91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ

As part of the Gender in STEM Research Initiative (GIST) funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Strengthening Gender Inclusion in Agricultural Research for More Conclusive Results in West Africa project was launched, bringing together researchers from Benin, Ivory Coast, and Niger. The project aims to develop inclusive and gender-sensitive institutional strategies and policies as well as skills for research and the participation of women scientists in the agricultural sciences in West Africa. This will help promote equitable, sustainable, and productive agricultural systems in support of broader economic and societal transformation.

To achieve these objectives, the project is divided into three evolving phases: a research phase, a political-institutional lobbying phase, and a capacity-building phase through various planned training courses. As a result of the activities, the project plans to bring about a change in behaviour among researchers, policy-makers, and the various social strata, through :

• Better consideration of women's concerns and their products in research results and in the development of technological packages in the agronomic field;
• A change in research and development methodologies, doctoral research, and other gender-related research in the agronomic and social sciences;
• A reduction in the gender gap in agronomic science courses in West Africa;
• A reorientation of institutional policies in terms of gender inclusion in agronomic research.

Key activities conducted according to the project timeline include:

• The collection of disaggregated data on the number of men and women in agricultural training and research structures to assess the inclusion of women in the agricultural sciences,
• Documentary research to identify gender bias in agricultural research,
• Support for the supervision and monitoring of the training of fifteen (15) young female fellows in agricultural science research specialties where women are marginalized,
• The creation of a platform for intergenerational exchange and mentoring of young Agriwomen girls (www. agriwomen.org),
• Organizing training workshops and webinars to support and lead discussions aimed at improving the way in which gender is taken into account in STEM,
• Building the capacity of stakeholders,
• Drawing up an advocacy document for the inclusion of gender in agricultural research,
• Setting up a system for monitoring the implementation of activities and sharing experiences with partner teams, monitoring and evaluating activities, and disseminating the results obtained.

Read here () for more activities from this initiative.

Contributed by: Christine Ouinsavi, University of Parakou, Benin