FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AWARD announces the Call for the Second Cohort of its Fellowship targeting African Women in Agricultural PolicyÂ
The call for the second Cohort of the USAID-funded program is open to female policy practitioners from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal.
African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) has opened the Call for the second Cohort of its Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship to women who are citizen of Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal.
An initiative of AWARD funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the highly competitive GRASP Fellowship is an immersive three-year career development program targeting mid-career African women in the policy field to catalyze the design and implementation of gender-responsive agricultural policies across Africa.
Successful applicants, known as AWARD Policy Fellows, get customized training in mentoring, leadership, negotiation skills, and gender integration in policy and agriculture.
The inaugural Cohort, announced in December 2022, comprises 49 women drawn from diverse organizations including the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies across six countries.
âThe GRASP Fellowship promises to prepare me to make a difference in my country by helping fishing communities to develop resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change shocksâ Â Carolyn Munthali, Principal Fisheries Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Malawi, 2022 AWARD Policy Fellow
Effective policies are critical if research innovations are to provide gender-inclusive, sustainable solutions for Africa to transform its agriculture and feed its growing population. The guidelines for country implementation of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) under the Malabo declaration highlight the need for agricultural policies that will facilitate stakeholder engagement and inclusive, equitable agricultural growth. Such policies require careful interrogation of the policy processes from decisions to actions.
âTo develop and refine policy interventions for women and other marginalized groups involved in livestock rearing, we must better understand the roles they play in livestock production and what interventions work best to empower them.â Sylvia Harrison Ngâandu, Lecturer, University of Zambia, 2022 AWARD Policy FellowÂ
The AWARD Policy Fellows are identified through a competitive selection process that includes assessing their experience and leadership potential in gender, agriculture, food systems, and policy development. The AWARD Policy Fellows will sharpen their skills to foster innovative policy-oriented projects, and lead policy processes. They will also receive catalytic funding to design and deploy innovative gender-responsive policy projects.
The Call for applications opens on February 13, 2023, and closes on May 15, 2023, at 2359 hours EAT. Application is strictly through the online portal on the AWARD website. Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted.
Download the GRASP Fellowship brochure for more details about it and its implementation.
âENDS â
Notes to editors
About the GRASP Fellowship
The Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship was announced at the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021. The Fellowship is a three-year non-residential career development program targeting African women interested in policymaking and working in agriculture and food systems. The GRASP Fellowship is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by AWARD.
About AWARD
African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) works toward inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for Africa by strengthening the production and dissemination of more gender-responsive agricultural research and innovation. We invest in African scientists, research institutions, and agribusinesses so that they can deliver agricultural innovations that better respond to the needs and priorities of a diversity of women and men across Africaâs agricultural value chains.
https://awardfellowships.org/
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African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) lance lâappel Ă candidatures pour la seconde Ă©dition de son programme de formation sur les systĂšmes agricoles et politiques publiques sensibles au genre (Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy, GRASP). Le programme sâadresse aux femmes ressortissantes du Burkina Faso, Ethiopie, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda et SĂ©nĂ©gal.
Cette initiative dâAWARD, financĂ©e par lâagence amĂ©ricaine pour le dĂ©veloppement international (USAID), est un programme intense et hautement compĂ©titif. Le programme de formation GRASP, dâune durĂ©e de trois ans, vise le renforcement des capacitĂ©s des femmes africaines, professionnelles et en milieu de carriĂšre, qui sâintĂ©ressent Ă lâĂ©laboration et la mise en Ćuvre de politiques agricoles sensibles aux questions de genre et dâinclusion sociale.
Les candidates retenues, encore appelĂ©es AWARD Policy Fellows, participeront Ă une sĂ©rie de formations sur le mentorat, le leadership, les techniques de nĂ©gociation, la prise en compte de la problĂ©matique genre dans lâagriculture et les politiques publiques.
Au lancement de la premiĂšre cohorte en dĂ©cembre 2022, 49 femmes avaient Ă©tĂ© sĂ©lectionnĂ©es. Elles sont ressortissantes de six pays africains â Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, NigĂ©ria, Ouganda et Zambie â et issues de disciplines et organisations diverses, y compris, le secteur privĂ©, les organisations non-gouvernementales, les organismes dâEtat et dâautres administrations publiques.
âLe programme de formation GRASP va me prĂ©parer Ă de nouveaux dĂ©fis, Ă faire la diffĂ©rence dans mon pays grĂące Ă lâappui aux communautĂ©s de pĂȘcheurs pour dĂ©velopper la rĂ©silience et la capacitĂ© dâadaptation aux chocs climatiquesâ Carolyn Munthali, AWARD Policy Fellow 2022, est un Agent principal des pĂȘches au MinistĂšre de lâagriculture, Malawi.
Il est crucial de promouvoir le dĂ©veloppement de politiques efficaces pour que la recherche et lâinnovation apportent des solutions viables et durables pour la transformation de lâagriculture et la sĂ©curitĂ© alimentaire en Afrique. Les directives pour la mise en Ćuvre du Programme dĂ©taillĂ© pour le dĂ©veloppement de lâagriculture africaine (PPDAA) dans le contexte de la DĂ©claration de Malabo, mettent un accent sur les politiques agricoles qui facilitent lâengagement des diffĂ©rents acteurs tout en promouvant une croissance agricole inclusive et Ă©quitable. La formulation et la mise en Ćuvre de telles politiques sont fortement conditionnĂ©es par des processus dĂ©cisionnels et plans dâaction bien conçus.
âPour dĂ©velopper et renforcer les politiques en appui aux femmes et groupes marginalisĂ©s impliquĂ©s dans lâĂ©levage, nous devons impĂ©rativement comprendre leurs rĂŽles dans la production animale et adapter les interventions pour une meilleure autonomisation de ces communautĂ©s.â Sylvia Harrison Ngâandu, AWARD Policy Fellow 2022, est une enseignante-chercheuse Ă lâUniversitĂ© de Zambie
Les AWARD Policy Fellows sont sĂ©lectionnĂ©es Ă travers un processus compĂ©titif qui comprend lâĂ©valuation de leur expĂ©rience professionnelle, le potentiel de leader et prise en compte du genre, la connaissance du secteur agricole, des systĂšmes alimentaires et de la formulation des politiques. Les AWARD Policy Fellows vont renforcer leurs capacitĂ©s Ă formuler des projets axĂ©s sur des politiques et Ă soutenir les processus dâĂ©laboration des politiques publiques. Elles recevront aussi un financement dâappui pour la conception et le dĂ©ploiement des projets innovants axĂ©s sur les politiques et sensibles au genre.
Lâappel Ă candidatures est ouvert le 13 fĂ©vrier 2023 et sera clos le 15 mai 2023 Ă 23:59, heure dâAfrique de lâEst. La soumission des candidatures se fait strictement en ligne, Ă partir du site dâAWARD. Il est important de noter que les formulaires incomplets et les soumissions tardives seront rejetĂ©es.
Pour plus dâinformations sur le programme et sa mise en Ćuvre, nous vous invitons Ă tĂ©lĂ©charger la brochure â GRASP Fellowship brochure (disponible en version anglaise pour le moment).
Application- https://awardfellowships.org/gender-responsive-agriculture-systems-policy-grasp-fellowship/