Gender in science, innovation, technology and engineering (GenderInSITE) Africa regional focal point, hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has just launched a short video of the Gendered Innovations: Case Studies from Africa. GenderInSITE is an international initiative aimed at promoting the role of women in science, innovation, technology and engineering.
The value of case studies as a tangible means to demonstrate the complex linkages between gender, innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was underscored at a workshop hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and GenderInSITE under the guidance of the impressive work of Prof Londa Schiebinger of Stanford University. In an attempt to promote the importance of gendered innovation, this case studies project aimed to identify and showcase case studies from the African continent that demonstrate either the positive impacts of gendered innovation or the negative consequences when gender is not considered. The case study featured Promoting the consumption of African Leafy Vegetable in a selected community of the North-west province of South Africa. This case study focuses on raising awareness of the safe nutrition it provides as a food to communities as well as the health benefits of its consumption, and how women and girls can be empowered through farming and use of these green leafy vegetables by promoting their participation in small-scale vegetable farming as well as their ability to generate an income from the farming activities.