News South Africa

Africa's women scientists face an uphill battle

Rufaro Madakadze, a horticultural scientist with the Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) was shocked when a young, aspiring Ethiopian scientist who was one of a privileged few, and the only woman, who had been accepted by a program set up by AGRA to train the next generation of African farm scientists at African universities told her she would not be able to attend.
Africa's women scientists face an uphill battle

According to Allafrica.com, the woman said that her husband would not allow it. She had a choice: divorce or abandon hope of a degree.

All too often, these are the choices that talented, young African women looking for careers in science are forced to make. Although women are the bulk of the farm workforce, it is men who are the researchers, the government officials, and the extension workers advising farmers. This gender imbalance perpetuates the inequality of women farmers.

The first ever Global Conference on Women in Agriculture opened recently in New Delhi, Allafrica.com reports. Hundreds of experts, World Food Prize laureates, ministers, farmers, gender experts, leading scientists, community leaders and innovators have gathered to address the underlying causes of the gender gap in agriculture and find ways to increase support for efforts that are already working on the ground.

Read the full article on http://allafrica.com.

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