PRGA Supports Programs to Improve Food Security and Gender Equity

Systemwide Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis (PRGA Program) is funding the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Centers and partners which aid small farmers and researchers fight against the effects of climate change on food security.

One of the funded CGIAR Centers is the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), which focuses on providing cheap ways to solve the farming problems of farmers in marginal areas with genetic resources. On the other hand, International Center for Tropical Agriculture, the Eastern and Central Africa Bean Research Network, and the Southern Africa Bean Research Network is working on Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), which addresses the variety preferences of men and women depending on their contribution in the production of crops. Researchers believe that the men and women farmer's traditional beliefs, together with their approach to fighting environmental stresses, would help them know how to support the farmer's livelihood along with their experiments.

For more information visit http://www.cgiar.org/enews/april2010/story_14.html.