New Program to Increase Women Participation in Agric Science

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Gender and Diversity Program launched a US$ 13 million grant that will support the fast-tracking of careers of more than three hundred African women in the field of agricultural research. The African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) program, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and based in Nairobi, was initiated to address the disparity between the role of African women in farming and their limited presence in agricultural science. “We cannot fight hunger and poverty in Africa, particularly in the struggling regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, unless women have a strong voice not just on the farm, but in the lab,” said Vicki Wilde, head of the CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program. “It is urgent that we increase the number of African women in agricultural research. We are thrilled that the Gates Foundation is funding our work in this area.”

The program aims not only to increase agricultural science degree holders, but also to increase the awareness on the importance of women’s voices and contributions to African agriculture. AWARD is an aftermath of successful pilot fellowship programs conducted in 2005-2008 in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation, USAID and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. Its current  focus will be on mentoring, building science capacity, and leadership development in women from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.

For details of the award see the press release at http://www.genderdiversity.cgiar.org/, or contact Amelia Goh a.goh@cgiar.org or Catherine Mgendi c.mgendi@cgiar.org