Editorial: Gender-Intentional Breeding Case Studies

Jacqueline Ashby^1*Vivian Polar^1*Hale Ann Tufan^2*

• ¹Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Washington D.C., United States
• ²Cornell University, Ithaca, United States

extension systems (NARES), and NGOs. The Editors participated in the selection of the cases and mentored their development. The published cases were selected based on their focus on gender research, evidence of changes in breeding objectives, and diversity of geographic and institutional contexts.The cases examine breeding outcomes, the process of integrating gender research into plant breeding and how breeding programs changed objectives, methods and management practices as a result. Many illustrate how gender-intentional breeding requires the formation of multidisciplinary teams that include breeders and social scientists, and in some instances, food scientists. Several case studies show that embedding gender researchers in breeding teams led to changes in variety design and prioritization. Programs that initially used participatory varietal selection (PVS) without specific gender considerations revised their approach to include women's trait preferences and production constraints. A key innovation was the use of gender-responsive participatory research methods, such as TRICOT crowdsourcing trials, which allowed both men and women to evaluate varieties based on agronomic, processing, and consumption characteristics.Gender-intentional breeding programs consistently reveal the widespread occurrence of both distinct and overlapping plant trait preferences among men and women. For example, in Mali and Burkina Faso, women preferred sorghum and millet varieties with soft grain for easier processing, while men prioritized yield and marketability. In Nigeria, women cassava processors valued high carotenoid retention and low water content in roots. Similar findings were reported in other crops, such as cowpea, sweet potato, and yam, where gender-informed trait preferences influenced breeders' selection. These insights led to modifications in breeding objectives, ensuring that new varieties incorporated user-preferred traits.As a result of integrating gender research, breeding programs released several gender-intentional varieties. In Nigeria, new cassava varieties included processing-friendly traits preferred by women. In Uganda, sweetpotato varieties included quality traits like mealiness and aroma, important to women. In Mali, genderintentional sorghum and millet hybrids were released, increasing adoption by women farmers. Several Cases emphasize the value of incorporating gender considerations early in the breeding cycle.Changes in breeding programs extended beyond variety selection. Many programs revised their target beneficiary definitions, moving away from a generic "farmer" model to more inclusive frameworks that account for intersecting gender and social differences. Breeding objectives expanded beyond yield and disease resistance to include processing and nutritional traits, reflecting diverse user needs. Evaluation criteria evolved to prioritize gender-relevant traits, and participatory methods were refined to ensure equal representation of men and women in varietal selection. Seed dissemination strategies also shifted, incorporating community-based distribution models that empowered women as seed producers and entrepreneurs.The cases also highlight challenges and areas for further improvement. Gender research requires dedicated funding, yet many programs rely on donations rather than institutional budgets. Ensuring that gender research informs early-stage breeding decisions remains a challenge, as does developing high-throughput screening methods for quality traits. To advance gender-intentional breeding, breeding programs must allocate funds for gender research, incorporate gender experts into breeding teams, and refine participatory methodologies to better capture diverse trait preferences.An important lesson from the Cases is that gender-responsive breeding is more effective when integrated into a fully client-oriented and demand-led breeding strategy. The cases show how strengthening partnerships with community organizations and fostering transdisciplinary collaboration help to embed gender considerations into breeding efforts, ultimately contributing to greater adoption and agricultural sustainability.In conclusion, the transition from conventional to gender-intentional breeding within a fully client-oriented approach, represents a significant shift in agricultural research. The experiences documented in these case studies provide valuable lessons for future breeding programs, demonstrating that gender-responsive approaches not only promote equity but also lead to more widely adopted and impactful crop varieties.The papers emphasize the need for plant breeding to transition from a traditionally supply-driven approach to one that is gender-intentional, demand-led, and participatory. By changing how traits are prioritized, varieties selected, and seed strategies developed to actively involve social scientists in decision-making, breeding programs cab integrate social and gender considerations into their work. In particular, programs should make sure that the design of new varieties, embodied in breeders' product profiles, takes into account the role of women in food systems and their constraints in accessing seeds and inputs. Several papers conclude that gender-intentional breeding requires integrating gender analysis into breeding objectives from early stages, ensuring that trait preferences of both men and women are considered in variety design.New impact assessment metrics are needed that measure breeding success more holistically: impact should be based not only on agronomic performance but also on gender-differentiated adoption rates, effects on labor use and drudgery, specially processing ease, and food security r. Furthermore, breeding programs should engage in targeted outreach to redress structural barriers that limit women's access to improved varieties. Breeding programs should also seek to influence policy to gain institutional support for women's participation in variety selection, seed multiplication, and dissemination. One key recommendation is to move beyond simple sex-disaggregated approaches and apply intersectional analysis to understand how gender, social, economic, and ecological factors shape trait preferences. Several papers stress the importance of co-developing product profiles with men and women farmers, even within the same household, to ensure that breeding targets reflect real and diverse needs.The Collection highlights the value of novel participatory breeding approaches that involve a representative cross-section of value chain actors, and breeders in joint decision-makingt. It calls for innovative methods such as crowdsourcing information on varietal preferences to strenghten stakeholder engagement. Structural changes in breeding institutions are also needed, including hiring more women scientists and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration for gender research, . Fostering transdisciplinary teams that combine breeding expertise with gender and social science expertise is identified as one of the most essential transformations required.Overall, plant breeding must move from a gender-aware to a gender-intentional model, actively working to overcome inequalities in variety adoption and access. This transformation entails cultural change in breeding organizations, so that gender considerations are not seen as peripheral or add-ons but as integral to impactful breeding. Change of this magniture requires leadership commitment, institutional incentives, and long-term funding, not only to integrate gender concerns but to embed them into lasting and transformative institutional change.