Gender in Irrigation Learning and Improvement Tool

The Gender in Irrigation and Learning Improvement Tool (GILIT) can be used to enable gender equity in irrigation projects and schemes. As a collaborative learning tool it supports the design of new irrigation schemes, and enhances existing ones, in ways that ensure improved gender equitability.

Focused around three key gender and irrigation themes (access, participation and benefits) the tool consists of a series of indicators, supporting discussion questions and an adaptable scoring system.  It follows a questionnaire format divided into 5 sections, which includes

1. The Gender Equality Context
2. Access to Scheme Resources
3. Access to Scheme Membership, Leadership Opportunities and Decision Making
4. Access to Scheme Benefits
5. A Score Sheet for Scheme and Planned Actions for Improvement

Used effectively, GILIT helps to assess an irrigation scheme's current conditions for enabling men and women's participation and also to identify areas of change that are within the control of those managing the scheme. GILIT also offers opportunities to identify specific actions that could be taken to address gender inequalities. 

GILIT is a tool that diverse stakeholders can use to facilitate discussion, reflection and evaluation across relevant actors with the aim of strengthening areas of weakness and sharing insightful lessons. Overall this helps support realignment of an irrigation scheme, or project, towards realization of gender equity goals.

This tool is open access and available for use by governments, non-government organizations, researchers, communities and others. It was developed by researchers from the International Water Management Institute, supported by the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems.