Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Action Plan - USAID
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NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
FEED THE FUTURE NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND
ADVISORY SERVICES ACTIVITY
Gender Equality and Social
Inclusion Action Plan
May 12, 2021
Submission Date: May 14, 2021
Contract Number: 72062020C00001
Activity Start Date and End Date: October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021
COR Name: Charles Iyangbe
Submitted by: Ben Odoemena, Chief of Party
Winrock International
Tel: +011 234 808 890 0300
Email: ben.odoemena@agextensionactivity.org
This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development
Nigeria (USAID/Nigeria).
1NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Submitted to USAID: May 14, 2021
Disclaimer: This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Winrock International and do not necessarily reflect the
views of USAID or the United States Government
2NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONYMS.......................................................................................................................................... 4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 5
1. PROGRAM OVERVIEW/SUMMARY ............................................................................................. 6
2. GESI GUIDING PRINCIPLES ........................................................................................................ 8
3. CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES ..................................................................................................... 9
4. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES .......................................................................................................... 11
5. GESI ACTION PLAN ...................................................................................................................... 16
6. MONITORING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE GESI ACTION PLAN ................................ 33
3NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
ACRONYMS
ADP Agricultural Development Program
ADS Automated Directives Systems
AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan
CoP Community of Practice
EUCORD European Cooperative for Rural Development
FMARD Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
FMWASD Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development
FY Fiscal Year
GESI Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
GIS Geographic Information System
GON Government of Nigeria
ICT Information and Communication Technology
IVR Interactive Voice Response
M2M Mapping to Markets
MIP Most Impactful Practice
MSME Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
NAERLS National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
PIND Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta
MSME Micro, Small or Medium Enterprise
SHF Smallholder Farmer
USAID United States Agency for International Development
4NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are key goals for both USAID and the Government of Nigeria
(GON). Not only has the government sought to identify and address key gaps in all sectors of society, but
USAID has also implemented policies that require addressing gender and social inclusion gaps and
constraints in all activities and projects. Notwithstanding these commitments, the country faces challenges in
reaching gender equality, particularly with respect to agriculture and food security. Women continue to
occupy the lowest levels of all value chains and remain the majority amongst subsistence farmers. They still
lack access to land, extension services, training, and opportunities that could significantly help them benefit
from activities across the higher levels of value chains. Furthermore, women in Nigeria are given fewer
opportunities to make decisions about how household income will be used than are men, and rural women’s
workloads are disproportionately higher
This Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Action Plan outlines the Feed the Future Nigeria
Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity’s approach to addressing gender and youth issues
during implementation by establishing the principles, strategy, and means by which it will overcome key
constraints and address potential opportunities to promote gender and youth integration and equity
throughout the value chains. This plan builds on the Extension Activity’s GESI Analysis Report, approved by
USAID in March 2021. It also incorporates USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy,
USAID’s Youth in Development Policy, and key principles related to gender and social inclusion, including
disaggregating data by sex and age; carrying out tailored outreach to maximize youth empowerment;
employing Most Impactful Practices (MIPs) that are gender and youth responsive; maintaining a list of
women and youth champions; and integrating GESI lens into training and capacity building content.
This document is structured into six parts. The first part deals with an overview of the Extension Activity,
while the second part outlines the guiding principles and the rationale underpinning the GESI Action Plan.
The third and fourth parts present on ways of putting gender mainstreaming into practice across the various
tasks in Extension Activity. The fifth section presents the GESI Action Plan in two tables with the first table
focusing on gender mainstreaming at the organizational level and the second table outlining actions for
implementation. The sixth and final part highlights the monitoring process drawing from the Activity
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP).
This GESI Action Plan is a living document that will be refined as the Extension Activity continues to learn
and adapt to the challenges of integrating GESI priorities.
5NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
1. PROGRAM OVERVIEW/SUMMARY
Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services
Program Name:
Activity
Activity Start Date and End
May 25, 2020 – May 24, 2025
Date:
Name of Prime Implementing
Winrock International
Partner:
Contract Number: 72062020C00001
Connexus, Digital Green Foundation, European Cooperative for Rural
Name of Subcontractors:
Development (EUCORD)
Public and Private Sector extension and service providers; Partnership
Major Counterpart Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) 1; Federal Ministry of Agriculture
Organizations: and Rural Development (FMARD); State Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development
Geographic Coverage: Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger states
1.1 Program Description/Introduction
Winrock International was awarded the Feed the
Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and
Advisory Services Activity, hereafter referred to as Box 1. The Extension Activity Consortium
the Extension Activity, on May 18, 2020. The five- Winrock International – Prime Implementer;
responsible for overall program implementation
year activity (May 25, 2020 – May 24, 2025) will
and compliance; Leads Objective 1.1, 1.2,
partner with micro, small and medium enterprises
Component 2, and Cross-Cutting Activities
(MSMEs) and key market actors within the
aquaculture, cowpea, maize, rice, and soybean value Connexus – Leads Objective 1.4 and
chains to pilot proven technologies, scale up financial/business analyses of private sector service
successful ones, and promote the adoption of models (Objective 1.2); contributes to leveraging
improved production practices as well as improved private sector investments
service delivery that will rapidly, effectively, and Digital Green – Leads Objective 1.3; introduces
sustainably provide access to agro-inputs and and adapts Most Impactful Practices methodology;
service delivery and disseminate extension contributes lessons and best practices from global
messaging to at least two million smallholder ICT-enabled extension
farmers in Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi,
Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger states. The Extension European Cooperative for Rural Development
(EUCORD) – Supervises State Coordinators;
Activity consortium is described in Box 1.
contributes value chain technical knowledge and
The three cornerstones of the approach are: farmer context (Objectives 1.1 and 1.2)
• achieving impact at scale,
1 The Extension Activity will also explore collaboration with other development organizations and/or development
projects such as International Fertilizer Development Centre, HarvestPlus, AFEX, CropIT, etc.
6NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
• taking a ‘farmer first’ perspective to ensure on-farm results, and
• using a facilitative market systems approach for sustainability.
The Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity works at the intersection
of these pillars to achieve sustainable, scaled, farmer-level impact. The Extension Activity uses Lean 2
production principles and tools to develop a deep understanding of the existing production systems to
identify the most promising opportunities and critical constraints to improve efficiency and increase return on
investment for farmers. The Extension Activity leverages MSMEs as change agents around the identified on-
farm opportunities. These MSMEs are strategically placed intermediaries for upstream and downstream
movement of inputs and commodities through the market system; and their businesses depend on and can
grow with the enhanced competitiveness and profitability of smallholder producers: their core customers.
The Extension Activity will focus on improving producer supply to proven market channels and increase
efficiencies in the flow of goods and services within the selected value chains (maize, rice, cowpea, soybean,
and aquaculture) thereby increasing the productivity of the smallholder farmers, increasing their household
income, and ensuring the sustainability of interventions beyond the life of the project.
These efforts will inform both research and public sector extension services. In particular, the Extension
Activity will facilitate a demand-driven Community of Practice (CoP) that will bring private sector, research
institutions, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), State Ministries of
Agriculture, State Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs), associated government institutions, and
donors together and serve as a platform for those system actors to share and disseminate learning, develop
partnerships, and promote investments that address common barriers to growth in the agricultural sector.
State ADPs, the National Agriculture Extension Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), FMARD officers, and
FMARD-supported extension centers will be invited to participate in training and learning activities with
MSME cohorts. Through their expansive networks and national reach, Nigeria’s universities and research
institutes will support system scale-up; along with adoption of new technologies and ways of doing business.
By the end of 2025, the Extension Activity will enable 280 MSMEs to provide new or improved extension
and advisory services to support smallholder farmers – leading to $300 million in increased sales.
1.2. Purpose of the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Action Plan (GESI)
The GESI Action Plan operationalizes the results and recommendations of the GESI Analysis Report, which
was conducted by the Extension Activity and received USAID approval in March 2021. The GESI Plan
provides specific GESI actions to be considered in designing and implementing activities by the Extension
Activity staff to promote opportunities for women and youth. It complements the AMELP that already
contains youth and gender-related results and includes indicators and target quotas for women and youth
participation and empowerment. The GESI Plan also aligns with the AMELP which provides for data
2Lean is a process-driven analytical and management set of principles and tools the Activity will use to develop a deep
understanding of the existing production systems to identify the most promising opportunities and the most important
constraints to improve efficiency and increase return on investment for farmers. Lean principles emerged from the
Toyota Production System, known for efficiency and high net margins within its industry, and have been applied in
agriculture as well as other sectors and industries in the recent decades.
7NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
disaggregation by sex and age to carefully analyze gender gaps for decision making. While implementation
rests on the entire Extension Activity staff, the GESI Specialist will take overall responsibility to provide
guidance on incorporation of GESI and the recommendations set forth in this GESI Plan into the Extension
Activity’s interventions. The GESI Specialist will facilitate capacity-building sessions, periodic monitoring,
and oversee implementing the plan. It is important to state that the GESI Action Plan is a living document.
As implementation progresses and experiences are gained, it will be updated to allow for new ideas and
actions.
2. GESI GUIDING PRINCIPLES
In designing the GESI Action Plan, the Extension Activity is guided by the following key principles:
• Gender equity: The Extension Activity, by design, provides for the inclusion of at least 30% of
women and youth in its operations. This provision will remain inherent in the life of the Extension
Activity, hence the GESI Action Plan is also prepared in along this framework. The 30% provision
will ensure that the Extension Activity integrates gender and promotes equal opportunities across the
interventions. It will include ensuring women and youth-related quotas for services and key learning
events such as access to productive assets, training, and workshops. Additionally, the Extension
Activity will work with MSME cohorts to identify business opportunities and understand the benefits
of targeting services to women and youth as well as assist women and youth led MSMEs and “last
mile” service providers to identify opportunities for growth and adopt new business models.
• Prioritize social inclusion: Ensuring the participation of marginalized/vulnerable groups
irrespective of location, ethnicity, or religion. In this case, the Extension Activity will ensure that
intervention benefits flow to diverse, socially excluded groups of people in the Zone of Influence
(ZOI).
