New program to fast track the careers of African women scientists;
Seeks to fix "leaky pipeline" of women agricultural researchers in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Confronting the disparity between the role of African
women in farming and their limited presence in the agriculture sciences, the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Gender &
Diversity Program today launched an unprecedented $13 million effort that
will support the fast-tracking of careers of at least 360 African women in
agricultural research. Participating countries include Ethiopia, Ghana,
Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

The Nairobi-based African Women in Agricultural Research and
Development (AWARD) program is being funded with a four-year grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant represents the Foundation's
belief in the importance of engaging women at every level in agricultural
development. Today, women farmers produce 60 to 80 percent of crops critical
to feeding the people of Africa. Yet women comprise less than 20 percent of
agricultural researchers.

"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, at the CGIAR Annual General Meeting in Beijing
where the grant was announced. "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."

"Women bear much of the responsibility for cultivating crops in Africa
and they face challenging and changing conditions," said Rajiv Shah,
director of agricultural development for the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. "African women scientists can help bring practical, sustainable
improvements to the African farm sector so smallholder farmers - most of
whom are women - can build better lives for themselves and their families."

The AWARD program will address many of the barriers?including a lack
of role models and mentors, and institutional biases?that in the past have
prevented African women from playing a more active role in agricultural
research.

"It is a plain fact that the young woman scientist continues to face a
scary and tormenting situation in deciding whether she should pursue her
career {as a scientist} or maintain her family," said Miriam G. Kinyua,
Associate Professor of Agriculture at Moi University. "I believe it should
not be so. I believe that with the right balance, she can succeed in both."

While other programs provide academic support, AWARD is different. The
program nourishes the African talent pool with a career development series
designed to strengthen both science and leadership skills of women in
agricultural research at three critical career junctures ? upon completion
of their BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees.

Specifically, the program seeks to achieve a:

* 25 percent increase in African women with BSc degrees
participating as members of research teams in at least 20 agricultural
institutions in sub-Saharan Africa;

* 50 percent increase in African women with masters degrees
managing research teams and producing improved farm technologies at these
institutions;

* 50 percent increase in African women PhDs serving in influential
leadership roles and as role models and mentors to younger women;

* Significant increase in the number of African girls and young
women inspired to pursue careers in agricultural research and development;
and

* Significant increase in the number of men and women aware of the
importance of women's voices and contributions to agriculture in Africa.

Many of the strategies to be employed in the AWARD initiative were
first developed in two smaller, pilot programs administered by the CGIAR
Gender & Diversity Program in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation,
the US Agency for International Development, and the Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture. Launched in 2005, these efforts have provided
career-boosting support for 75 women agricultural researchers in Africa. But
there is a clear need for expansion, as qualified applicants for the
fellowships have far exceeded available positions.

One lesson from the pilot programs is that mentoring is critical to
cultivating a strong cadre of women scientists. Each fellow selected to
participate in the initiative will be assigned a senior scientist to serve
as her mentor to guide her research and training. During the second year of
her fellowship, each woman in turn will mentor a more junior woman from her
organization, creating a spread effect and boosting yet more women.

"I strongly feel this mentoring program has a multiplier effect and
its impacts are definitely changing lives and most specifically the lives of
women..... The Gender & Diversity program is a nurturing powerhouse," said
Jenipher Bisikwa, Pilot G&D Fellowship Winner from Uganda.

The mentoring program also is intended to get men involved. While they
are not eligible for the AWARD fellowships, Wilde said men are being
encouraged to become mentors. In exchange, they will be offered the
opportunity to participate in special AWARD events, such as courses that
teach leadership skills, science writing, and proposal writing.

Fellows also will have access to a range of resources to ensure they
have maximum opportunity to make a long-term commitment to agricultural
research. Today, the proportion of women studying agricultural sciences in
Africa steadily declines as students move from undergraduate to masters and
on to PhD programs. To counter this "leaky pipeline" problem, the AWARD
program is providing a variety of resources to encourage women to stick with
their research pursuits.

For example, each fellow is linked to an electronic science library
and, as they get their research papers published, they are funded to attend
and present at scientific conferences. Fellows also will be offered
internships in a variety of research settings, including the CGIAR Centers
and a number of universities in Africa, and abroad.

The push to strengthen women's presence in the agricultural sciences
comes as African countries are embarking on an historic effort to reduce
poverty and hunger by boosting production on the continent's farms, which
are predominantly small-scale operations struggling to keep pace with
population growth. Almost no country has managed a rapid rise from poverty
without increasing agricultural productivity.

"The CGIAR started the G&D program to heighten the role of women in
international agricultural research and help them advance their careers as
scientists. We also wanted to ensure that the results of our work are
reaching African women, who produce between 60 and 80 per cent of the
continent's food," said Kathy Sierra, Vice President of Sustainable
Development at the World Bank and Chair of the CGIAR. "This new commitment
will greatly further those goals. There is talent everywhere in the world,
and we must tap into it."

About the CGIAR
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR),
established in 1971, is a strategic partnership of countries, international
and regional organizations and private foundations supporting the work of 15
international agricultural research Centers. In collaboration with national
agricultural research systems, civil society and the private sector, the
CGIAR fosters sustainable agricultural growth through high-quality science
aimed at benefiting the poor through stronger food security, better human
nutrition and health, higher incomes and improved management of natural
resources. For more information, please visit: www.cgiar.org .


About the Gender & Diversity Program
The purpose of the Gender & Diversity Program is to help the CGIAR
Centers leverage their rich staff diversity to increase research and
management excellence. The program promotes such activities as
diversity-positive recruitment, international teamwork, cross-cultural
communications and advancement for women. For more information, please
visit: www.genderdiversity.cgiar.org .


About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive
lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and
giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty.
In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people -- especially those
with the fewest resources -- have access to the opportunities they need to
succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO
Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of
Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For more information, please
visit: www.gatesfoundation.org .