Meeting the Moment: PGE’s Response to COVID-19
An interview with PGE Founder Kimberly Easson By Rachel Ansley, Communications Volunteer
Though COVID-19 has devastated economies around the world, businesses in the coffee and cocoa sectors have found ways to accommodate the uncertainty of the times. In the earliest days of the pandemic, their attention shifted from one of advancement and innovation to sheer survival of their businesses and the wellbeing of their staff. Sustainability initiatives at least momentarily fell to the bottom of the priority list — including gender equity.
Women have disproportionately suffered the effects of the pandemic by nearly any measure. In the coffee and cocoa sectors in particular, women who had begun to step up as leaders have now been forced to step back and take care of those at home. Adverse effects of this pandemic for women can be seen at every stage of the supply chain, and decisions are taken “without the voices of the ones who should most have a say,” said Kimberly Easson, founder of the Partnership for Gender Equity (PGE). Though the push for gender equity in coffee and cocoa may have slowed, PGE’s work to “ensure continued progress on the issue in spite of the many challenges presented by COVID-19,” proves that it is by no means finished.
The Partnership for Gender Equity has temporarily reduced its direct outreach to companies, adjusting to conditions created by the pandemic and working with coffee and cocoa companies to focus instead on internal capacity building and educational programs. While PGE’s team may not be in the field at the moment, they have continued their work by “strengthening our programs that connect allies to advance gender equity in meaningful ways,” said Easson. Companies from across both sectors have recognized that they cannot go back to business as usual, and that in spite of the crisis, they must consider how to “build back better.” The call for greater inclusion and equity globally means that now more than ever, it is time for gender equity to be a top priority.
Easson took the time to answer a few questions about PGE’s work and the organization’s innovative responses to COVID-19, as they found new ways to meet the moment and continue their outreach. Below are excerpts from her interview:
Q: What is the Partnership for Gender Equity (PGE), and how would you define its primary mission?
KE: The Partnership for Gender Equity is a women-led, not-for-profit social enterprise that works globally to accelerate gender equity and social inclusion in prominent agricultural supply chains such as coffee and cocoa. Our mission is to unlock the potential of rural women and their families, promote equitable opportunities for their communities to thrive, and inspire bold industry action toward supply chains that work for everyone.
Q: How would you distinguish gender equality from gender equity?
KE: People often think these terms mean the same thing. The way we look at it is that gender equity ensures that everyone has access to tools, information and resources they need to fulfill their potential. Gender equity is the path to achieving gender equality.
We do three things to advance equity:
1) We identify gaps in gender equity in families and communities, and assist producer organizations in efforts to close them through a targeted online assessment and tools to support their efforts to improve
2) We encourage buyers to support these programs through their purchases and sustainability investments
3) We draw attention to these issues through research and evaluation that strengthen the evidence-based case for greater action
As a result, we believe that greater equality will exist within farming households, communities and along the supply chain overall.
3. Who are PGE’s partners and the key stakeholders in its work?
KE: PGE works with partners around the world, focusing on the coffee and cocoa supply chains. Our partners range from farmer organizations representing smallholder agricultural families, to specialty coffee and cocoa companies working closely with these organizations to promote sustainability, to large companies who recognize the importance of gender equity toward achieving their business and sustainability goals.
Since our founding in 2015, we’ve built tools, principles, and programs that advance gender equity within farmer organizations in the coffee value chain and investigated what motivates companies to take action. Our capacity-building efforts in thirteen coffee-producing countries have directly impacted 928 farmers (50% women) and ninety-one farmer organizations, with over 100,000 farmer members in total.
We have been fortunate to count on the support of key sector leaders and organizations over time, in particular the SAFE Platform of the InterAmerican Development Bank, the Global Coffee Platform, the Rainforest Alliance, the Lavazza Foundation, OLAM, Mr. Espresso, and Equal Exchange, among others. Our Equal Origins network has over fifty company and not-for-profit supporters from ten countries–and continues to grow. We have engaged another forty-five companies in direct programming, and many more in conversations to educate and inspire action.
We believe in the power of companies and organizations to leverage their voices for gender equity, and that everyone has an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that programs and investments are equitable.
4. How do you re-imagine the role of PGE and similar organizations during, and in the wake of, the COVID-19 pandemic?
KE: COVID-19 has required us to be innovative and tenacious. I think that for many organizations these two characteristics are key to survival, now more than ever. We had to pull back on our advocacy efforts among coffee and cocoa companies who were reeling from the economic impact of the crisis — trying to keep shops open and keep staff. Instead, we’ve spent this time “at home” to focus on building out programs that don’t require travel or in-person gatherings. We’ve also focused on strengthening our programs that connect allies to advance gender equity in meaningful ways.
For example, in our project in the Democratic Republic of Congo with USAID and UKAID support, we moved our planned in-person workshops to online video modules that can be shared with farmer organization representatives via WhatsApp. Thus far, ten organizations in North and South Kivu have accessed this information. They will use it identify gender gaps in their organizations and to strengthen alliances with market actors to improve their efforts.
In collaboration with the SAFE Platform of the InterAmerican Development Bank, we adapted a planned in-person Learning Journey (originally planned for October 2020 in Honduras), to a Virtual Learning Journey with representatives from twenty-nine farmer organizations from eight countries. Over the course of four facilitated Zoom conversations, we will build concrete ideas and plans for greater industry collaboration to advance gender equity, and ensure continued progress on the issue in spite of the many challenges presented by COVID-19. This program also received support from the Lavazza Foundation, Mr. Espresso, USAID, and a number of other chocolate brands and coffee roasting companies. We now have a model for conducting similar Virtual Learning Journeys in other parts of the world, or for company-specific supply chain partners.
5. How has the pandemic affected women, particularly women in the coffee and cocoa sectors?
KE: The response to COVID-19 has necessitated restrictions on movement and gatherings. As a result, decisions are being made on key issues (such as food security and health care) without the voices of the ones who should most have a say. Economic uncertainty means that farmer organizations have less stable access to markets for their products, which means less income for their farmer members. Communities have also reported an increase in gender-based violence as a result of families spending more time at home under more stressful circumstances and heavier home care burdens.
The untenable risk is that we lose years of progress on gender equity and women’s empowerment. Therefore, at PGE we have redoubled our efforts. Many leaders, among them Melinda Gates, have consistently urged that global attention be focused on gender equality. The need is even more pressing during this pandemic. We strongly agree and urge industry actors to strengthen their resolve to greater gender equity.
6. Do you believe PGE’s work is work that can ever be considered “complete”? If so, when?
KE: We look forward to a future where our work is no longer necessary. In this future, all people are considered equal, and have equitable access to the tools, resources, and information they need to achieve their full potential. Families and communities thrive in alliance with businesses who treat them as true equal partners.
For PGE, achieving gender equity is the foundation to achieving each one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Environment, education, and the other topics are all linked. Only in partnership will we achieve any one of these goals. We are excited about the concerted effort that is taking place within the United Nation’s #decadeofaction heading toward 2030. SDG 5 (Gender Equality) has a prominent role in many development efforts around the world. We at PGE are excited to do our part — with our many partners around the world — to motivate greater awareness, advocacy, and action to achieve it.
