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ACIAR Agribusiness Scholarship Program

Overview

The ACIAR Agribusiness Scholarship Program aims to identify and attract talented Master’s students or recent graduates from Australian university business schools and MBA programs who could develop and apply their experience, skills and knowledge to agribusiness research in an international development context. The Scholarship Program is an opportunity for these students to get work experience, applying their knowledge and skills to a challenge facing ACIAR project partners in the context of international agricultural research for development.

Two internships within the program for Australian-based Master’s students were awarded during the Developing approaches to enhance farmer water management skills in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan project.

Internship recipients

Gowri Pincombe

Completed: May 2021

Research Title: Women’s Empowerment Through Learning and Working Together: The Perspectives of Small Agricultural Landholder Farmers in Punjab and Sindh on Factors Enabling and Sustaining High Levels of Women’s Engagement in a Water Management Project in Pakistan.

Research Summary

This research sought to identify and analyse the factors enabling and hindering women’s engagement in the ‘Developing approaches to enhance farmer water management skills in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan’ project, in order to maintain this engagement and, ultimately, identify the extent to which the project enabled gender mainstreaming in rural Pakistan.

This study employed a primary research method based on semi-structured interviews to gain an understanding of the factors leading to high levels of women’s engagement in the project.

It was found that one of the most crucial factors for women’s initial engagement in the project was the support of their family (mainly their husbands). Conversely, a lack of support, or not obtaining “permission” from the men, were identified as potential hindrances to women’s engagement in the project, as well as lack of interest and initial knowledge on their part. Some limitations faced by women due to cultural practices associated with religion and a heavy reliance on men's support were also highlighted as challenges to women’s continued engagement with the project.

The factors that could sustain and improve the active involvement of women were identified as being increased knowledge and skills, financial incentives, safe, fresh, and healthy vegetables as well as collective working with the families and other women in the communities. Improved health (physical and mental) of the women as a result of healthy activity was also a benefit of the project, identified by the men. The associated indirect benefits such as improved confidence, communication skills, collaboration, mutual decision-making, and enhanced relationships, and mutual respect were also found to promote women’s engagement.

The project generated several aspects of societal transformation as well as changes in norms, attitudes, and perceptions of both women and men.

It could therefore be concluded that the project had achieved a significant degree of gender mainstreaming through the gender-sensitive, gender-specific, and gender-transformative methods adopted in the project which penetrated through the sociocultural fabric of these highly patriarchal societies.

Sajida Taj (Shahzad)

Completed: January 2020

Research Title: Feedback from the field: an evaluation of the ‘Developing approaches to enhance farmer water management skills in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan’ project, from the perspective of rural small farmers in Punjab and Sindh.

Research Summary

This study aimed to outline the degree of success of the ‘Developing approaches to enhance farmer water management skills in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan’ project for women and men farmers, as at March 2019. Based on this review, the project was having an overall positive impact on farmers in the project, and a number of suggested improvements to the project were outlined moving forward from March 2019.

The ‘Developing approaches to enhance farmer water management skills in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan’ project sought to address the three key areas of poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment, and water management by introducing tools, technologies and knowledge. These were introduced using three proven adult learning models, while promoting collaborative and equitable relationships between women and men.

Three adult learning models were trialled:

  • Value Management (VM)—a collaborative method of facilitated problem identification and solving
  • Organic Research and Collaborative Development/Collaborative Problem Solving Workshops (ORCD/CPSW)—a sustainable development program designed to teach farmers to teach others the new skills they have learnt, and;
  • Discovery Learning (DL)—a problem solving method in which participants are provided tools and resources before being largely left to manage without support

In-depth interviews with women and men farmers were undertaken to assess the project’s effectiveness, with the assistance of skilled local translators. Results of the interviews showed that farmers in villages where the VM and ORCD/CPSW models were being implemented were experiencing markedly greater improvements than those in villages under the DL model.

This research suggested three recommendations for the remainder of the project:

  1. Explicit involvement of young people
  2. Improved focus on women and their status
  3. Disbanding the Discovery Learning (DL) model