NiWARD
NIGERIAN WOMEN IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT
Transforming agriculture for development
Dr. Moji Edema
NiWARD from AWARD…
NiWARD
NIGERIAN WOMEN IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT
• Nigerian Women in Agricultural Research for
Development (NiWARD) - an empowerment
initiative from AWARD
• To bring the benefits gained by AWARD
Fellows/Mentors/Mentees to rural women
farmers
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• US$15 million, 5-year project
• Established in 2008
• Followed a successful 3-year pilot
program in East Africa with support from
the Rockefeller Foundation from 20052008
• Second phase commenced in 2013
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Sponsors
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• USAID
• ICRAF also contributes through cost-sharing
and indirect support such as audit, secretariat
hosting etc
• Some 75 national agricultural research
institutions also support in various ways
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Goal:
To fight hunger and poverty in
sub-Saharan Africa through
women professionals involved
in agricultural research
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What does AWARD
achieve?
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Leadership
Improved visibility
Professional growth
Enhanced networking
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Through Career Development
Strategies:
– Structured mentoring/role-modeling
– Proposal writing/fund raising course
– Science writing/presentation skills course
– Access to an electronic science library
– Access to knowledge sharing and networking
– Four-to-nine month research placement
– Participation in a science conference
– Membership in a professional association
– Women’s Leadership course
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Coverage
• 11 Countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia,
Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
• 5 Francophone: Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali,
Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire
• Levels: Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral
• 16 Agricultural sciences and allied disciplines
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Nigerians on AWARD
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•
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•
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2008 – 09 Nigerians selected (n=59)
2009 – 11 Nigerians “
(n=61)
2010 – 13 Nigerians “
(n=60)
2011 – 18 “
“
(n=70)
2012 – break before 2nd phase
2013 – 18 “
“
(n=75)
2014 – 23 Nigerians “
(n=70)
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AWARD sensitization seminar at
FUTA by Prof Williams
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NIWARD seeks to bridge the gap
between these two classes of women
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Launched on May 4th, 2013
With about 60 AWARD fellows, mentors and mentees
NIWARD declared by the Hon. Minister of Agriculture at
FUTA’S Foundation Day Lecture
NiWARD
NIGERIAN WOMEN IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT
Transforming agriculture for development
Objectives of NIWARD
reach rural women farmers by implementing
strategies already tested by AWARD fellows
link nutrition, agriculture and food production
through provision of technical expertise under
the new agricultural transformation agenda
initiative
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Objectives of NIWARD
organize women farmers as change agents of
sustainable agricultural development in their
communities
mainstream gender into agricultural policy and
programmes
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She can do about any farm work!
Implementation approach:
• Collaboration: among AWARD Fellows and
development partners to spur sustainable
agricultural development
• Capacity building: among rural farming
communities to enhance agricultural
productivity
• Gender responsiveness: agricultural
development and innovation for women and
youths
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NIWARD interventions
• Workshops for target groups on valueaddition;
• Support for Rural Farming Cooperatives,
especially Women Farmers;
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NIWARD interventions
• Creation and management of Agricultural
Cottage Industries in Rural Communities;
• Empowerment of Rural Women Farmers in the
context of the Agricultural Transformation
Agenda
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Anchored by CEGIST
• Centre for Gender Issues in Science and
Technology
• One of FUTA’s service Centres that work with
other national and international
institutions/organisations for optimal impact
towards national development
NIWARD Activities so far:
• Consultations with important stakeholders to
support NiWARD: FMARD, FARA, FIIRO….. A
number of other institutions
• Panel discussion by lead narrator of NiWARD,
Prof Stella Williams @ 19th Economic Summit;
• Memoirs of NiWARD: Success stories of
AWARD Fellows and Mentors
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Expectations from
partners/stakeholders
• Promotion of NiWARD’s activities
nationally and internationally
• Need to bring NiWARD into the
professional fold
• NiWARD envisions a participatory
interaction for implementation
• Counterpart, supportive funding…..
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Contacts
• NIWARD: http://niward.org/
• CEGIST: http://cegist.futa.edu.ng
• AWARD: http://awardfellowships.org
Centre for Gender Issues in Science and Technology
(CEGIST)
Federal University of Technology, Akure
PMB 704, 340001, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria
Email: info@niward.org, cegistfuta@gmail.com
Phone: +234 807 6766673
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Way Forward
• What does success look like? How do we make
an impact?
• How do we scale and implement our gender
responsive research in farming communities ?
• What kind of support ( financial and technical)
exist?
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Way Forward
• Build a network of Nigerian AWARD Fellows,
Mentors, Mentees, and Interested Partners
including small scale farmers.
• Funding.
• Projects/proposals.
• Monitoring and Evaluation.
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