• Sex and age-disaggregated data: The fiscal year (FY) 2021 work plan recognizes that
implementation will disaggregate data by sex and age to ensure that GESI factors form part of
monitoring and reporting. They provide that gender and age disaggregation information allows the
Extension Activity to conduct specific gender and youth analyses to identify how interventions may
be affecting these populations differently. The GESI Action Plan keeps to this provision. It will allow
the Extension Activity to implement specific gender and youth activities as well as identify how
interventions affect these populations differently.
• Tailored outreach for youth empowerment: The Extension Activity’s FY21 work plan has
incorporated women and youth inclusion as key cross-cutting areas in its operations and recognizes
that part of its success will depend on implementing activities tailored to these target groups. In this
regard, the Extension Activity will promote partnerships between public, private, and civil society
stakeholders to promote youth engagement to develop their business skills and capacities. It will also
facilitate the expansion of MSMEs and Fintech companies that contribute to the creation of new
jobs for young people or to open new agricultural markets for young farmers by facilitating their
access to equity or debt financing.
8NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
• Gender and youth responsive MIPs: The Lean approach recognizes that MIPs, which drive the
Extension Activity’s engagement with MSMEs, should be women and youth responsive. The GESI
Action Plan will maintain this attribute and ensure that the choice of business solutions for MSMEs
and smallholder farmers (SHFs) are responsiveness to the unique barriers women and youth face
when making investment decisions.
• Maintaining a roster of women and youth led MSMEs: The Extension Activity will compile a
comprehensive directory of women and youth led MSMEs and organizations. The resulting database
will include contact information for each entity, as well as organizational details, such as years in
business, core service offerings, business sector or value chain focus or concentration, and
geographic reach. In addition, with the roaster, the Extension Activity will maintain a list of women
and youth champions who could be resources to implementation in the areas of enhancing the
participation of other women and scaling business solutions to the women and youth.
• Integrating GESI sensitization into training and capacity building content. GESI integration
training is an important strategy to build the capacity of partners and staff, helping to ensure buy-in
for gender integration, women’s empowerment, and social inclusion. The GESI Action Plan
prioritizes continued training for staff, CoP members, and cohort partners as each cohort comes on
board. Training will ensure that the Extension Activity raises awareness of GESI constraints along
the commodity value chains and to prepare stakeholders to act on opportunities for inclusion.
In this line, the actions for mainstreaming women and youth that are planned fall into the following
categories:
• Gender sensitization and awareness at all levels
• Capacity building and training for staff members, CoP members, and MSME cohort members for
gender analysis and mainstreaming
• Proactively mainstream gender and social inclusion considerations in activities
• Ensure gender disaggregation in the monitoring and data tracking systems, including in report
preparation
• Development of gender-sensitive methodologies and guidelines
• Information collection, analysis, and dissemination
• Communication, participation, and partnership building
• Support development and transfer of information and communications technology (ICT)
• Skills enhancement of women and youth
3. CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES
The following, summarized from the Extension Activity’s FY21 work plan, briefly describes the tasks that
will be implemented during FY21 and highlights the areas that will address gender integration in the
implementation process.
9NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Task 1: Mapping to Markets
Mapping to Markets (M2M) is a Geographic Information System (GIS)-enabled decision support tool
integrating multiple evolving and expanding datasets that will inform activity design and adaptation during the
life of the project. All geo-referenced data will follow the Geo Center standards for reporting on GIS data.
The M2M process involves tapping into both secondary and primary data sources, stakeholder consultations,
and expert interviews.
Women and youth involvement: In conducting the M2M, the Extension Activity staff will identify
productive populations, service providers, infrastructure, and market channels and their flows, in preparation
for further analysis on implications for addressing women’s empowerment, youth entrepreneurship, micro-
enterprise development, improved nutritional status, conflict sensitivity, and targeting new populations for
Lean analysis, partner identification, and business opportunities for cohorts. Women and youth farmers will
be surveyed to determine what their unique needs are and what market linkages can be identified.
Task 2: Partnership and Investment Fund
The Extension Activity will develop Partnership and Investment Fund (PIF) opportunities. The PIF will be a
mix of subcontracts and direct procurement to catalyze, change, and buy down risk to pilot new business
models or working relationships, enabling agricultural associations, cooperatives, market integrators, SMEs,
and other actors to address market constraints, seize market opportunities, and spur innovation. During
FY21, the Extension Activity will identify a combination of mechanisms, such as competitive requests for
proposals (RFPs) and challenge fund windows, that will provide opportunities for partnering to address
weaknesses and risks identified during the Lean analyses, MIPs, profiles of cohorts members, and cohort
pause and reflect sessions.
Women and youth involvement: Extension Activity staff will identify opportunities to scale up partner
firms’ business models by testing new solution delivery models, expanding to new client subgroups, including
women and youth, and integrating ICT into marketing, customer discovery and profiling, as well as focusing
on business efficiency when financing is not yet feasible. In line with the 30% target for the women and
youth in the Extension Activity’s outreach, the partnerships will target opportunities that increase women and
youth participation – either as service providers or as clients. PIF reporting will disaggregate data by sex and
age to capture information regarding level of women and youth involvement. Women and youth will be
contacted and encouraged to apply for PIF opportunities and/or to participate in hackathons or the
Extension Activity CoP to ensure access to opportunities under the PIF. The Extension Activity will maintain
a roster of potential entrepreneurs, women and youth associations, and ICT firms to guide its decision.
10NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
4. SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Component 1
Objective 1: Build the capacity of private extension service providers to deliver extension and
advisory services to value chain stakeholders
Objective 1.1 Increased farm production and productivity of smallholder farmers due to the
increased availability and accessibility of private extension services providers
Task 1.1.1: Lean production analysis to identify farming system inefficiencies and unlock value
This task involves analyses (value stream mapping and summary reports for all value chains) and value stream
validation meetings for all selected value chains. The Extension Activity will interact with women and youth during the
Lean analysis process. It will ensure that women and youth form at least 40% of the focus group members to be consulted during
the data collection.
Task 1.1.2: Identify Most Impactful Practices (MIPs) to increase efficiencies
Based on the value stream mapping validation, staff will further refine the value proposition of possible
solutions and develop solution briefs for each MIP. At least 8 MIPs will be established for piloting with
cohorts. Some will be commodity specific, while others will be cross-cutting, such as mechanization,
irrigation, postharvest handling, ICT, or finance related. The identified MIPs will be women and youth responsive in
terms of return on investment, friendliness of technology, affordability, and other parameters that will increase women and youth
interest in the MIPs.
Task 1.1.3: Develop cohorts of partners
Task 1.1.3 focuses on who will deliver the solution – the cohorts. At least five cohorts will be formed (56
MSMEs) and actively engaged, with engagement frameworks established and learning briefs produced. The
Extension Activity will ensure that at least 30% of the cohort members are women and youth.
Task 1.1.4: Improve nutrition practices
To stimulate behavior change, the Extension Activity will work at two levels in FY21 to trigger improved
nutrition outcomes: household and firm level. The Extension Activity will engage Harvest Plus to integrate
nutrition messaging into the Extension Activity’s interventions. Ten service providers will be offered
integrated agriculture and nutrition messaging. The Extension Activity will facilitate learning around MSMEs/cohorts
to deliver ag-nutrition messaging and share lessons in collaboration with ADPs. The Extension Activity will also collaborate
with EatSafe and Harvest Plus to integrate nutrition messaging relating to MIPs in meetings and workshops to enhance access
and adoption specific to products and practices that facilitate better nutrition for SHFs.
Objective 1.2 Increased availability of and accessibility to quality agricultural inputs/services
Task 1.2.1: Build service delivery capacity and learning through cohorts
The Extension Activity documents, improves, adapts, and replicates successful service and product delivery
models. Under this task, five service delivery models will be tested and analyzed. The Extension Activity will
partner with MSMEs to expand employment opportunities for entrepreneurial N-Power youth. The Extension Activity will
explore the use of PIF funds to overcome barriers for women agents. The Extension Activity will use the M2M to support
11NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
MSMEs to identify untapped areas where they can increase or improve their services to women and youth clientele and that service
providers use market analysis to meet the different demand characteristics of women and youth farmers. The Extension Activity
will analyze how impacts differed by gender, age, or other social inclusion factors, and share those findings with cohorts via
learning briefs that will help drive business decisions that are responsive to youth and women across the ZOI.
Task 1.2.2: Address system barriers to delivery of quality inputs and services
During reflection sessions at the cohort level and through on-going knowledge sharing events, Extension
Activity staff will engage with the government to facilitate discussions of where constraints or barriers exist –
at the firm, cohort, or market system level. Additional focus groups will bring in farmer perspectives.
Extension Activity staff will document and share these issues among cohort members, as applicable. As
multiple cohorts’ reflection sessions unfold, patterns or commonalities will emerge and will need to be
addressed at the subsector or sector level. This task involves sponsoring one annual industry workshop. The
Extension Activity will ensure that women are consulted to identify their perspectives in system barriers and harness their
experiences and opinion on how they could be tackled.
Objective 1.3 ICT-enabled extension services platforms piloted and scaled up to reach value chain
stakeholders
Task 1.3.1: Identify most efficient ICT channels
The Extension Activity will assess/identify the most efficient digital dissemination mechanisms for driving
farm-level adoption of prioritized MIPs. The analysis will help to identify the appropriate technologies and
channels that can help cohort members reach more farmers; build capacity to use data to assess farmer uptake
of new practices, customer tracking, and profiling to help firms tailor their messaging and marketing
approaches; or any combination of the above. Ultimately, these efforts will contribute to reducing cost per
farmer reach through a combination of digital services, Lean business practices, and effective communication
strategies. With support of the GESI Specialist, the Extension Activity will consider gender dynamics, including mobile phone
ownership or access within the household, and how that could potentially affect access to agricultural information for women and
men in the identification of ICT channels.
Task 1.3.2: Demonstrate/scale-up use of ICT communication channels, including video-enabled
extension
The Extension Activity will work with cohort staff to disseminate MIPs using multiple ICT channels as
relevant, such as WhatsApp, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and others, and where cost-effective, include
the use of video production. The Extension Activity will put in place several strategies to ensure women and youth
participation and enhance their uptake of the ICTs – including by incorporating gender sensitivity around content and use of
languages.
Task 1.3.3. Integrate ICT into public extension
This task will integrate the use of ICTs into the public extension system. During FY21, the Extension Activity
will identify an ADP to pilot and introduce ICTs in extension to lay the foundation for future interventions.
