resources in the Sudan. The methodology used on this study was purposive sampling using semi structured interviews to elicit information from selected representatives of organizations within Khartoum City the capital of the Sudan. The study revealed that there is lack of knowledge on gender concepts and lack of skillful expertise on gender within some of the studied organizations and thus gender mainstreaming is not fulfilled yet. It also showed that there are either no regulations or no commitment to regulations on gender policies within the studied organizations; therefore, gender policies on domain of agriculture and natural resources management are not formulated, neither activated. The study concluded that establishment of gender research units within academic institutions is necessary. Those units can be platforms to source and develop knowledge on gender mainstreaming within domains of natural resources and agriculture. Those units can be linked to decision making processes within institutions involved in natural resources and agriculture, where gender policies, could be developed and applied and thus gender mainstreaming could be achieved within agriculture and natural resources institutions in the Sudan.

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