Partnership with AWARD

In Francophone Africa, women perform 47 per cent of the agricultural labor, but only 16 per cent of the agricultural research labor force is female, according to a recent FAO study.

To address that imbalance, Agropolis Fondation and African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) have forged a new partnership to explore ways to build science and leadership capacity among Francophone African women scientists involved in agricultural research.

Agropolis Fondation hosted a two-day workshop (June 8-9) in Montpellier, France,to discuss feasibility plans for AWARD's expansion.

AWARD currently serves African women agricultural scientists from one Lusophone and 10 Anglophone countries. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), AWARD is seeking additional partners to support its expansion to up to 11 francophone countries. Representatives from 10 international institutions, including USAID and BMGF, attended the meeting, as well as Steering Committee, Board, and staff members from AWARD and Agropolis Fondation.

Participants at the workshop discussed an in-depth feasibility study, sponsored by USAID and conducted by Dalberg Global Development Advisors on behalf of AWARD, which looked at ways to strengthen the current pool of Francophone women agricultural scientists and encourage more women to consider a career in agricultural research. AWARD is a professional development program that strengthens 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. Launched in 2008, AWARD has provided two-year career-development fellowships to 250 African women scientists.

Women from Francophone African countries are not part of AWARD and there is a need to include them, according to the study. The Dalberg team conducted 110 interviews about the current status of women in agricultural research with government officials, research and academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations in eight Francophone countries.

"We are extremely grateful for the outstanding support that we have received from USAID that enabled us to conduct this study, and to Agropolis Fondation's vision in bringing together key stakeholders from across Europe to look at how we can make this dream a reality," said Vicki Wilde, director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research's Gender & Diversity Program, of which AWARD is a project. "We plan to continue our discussions, and we welcome queries from potential funding partners," she added.

"I am very pleased to see that the initial discussion we started last year on how we, Agropolis Fondation and the AWARD Programme, can work together in supporting scientific capacity building of African women, is coming into fruition. We are cognizant of the initial efforts and early success of the AWARD programme in Anglophone Africa and we are particularly keen on seeing the programme expanded to Francophone Africa," said Anne-Lucie Wack, Director of Agropolis Fondation.

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