The Extension Activity will proactively engage ICT providers to ensure that GESI considerations are mainstreamed into ICT
products, both in terms of design and content as well as how to reach farmer groups (i.e., women, youth, and other marginalized
communities).
12NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Task 1.3.4. Plan H ackathon planning process to crowd source digital solutions
The Extension Activity will launch hackathons focused on ICT innovation. While the first hackathon will not
take place until FY22, the ICT assessment findings and Lean analyses completed in FY21 will provide the
foundation. The Extension Activity will ensure that the annual hackathons focus on solutions that address the information
needs and behaviors of women and youth.
Objective 1.4 Increased access to financial products and services
Task 1.4.1. Profile bankable opportunities
The Extension Activity will meet with financial institutions and upstream and downstream value chain actors
to conduct a financial landscape gap analysis to understand current credit and savings models and catchment
areas, assess borrower needs for credit and value chain actor cluster needs for capital, gauge financial
institutions’ appetite for diversification, and identify areas for new products or new clients. The output from
this task will be financial and private sector mapping integrated into M2M and at least three scalable solution
briefs or business models documented and ready for financial modeling. The Extension Activity will ensure that
collaboration agreements between agribusinesses and financial institutions consider women, youth, and other marginalized groups’
financial needs.
Task 1.4.2. Design scalable financial packages
With data and mapping in hand, the Extension Activity will focus on designing creative solutions to facilitate
reasonable cost financing for scalable business models. This could include replicating or expanding existing
credit models through agro-dealers, produce merchants/rice traders, catfish buyers, or others as cohorts
emerge and solution briefs dictate the need or opportunity for finance. At least four financial partnership
agreements will be signed, and ten firms will have developed plans for the second season. The Extension
Activity will ensure that such scalable business models are women and youth friendly, including the process of their access,
application, and return on investment.
Task 1.4.3. Link MSMEs and farmer groups to appropriate financial instruments
This task will strengthen the capacity of at least four financial partners and improve the delivery channels and
connections to MSMEs and farmer groups associated with the target commodities with an emphasis on
addressing financial access issues identified in cohorts. The Extension Activity will promote participation and access of
women, youth, and other vulnerable groups.
Task 1.4.4. Improve smallholder access to savings and digital finance solutions
The Extension Activity will strengthen the capacity of SHFs and the rural sector to participate in the formal
financial system. One MIP solutions brief on inclusive savings or digital financial solution will be shared with
Fintech companies for review and product development. The Extension Activity will work financial institutions to
develop savings products appropriate for SHFs, especially women and youth. It will also explore opportunities to include women
and youth entrepreneurs as “last mile” service providers.
13NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Component 2
Objective 2: Strengthen linkages between agricultural research institutions, agro-allied companies,
public and private extension providers, and agricultural value chain stakeholders
Objective 2.1: Improved coordination and collaboration between agricultural research institutions,
agro-allied companies, and public and private extension service providers for increased efficiency
and effectiveness.
Task 2.1.1 Develop a Community of Practice (CoP)
This task involves a CoP landscape analysis, plan, and short-listing of potential CoP hosts to determine the
viability of candidates for the CoP. To ensure that sharing and learning in the CoP addresses gender and youth-based
constraints, the Extension Activity will ensure at least 30% representation of women and youth in the CoP membership.
Task 2.1.2 Enhance research to markets linkages through cohorts and CoP
Complementary to, and a subset of, the CoP landscape analysis, the Extension Activity will analyze the
research commercialization process and identify entry points and areas for the Extension Activity support to
integrate the CoP into that process. The Extension Activity will ensure gender responsiveness within CoP research
priorities and processes so that research outputs, innovations, technologies, and interventions address the priorities of youth and
women.
Task 2.1.3. Launch Innovation Challenges through the CoP
Under this task innovators will pitch their solutions to a panel of judges consisting of industry representatives,
potential investors, and accelerator/incubation networks. Winners of the challenge will receive business
development support to test their solutions through cohorts and research institutions and connect to
agribusinesses and investors that can commercialize the solution. This task will draft a list of innovation
challenge topics for FY 22 in preparation for when the CoP will be formally constituted. The Extension Activity
will promote the participation of women, youth, and other marginalized groups in the innovation challenge events. It will also
ensure that GESI issues are fully integrated in innovation challenge topics to address women and youths’ priorities.
Task 2.1.4. Build capacity of ADPs, research institutes, and universities
FY21 activities will set the foundation for more robust interventions in FY22, focused on public sector
capacity building, resulting in selection of an initial ADP for FY22 activities. An initial capacity building plan
will be developed under this task. The Extension Activity will target women and youth participation in capacity building
activities. It will also integrate gender sensitivity in capacity building of ADPs, research institutes, and universities to strengthen
gendered research and knowledge systems.
Task 2.1.5. Develop N-Power entrepreneurs to support smallholder service provision
N-Power interns will be selected for monitoring, evaluation, and learning support to the Extension Activity
and through the partnership with N-Power, on-the-job training will be provided for youth in agricultural
development, specifically in-service provision. The Extension Activity will provide youth with the practical and business
skills to integrate into the workforce as ADP agents, entrepreneurs, or agents of service providers.
