Abstract:
Crop breeding in sub-Saharan Africa has made considerable gains; however, postharvest and food-related preferences have been overlooked, in addition to how these preferences vary by gender, social difference and context. This context is changing as participatory approaches using intersectional gender and place-based methods are beginning to inform how breeding programmes make decisions. This article presents an innovative methodology to inclusively and democratically prioritise food quality traits of root, tuber and banana crops based on engagement with food systems actors and transdisciplinary collaboration. The outcome of the methodology is the Gendered Food Product Profile (GFPP) - a list of prioritised food quality characteristics - to support breeders to make more socially inclusive decisions on the methods for trait characterisation to select genotypes closer to the needs of food system actors. This article reviews application of the methodology in 14 GFPPs, presents illustrative case studies and lessons learned. Key lessons are that the transdisciplinary structure and the key role of social scientists helped avoid reductionism, supported co-learning, and the creation of GFPPs that represented the diverse interests of food system actors, particularly women, in situ. The method partially addressed power dynamics in multidisciplinary decision making; however, effectiveness was dependent on equitable team relations and supportive institutions committed to valuing plural forms of knowledge. Actions to address power asymmetries that privilege particular types of knowledge and voices in decision making are crucial in techno-science projects, along with opportunities for co-learning and long-term collaboration and a transdisciplinary structure at higher level. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
摘要:
撒哈拉以南非洲的作物育种取得了可观的进展;然而,采后和食物相关的偏好被忽视了,除了这些偏好如何因性别而异,社会差异和背景。随着使用交叉性别和基于地点的方法的参与性方法开始为育种计划如何做出决定提供信息,这种情况正在发生变化。本文提出了一种创新的方法,以包容和民主的方式优先考虑根的食品质量特征,基于与粮食系统参与者和跨学科合作的块茎和香蕉作物。该方法的结果是性别食品产品概况(GFPP)-优先考虑的食品质量特征列表-支持育种者在性状表征方法上做出更具社会包容性的决定,以选择更符合食品需求的基因型系统参与者。本文回顾了该方法在14个GFPPs中的应用,提供说明性的案例研究和经验教训。关键的教训是,跨学科结构和社会科学家的关键作用有助于避免还原论,支持共同学习,以及代表粮食系统参与者不同利益的GFPPs的创建,尤其是女性,在原地。该方法部分解决了多学科决策中的动力动态;然而,有效性取决于公平的团队关系和致力于评估多种知识形式的支持机构。在技术科学项目中,解决权力不对称的行动至关重要,这种不对称使决策中的特定类型的知识和声音享有特权。以及共同学习和长期合作的机会,以及更高层次的跨学科结构。©2024作者约翰·威利父子有限公司代表化学工业学会出版的《食品和农业科学杂志》。