Body Set to Raise Profile of African Women in Agricultural Science
By Henry Neondo
Determined to raise the profile of women scientists in agriculture, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) has once again called Monday for applications for the 2011 AWARD Fellowships.
The award will be granted to up to 70 African female agricultural scientists in 11 countries.
African women working in agricultural research and development from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia who have completed a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in selected agricultural disciplines are eligible to apply.
The fellowships are awarded on the basis of intellectual merit, leadership capacity, and the potential of the scientist’s research to improve the daily lives of smallholder farmers, especially women.
AWARD’s goal is to strengthen the research and leadership skills of African women in agricultural science, empowering them to contribute more effectively to poverty alleviation and food security in sub-Saharan Africa.
AWARD offers two‐year fellowships focused on establishing mentoring partnerships, building science skills, and developing leadership capacity.
AWARD addresses many of the barriers, including a lack of role models and mentors, which prevent African women from playing a more active role in agricultural research and from considering a career in agricultural science.
The AWARD was started against the background of the fact that across Africa, the majority of those who produce, process, and market the continent's food are women, but only one in four agricultural researchers is female.
Less than one in seven (14 percent) leadership positions in agricultural science is held by a woman.
“If Africa is to successfully alleviate poverty and increase food security, then women must be engaged at all levels of agricultural development—in research, extension, policy, and markets. There is an urgent need for women to be better represented in agricultural science and technology in sub-Saharan Africa”, says Vicki Wilde, AWARD Director.
Established in 2008, AWARD is a project of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)’s Gender & Diversity Programme and currently has 180 African women working in agricultural research and development.
AWARD is a US$15 million, five-year project with plans to expand to a second phase starting 2013 and is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development, and other major donors.