Objective 2.2 Increased access of value chain stakeholders to research updates through private
extension service providers
14NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Task 2.2.1 Launch Virtual Knowledge Management Platform
To supplement CoP events, the Extension Activity will launch a virtual platform to disseminate research
updates and facilitate dialogue between agriculture innovation stakeholders. The Extension Activity will strengthen
the capacity of CoP to develop gender responsive content and lessons learned which will be publicized on the platform.
Task 2.2.2. Identify cost-effective learning loops
This will involve provision of technical assistance to NAERLS in data analytics and data visualization to
better collect, collate, analyze, process, and report on trends and specific productivity and post-harvest needs
expressed through the Farmers Helpline by commodity, agro-ecological zone, and geography. The Extension
Activity will support NAERLS to incorporate data and learning around gender and age disaggregated information. This will
inform gender responsive training, messaging, and thematic areas for Challenge competitions.
15NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
5. GESI ACTION PLAN
The first approach is to build the capacity and consciousness of the Extension Activity staff to integrate women and youth in their office and field
operations. In this context, the Extension Activity will undertake the tasks in Table 1 to integrate some organizational actions and facilitate the
integration of GESI in its programmatic work.
Table 1: Action at organizational level
Related output at institutional Activities Expected result Indicators Method of
level verification
Capacity of Extension Activity →Assess capacity, develop training plan, → Increased →Number of staff Training reports,
strengthened to address gender and conduct in-house gender awareness knowledge and that participated in attendance sheets
issues and mainstream GESI into and capacity building capacities of staff on training or other
their own work stream GESI issues and capacity
→Host a half-day workshop with staff to mainstreaming the development on
launch the GESI Plan issues gender
→ Participate in pause-and-reflect learning →Improved staff
sessions to reflect on progress, gaps, and GESI analysis skills to
opportunities for gender integration and integrate gender
social inclusion considerations in their
field activities and
reports
→Participate and share GESI learning in → Increased → Number of → Reports
networks and build partnerships that awareness, learning events
promote knowledge exchange and knowledge, and attended
learning on gender and youth learning on GESI and
partnership
16NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Related output at institutional Activities Expected result Indicators Method of
level verification
Provide tools/checklist for →Design and share gender-sensitive →Improved gender → Number of tools Reports, survey
effective mainstreaming of gender checklist and guideline to adequately performance year on and checklists tools/protocol
in Extension Activity to guide integrate gender and social inclusion. year developed that
implementation team to plan, support gender
design, implement, monitor, and mainstreaming
evaluate gender-sensitive and
responsive activities
Support and monitor the →Track, analyze and report on all Staff disaggregate data →Number of Reports, survey
implementation of GESI plan indicators with gender disaggregated data by sex and age specific GESI tools/protocol
to show women and youth’s involvement activities
in the Extension Activity and seek implemented by the
corrective measures as needed. team at the end of
each FY
Liaise with the monitoring, evaluation,
and learning team to support in
monitoring GESI interventions by
ensuring collection and reporting of
quantitative and qualitative information
on GESI related indicators, utilizing the
recommended data collection tools;
document success stories and lessons
learned.
Conduct supportive supervision to
MSMEs to provide technical support on
GESI interventions
17NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Implementation plan for the specific GESI recommendations:
The outcome of GESI Analysis was a report with 14 key findings and recommendations. Table 2 recaptures those findings and provides specific actions to
address them. It also provides the expected result from the proposed actions, measure of performance, means of verification, and timeline to execute those
actions. The implementation plan follows the tasks structure of the Extension Activity design.
Table 2: Implementation plan for Objective 1: Build the capacity of private extension service providers to deliver extension and advisory
services to value chain stakeholders
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
Objective 1.1: Increased farm production and productivity of smallholder farmers due to the increased availability and accessibility of private extension services providers
18NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
1. Social and gender Organize gender →Increased women →Number of individuals Program document/ Y1 – Y3
norms create barriers sensitization sessions for and youth participating in USG food security report and survey
for women to own MSMEs to promote the participation and programs (EG 3-2)
land, assume formation and capacity decision-making in
leadership positions, strengthening for women’s cooperatives →Percentage of female participants
access extension only groups and youth only in USG-assisted programs designed
services, and own groups (Task 1.1.3) to increase access to productive
businesses. economic resources (GNDR-2)
Promote inclusive and →Reduced gender →Number of private sector firms Program document/ Y1 -Y4
gender-balanced disparity in access to providing new or improved report and survey
representation in leadership extension services extension and advisory services as a
by encouraging institutional and products result of USG assistance (outcome;
change (e.g. introduction of custom)
quotas and selective targeting to
enable women to access and →Number of microenterprises
control some key inputs and supported by USG assistance (EG.
