Giving Compass' Take:

• Food Tank highlights eight women who are breaking new ground in agricultural science and using sustainable technologies against some of the world’s greatest crop threats.

• How can we fund and encourage more women to contribute to food sustainability and agricultural sciences? 

• Here's an article on how women farmers are changing the field. 

The United Nations marked February 11th as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science—an opportunity to celebrate women and girls in their pursuit of a discipline long dominated by men.

While a growing number of women enroll in universities every year, women currently only make up 30 percent of the world’s researchers. At the doctoral level, the number of female graduates drops significantly.

For this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, eight women who collaborate with the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Integrated Pest Management reflect on their own contributions to food security and the vital role women play in science around the world.

  1. Mafruha Afroz is a senior scientific officer in plant pathology at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute.
  2. Maria Elisa Christie is Director of Women and Gender in International Development at Virginia Tech’s Center for International Research, Education, and Development.
  3. Bimala Rai Colavito is a photographer, videographer, and communications volunteer for iDE in Nepal.
  4. Seerjana Maharjan is a doctoral student at Tribhuvan Univeristy in Nepal.
  5. Jesca Mbaka is a senior research scientist and Center Director at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization.
  6. Anju Poudel is a doctoral student at Tribhuvan University in Nepal.
  7. Mossammat Shamsunnahar is a principal scientific officer in plant pathology at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Center.
  8. Kim Hian Seng is a project coordinator for iDE in Cambodia.

Read the full article on women making scientific breakthroughs in agriculture by Sara Hendery at Food Tank