This brief was written by Katharine Vincent, Job Eronmhonsele, Thomas Kibutu, Pacificah Okemwa, and Sarli Nana for the SPARC programme.

This brief shares lessons from locally led action research on women’s empowerment among pastoralists in Nigeria and South Sudan. It distils lessons from these locally-led action research projects, and targets research funders interested in pastoralists and agropastoralists living in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCAS), who face particular challenges, and women and girls are typically especially marginalised. Key lessons include that flexibility with progress milestones and disbursement schedules helps researchers cope with volatility and unpredictability; research proposals need to articulate how access to and trust of both women and men will be gained if the aim to shift gender norms is to be achieved; and that expectations should be set appropriately for the type of implementing organisation carrying out the research. 

Read the brief here.