resources) to increase the 5-3)
19NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
number of women in
decision-making (Task
1.1.3)
Analyse service provision Increased women’s →Number of private sector firms → Analysis of Y2 -Y5
gaps and work with MSME access to extension providing new or improved proportion of
cohort members to develop services and extension and advisory services as a women accessing
business plans to address productive assets result of USG assistance (outcome; extension services
these gender-based custom)
constraints (Task 1.1.2; →Track the
Task 1.2.1) →Number of microenterprises percentage of
supported by USG assistance (EG. women that have
5-3) increased access to
productive resources
by sex
Objective 1.2: Increased availability of and accessibility to quality agricultural inputs/services
2. Men play a Provide capacity building → Enhanced →Percentage of private extension → Interviews with Y2-Y4
dominant role within training on gender inclusion capacities and agents that are women or youth (15- private sector
MSMEs as cultural to N-Power interns to employment 29) - (process; RFP PS section partners regarding
norms preclude enhance their skills on opportunities for C.7.3.1) number of
women from gaining women’s engagement in female youth additional jobs their
ownership and agriculture. (Task 1.2 and →Increased number of new jobs, businesses created
obtaining Task 2.1.5) especially for youth and women,
employment in agri- resulting from technical supports to → Conduct survey
business private service providers (outcome; with jobholders
RFP Section C.7) benefiting from the
job
20NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
Ensure that technical → Increased →Number of microenterprises Records of training Y1-Y4
outreach and capacity participation of supported by USG assistance (EG. events and list of
building (e.g. training on women and youth in 5-3) participants
business management, leadership, learning and training
peer-to-peer learning, etc.) opportunities →Number of private sector firms
includes youth and women offered. providing new or improved
led MSMEs (Task 1.2.1) extension and advisory services as a
→ Improved result of USG assistance (outcome;
women’s self- custom
confidence and skills
Facilitate and partner with →Increased visibility →Number of microenterprises Program document/ Y1-Y4
existing women of women’s supported by USG assistance (EG. report and survey
organizations/networks to participation in agri- 5-3).
encourage their participation business.
and contribution in MSME → Percentage of women led
Cohort activities and events →Enhanced ties with MSMEs reporting change in
as to expand women’s networks which business opportunities as alliance
business linkage (Task 1.2.1) support the members
advancement of
women in agri- →Percentage of private extension
business agents that are women or youth (15-
29) - (process; RFP PS section
→ Improved C.7.3.1)
business
opportunities for
women led MSMEs
3. Women’s abilities Organize continuous → Increased number →Percentage of private extension → Analysis of Continuous
as agro-dealers are workshops, trainings, and of women agro- agents that are women or youth (15- proportion of
21NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
devalued, particularly seminars to support business dealers and 29) - (process; RFP PS section women that own
in some communities development skills of agribusiness owners C.7.3.1) firms delivering
where religion and/or women led MSMEs through private extension
social norms play a partnership with CSOs and → Improved → Percentage of women led service
role in the attitudes other development partners business capacity of MSMEs reporting change in their
towards women in (Task 1.2.1) women led MSMEs business capacity.
these roles to undertake agri-
entrepreneurship → Number of clients for women-
lead agribusinesses
Strengthen capacity of →Increased MSMEs →Number of individuals in the Analysis of Y1 -Y5
MSMEs for gender skills to provide agriculture system who have applied proportion of
mainstreaming in capacity gender inclusive improved management practices or women accessing
building and service delivery delivery services at all technologies with USG assistance extension services.
to women through dialogues, levels (EG.3.2-24) This is will enable
sharing of good practices in the Extension
other learning events. → Increased profit Activity to improve
Provide MSMEs with for women-led empowerment of
agribusinesses →Number of private sector firms
business analytics on gender women participants.
providing new or improved
and youth to make the
extension and advisory services as a
business case for targeting
result of USG assistance (outcome;
women & youth as
custom)
important client segments
(Task CC1; Task 1.2.1)
22NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
4. Youth have Partner with FMARD and Improved capacity of →Percentage of participants in → Interviews with Y1 -Y4
misconceptions about PACE to identify and engage youth to profitably USG-assisted programs designed to private sector
agriculture, and youth as interns to support engage in agricultural increase access to productive partners regarding
interest in the sector MSMEs as well as build activities economic resources who are youth number of
is diminishing. capacity to become (15-29) - YOUTH- 3 additional jobs their
entrepreneurs. The youth businesses created
will become examples for
their peers who may emulate → Conduct survey
them to engage in agriculture with jobholders
(Task 2.1.5) benefiting from the
job
Collaborate with MSMEs Increased business →Percentage of participants in Review of private Continuous
and other donor programs expansion and more USG-assisted programs designed to sector partners staff
(e.g. PIND) to improve jobs for youth increase access to productive list and program
youth employment and economic resources who are youth data.
