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International Day of Women and Girls in Science : Reflections from women in Ag

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International Day of Women and Girls in Science : Reflections from women in Ag

11 February was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (resolution A/RES/70/212) as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, to achieve full and equal acceess to and participation in science for women and girls.


Within agriculture, CIMMYT has chosen to celebrate this day by profiling women involved in agricultural sciences to hear their views and also on issues affecting women in agriculture. 

© FAO

In their blog, CIMMYT profiles five women from Kenya, 2 from United States,India, and Nepal. These are some of their quotes

  • "The key factor that will encourage women and young girls to get involved in science is to be paired up with already practicing women scientists through mentorship programs so that they see firsthand what it is like to be a female scientist, and what it takes to become one..." - Rahma Adam, CIMMYT Kenya
  • "The world needs these women scientists and we need to do all we can to nurture them and encourage a new generation of young women to enter into STEM fields. We must encourage and excite young women about studying STEM subjects, especially in developing countries. We can do this by profiling more female role models and by ensuring that new and established scientists get their fair share of airtime in publications and on conference panels..." - Bev Postma, HarvestPlus CEO, United States
  • "Women look at issues and research in a different light than men and are often more effective in communication. We must change the current perception of science as a negative, especially in agriculture. It is my hope that women will be able to talk about the benefits of innovation and technology in a manner that makes it easier to understand and acceptable to the public.." - Julie Borlaug, United States
  • "It is essential to bring women working in agriculture into the mainstream and to empower them with direct access to knowledge of improved agricultural technologies. The female presence in scientific fields has been largely disproportional compared to male; however, the trend is slowly changing, as more and more women are entering these fields..." - Reshmi Rani Das, CYMMYT Research Scholar, India
  • "In my opinion, enabling environments in family, society and in communities, promoting knowledge gathering, support for education and career development will encourage more women and girls to get involved in science.." Mina K. Devkota, CIMMYT Systems Agronomist 

To read their full profiles and comments read more information here

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