Gender Equality Mainstreaming Digest – May 2019 Issue
Here are the highlights of this month’s Gender Equality Mainstreaming Digest! Click HERE for the full version.
Late spring snowfall in April 2019. Photo courtesy of D. Ceplis.
Highlights:
Opportunities and Upcoming Events:
Trees and People: Resilience in a Changing Climate – John G. Bene Fellowship 2019 – Make a difference in the face of climate change by conducting research on the relationship between forest resources and the social, economic, cultural, and environmental welfare of people in developing countries.
Some of the eligibility requirements include:
• you must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
• you must be enrolled at a Canadian university at the master’s or doctoral level (when you submit your application, you must have completed several courses of the program, but not necessarily all of the courses);
• have an academic background that combines an interest in forests with social sciences. Applicants from interdisciplinary programs are eligible, provided their programs contain the specified elements;
• your proposed field of research must take place in one or more developing countries and be conducted for a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation;
Deadline to apply is July 4, 2019.
Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference (AWC) East – Niagara Falls, Ontario on October 27, 28 and 29, 2019. Registration is now open for this event which connects like-minded women passionate about agriculture and food.
This Month’s News:
SCWIST Receives Funding to Advance Gender Equality in STEM Across Canada – Society for Canadian Women in Science & Technology SCWIST is proud to announce the receipt of funding from WAGE (Women and Gender Equality) – the new federal department previously known as Status of Women Canada (SWC). The SCWIST project is part of the Federal Government’s $100 million investment in 250 projects that advance gender equality across Canada by building organizations’ capacity supports. Our new SCALE project – SCWIST Connects, Advocates and Leverages Expertise – expands STEM diversity for economic empowerment across Canada. The goal is to increase SCWIST’s national impact by improving organizational effectiveness, financial sustainability, partnership reach and advocacy to advance gender equality across Canada. STEM is the powerhouse of the economy’s future: through the SCALE project, SCWIST will create paths for highly trained STEM women to contribute their knowledge and skills to that future.
SCALE will build on the accomplishments of other SCWIST programs which include MakePossible and Make DIVERSITY Possible, which were also funded by SWC. MakePossible provides 360-degree mentoring and connects over 1000 women and men from diverse STEM sectors across Canada to develop skills, share expertise and learn from a variety of perspectives using a low-barrier, online platform. Through the Make DIVERSITY Possible program, SCWIST works with STEM organizations to access a diverse talent pool and to create inclusive workplace cultures where everyone can thrive and prosper.
Promoting gender and climate-smart agriculture to improve farmer resilience – Sophia Huyer of CGIAR’s Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Program says that agricultural technology used by women in the Global South is often outdated, non-ergonomic and inefficient.
Learn how IDRC-funded research is promoting gender and climate-smart agriculture to improve farmer resilience.
An IDRC-supported CCAFS project is trying to encourage policy in developing countries that will recognize women as a valuable part of implementing climate-smart agriculture. To do so, the project is gathering evidence of how gender dynamics influence household priorities, capacities, and needs.
The project, which takes place in Guatemala and Nicaragua, includes a system-wide gender strategy to promote and strengthen women’s role in agriculture.
Listen to Sophia Huyer’s interview on Climate Change Talks.
Sister duo heading to Winnipeg to teach kids about artificial intelligence in agriculture – This July, tech-savvy kids will be able to learn the basics of artificial intelligence in just a day, as farming educators Karen Hildebrand and Teresa Vallotton bring their AI in a Day summer camp to Winnipeg for the first time.
FarmFemmes has held coding camps to educate the next generation of farmers before, but this is their first time holding them in Manitoba. Despite FarmFemmes advocating for more women in farming, the camps are open to kids of all genders aged 8-16. On July 8 and 9, Winnipeg kids can expect to learn about how AI can be used on farms and practise developing their own models using Chromebooks and the Amazon Web Services cloud platform. Kids will also be introduced to some of the benefits of using AI technology in agriculture industries.
Reports Publications and Resources:
Report: Advantage women: how an automated future could play to women’s strengths – Our analysis shows that women are at greater risk as they hold more than half of the 35% of Canadian jobs that face an elevated threat from automation. This isn’t to say that women who’ve already overcome historical and social obstacles will see their labour market gains undone by new technologies. Our work shows that women may be better positioned than men for the jobs of the future. Our view is supported by evidence that generalist, digital and social skills— the skills that women already use to a greater extent—will be in high demand. Helping women make the transition, however, will require a shift in how talent is evaluated.
Climate-smart agriculture is also gender-smart agriculture
Discover three ways in which CCAFS’ work empowers women in agriculture in our photo story from International Women’s Day (and check out CCAFS’ campaigns from International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Africa Environment Day too).