business opportunities along (15-29) - YOUTH- 3
the commodity agriculture Interviews with
value chains (Task 1.2.1) firms and survey of
jobholders
benefiting from the
job creation
Support youth to imbibe off- →Increased →Number of microenterprises Review of program Y2 -Y5
farm business solutions opportunities supported by USG assistance (EG. data; Review of
using M2M to present youth employment and 5-3) private sector firms
with profitable opportunities profitability for youth reports
in the Extension Activity
23NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
targeted value chains (Task
1.2.1; Task 1.3.4)
Collaborate with youth →Increase in →Value of agriculture-related Program document/ Y2 -Y5
entrepreneurship activities, productive assets of financing accessed as a result of report and survey
public financial institutions, youth members USG assistance (EG.3.2-27
and development partners to participating in the
ensure youth benefit from Activity
existing risk sharing and
financing mechanism
through (Task 1.4.2 and
Task 1.4.3)
Promote and support youth →Increased access of →Number of microenterprises Program document/ Y2 – Y4
led groups/networks and youths to agricultural supported by USG assistance (EG. report and survey
collaborations with MSMEs extension and 5-3)
to expand their access to advisory services and
resources and other business agricultural inputs
opportunities (Task 1.2.1;
Task 2.1.5)
5. Gendered patterns Facilitate gender training and →Increased →Number of individuals in the → Analysis of Continuous
in decision-making capacity building activities to proportion of women agriculture system who have applied proportion of
present challenges to support MSMEs in ensuring with increased role in improved management practices or women who have
embody inclusive gender equitable in decision- decision-making technologies with USG assistance applied improved
participation in making among farmers’ regarding the (EG.3.2-24) management
farmers’ groups and groups and households purchase, sale, or practices and/or
women’s perspectives (Task 1.2.1) technologies
are not necessarily
24NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
integrated in a holistic transfer of → Number of trainings on different
fashion productive assets themes of GESI including analysis
and audit
Objective 1.3: ICT-enabled extension services platforms piloted and scaled up to reach value chain stakeholders
6. Limited access to Support the provision of Greater access to →Number of individuals in the → Survey to track Y1 – Y5
ICT and lack of trust low-cost ICT to increase extension services agriculture system who have applied the proportion of
hamper women’s women’s access to extension and products improved management practices or women accessing
confidence in the use information, services, and including financial technologies with USG assistance ICT-enabled
of digital financial products. Collaborate with services for women (EG.3.2-24) platform piloted and
services MSMEs to design, package, scaled analysis of
and disseminate extension Number of ICT-enabled agricultural practices that are
information in local language extension services platforms disseminated
to low-literate farmers (Task identified, piloted, and scaled up through ICT
1.3.1) (outcome; RFP section C.7.3.1) platform
→Number of microenterprises
supported by USG assistance (EG.
5-3)
7. Gender roles and Promote gender equality →Increased gender- →Number of individuals in the → Program report Y2 -Y4
time use pose certain awareness raising activities responsive agriculture system who have applied
challenges to and training for MSMEs to information improved management practices or →Track changes in
expanding women’s promote greater dissemination and technologies with USG assistance service delivery to
participation in and understanding of women’s service delivery in (EG.3.2-24) women
triple burden of labor for extension
gender responsive service
25NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
across the agricultural delivery and information →Reduced women’s
value chains dissemination using ICTs burden of workload
(Task 1.3.1; Task 1.3.2)
Support MSMEs to →Expand access to →Percentage of female participants →Track the
incorporates gender information and agri- in USG-assisted programs designed percentage of
transformative approaches inputs to address the to increase access to productive women that have
(e.g. Gender Action Learning information needs economic resources (GNDR-2) increased access to
System) including women and behaviors of productive resources
focused targeting messages women and youth by sex
to expand outreach. (Task
1.2.1)
8. Socio-cultural Partner with local e- →Improved →Percentage of female participants Analyze the
norms limit access to extension providers, NGOs, entrepreneurial in USG-assisted programs designed proportion of
trainings, workshops, and government to develop potential of to increase access to productive women reached at
resources, and an ICT media platform (e.g. women in agri- economic resources (GNDR-2) end of each
extensions services, mobile phone, IVR, video, business reporting period
which limit women’s web, radio, etc.) for MSMEs
capacity to use new to disseminate and scale
knowledge to be able extension information.
to adopt and to (Task 1.3.2)
increase productivity
and own productive
assets.
Objective 1.4: Increased access to financial products and services
26NIGERIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES GESI ACTION PLAN
Findings Actions Expected Results Indicators Means of Timeline
verification
9. Conventional Provide technical support to → Increased women →Value of agriculture-related →Identification of Continuous
banks, as well as MSMEs to increase youth and youth access to financing accessed as a result of financial services
microfinance banks, and women’s access to financial services and USG assistance (EG.3.2-27 and products
consider agricultural appropriate and innovative products specifically designed
investment as a risk financial products and →Total number of clients to meet the needs of
particularly due to services (e.g. direct value benefitting from financial services women and youth
women’s limited chain financiers) (Task provided through USG-assisted
access to assets such 1.4.2.) financial intermediaries, including →Track the number
as land title non-financial institutions or actors of women SMEs
(EG. 4.2-1) receiving financial
assistance as result
→ Number of private sector firms of USG assistance
providing new or improved
extension and advisory services as a →Analysis of value
result of USG assistance (outcome; of agriculture related
custom) financing accessed
by women and
→ Number of women with access youth
to a range of financial services and
(e.g., savings, loans, insurance, bank
accounts accessible by mobile
phones, etc.)
10. Collateral Build and strengthen the → Increased gender →Total number of clients →Track the number Y2 – Y4
requirements from capacities of financial and youth responsive benefitting from financial services of women MSMEs
microfinance and institutions on GESI to financial products provided through USG-assisted receiving financial
lending institutions better understand and, and services financial intermediaries, including assistance as result
present significant develop products and non-financial institutions or of USG assistance
constraints to women services (e.g. flexible loan actors (EG. 4.2-1)
terms and conditions) that
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