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<p>Last weekend, South Africa celebrated Women’s Day, a day rich with history and remembrance of a struggle that continues to change the lives of generations.  At CNBC Africa we are celebrating women who are business leaders and industry giants. We spoke to Robyn Farrell, CEO of 1st for Women.</p>


1st for Women CEO on navigating COVID-19 headwinds & SA’s auto insurance outlook

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<p>This past weekend, South Africa celebrated Women’s Day, a day rich with history and remembrance of a struggle that continues to change the lives of generations.  At CNBC Africa we are celebrating women who are business leaders and industry giants. We have a special guest joining us for this discussion but first let’s take a look back at the history. Louisa Mojela, Founder and Group CEO of WIPHOLD joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


WIPHOLD CEO on how increase female leadership in SA


<p>By Dr Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Director, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).</p>



<p>The yawning global gender gap is at the heart of our inability to end hunger. Whether last in the family to eat, blocked from owning land, or entirely ignored by extension workers and policymakers, gender inequality &#8211; and specifically discrimination against women &#8211; is a key driver of global hunger.</p>



<p>The cost of
ending global hunger&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/how-much-would-it-cost-to-end-world-hunger/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has been estimated</a>&nbsp;at anything from $7 billion to $265
billion per year, largely because experts cannot agree on the primary causes or
solutions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As
academics, activists and policymakers continue to explore the role that climate
change, disease outbreaks, and unstable markets have in exacerbating global
hunger, still too few are connecting the dots between gender inequality and
hunger.</p>



<p>Hunger
itself knows no gender, affecting&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">820
million men, women and children</a>&nbsp;alike worldwide. But circumstances
leading to hunger and malnutrition often arise because gender inequality tends
to disadvantage women as producers and carers and, importantly, as
professionals in fields such as science, technology and innovation.</p>



<p>We cannot
continue neglecting the vital contribution of women in agriculture if we are to
have any hope of improving global food security. This means addressing the
under-appreciated and vital role of women – not just in producing and preparing
food for their families, but also in conducting and leading scientific research
needed to enhance the production and equitable distribution of food to all.</p>



<p>Women
account for&nbsp;<a href="https://farmingfirst.org/women_infographic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than 40 per cent</a>&nbsp;of the agricultural workforce in
developing countries, often working longer hours and taking on more
labour-intensive tasks, such as weeding and tending to livestock. For example,
weeding a&nbsp;<a href="https://croplife.org/news/an-end-to-weeding-by-hand/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">single hectare of sorghum</a>&nbsp;by hand can take around 324
hours of labour.</p>



<p>Yet while
women bear the burden of drudgery on farms, they do so without access to many
of the same resources as men, facing a yield gap of up to&nbsp;<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/one.org/pdfs/poverty_is_sexist_report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">30 per cent</a>&nbsp;as a result.</p>



<p>By
providing women with the inputs and services that meet their needs, total
agricultural output in developing countries could rise by up to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/i2050e/i2050e.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">four per cent</a>.</p>



<p>To
effectively tackle global hunger, all scientists must have the skills and
commitment to address the needs and priorities of women farmers across
agricultural value chains.</p>



<p>Named after
its inventor, Ethiopia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://ruforum.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/professor-fetien-abay-a-pioneering-plant-and-seed-scientist/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fetina</a>&nbsp;variety of barley is an example of what happens
when scientists collaborate with, and respond to the needs of women farmers.</p>



<p>Developed
by Prof. Fetien Abera in consultation with farmers across the Ethiopian
highlands, Fetina barley is easier to de-husk which reduces demands on women’s
labour, allowing them to increase their output and freeing up their time and
energy.</p>



<p>Prof.
Abera’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgQRDlglfG0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">own life story</a>&nbsp;is itself an example of why we must
also address the systemic and systematic inequalities that stop women in
agricultural research from bringing their best innovations to the fore. Since
becoming the first woman plant breeder and lecturer at Mekelle University, she
has overcome tremendous challenges in her rise to the rank of Deputy Vice
Chancellor.</p>



<p>Gender
biases in scientific research mean that not only are the needs of women
producers ignored, women scientists are&nbsp;<a href="https://awardfellowships.org/award-publications/a-decade-of-advancing-inclusive-agricultural-research-the-award-story/5c0a43297ad18doc509149097/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">less likely</a>&nbsp;than men to publish their work in
journals, and when they do publish papers, they are less likely to be the lead
investigator.</p>



<p>The result
is that women’s achievements in science, research and development often slip
through the equality gap. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
reports that only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wipo.int/women-and-ip/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">30.5 per cent</a>&nbsp;of patent applications have one woman
inventor.</p>



<p>Across
sub-Saharan Africa, just&nbsp;<a href="https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/afgend/262293.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one in
four</a>&nbsp;agricultural researchers are women, meaning that women are
underrepresented in the leadership roles where priorities are set, decisions
made and resources allocated for research on the continent.</p>



<p>A recent
study found it may take up to&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-says-the-gender-gap-in-science-could-take-generations-to-fix-95150" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">320 years</a>&nbsp;before an equal number of men and women are
working in senior science roles worldwide. We cannot afford to wait this long.</p>



<p>Since 2008,
African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) has invested in
accelerating the careers of the continent’s female scientists such as Prof.
Abera.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In addition
to leadership training, we also unlock the wisdom of an older generation of
scientists through an intensive mentoring program, and support African women
scientists rise to the top of their scientific careers by helping them build
the skills needed to raise resources for their cutting edge research.</p>



<p>Our latest
work, the&nbsp;<a href="https://oneplanetfellowship.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">One
Planet Fellowship</a>,&nbsp;is an innovative
partnership between private philanthropy, the public and private sectors,
supporting the next generation of African and European scientists to embed
gender issues into their research on climate adaptation solutions for African
smallholder farmers.</p>



<p>The theme
of this year’s International Women’s Day is “Realising Women’s Rights”, but the
reality is that women’s rights are human rights.</p>



<p>We are
investing in building a more gender-responsive agricultural research system for
Africa because we cannot tackle hunger without first addressing gender
inequality.</p>


gettyimages-130874533-170667a

Op-Ed: Ending global hunger requires tackling gender inequality

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<p>Over sixty years ago, women all across South Africa gathered to mark their position and voice their rights. At the celebration of Women&#8217;s Day, local government declared that Emancipation as the 2019 theme for women&#8217;s month. Decades later women are still gathering to call for emancipation. CNBC Africa&#8217;s Amogela Modise attended one of these gatherings and filed this report.</p>


What is gender equity & how can it be achieved?

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<p>The inaugural SHE-EO Sleep Out takes place on the 8th of August &#8211; a day before Women&#8217;s Day. The event aims to engage business as a force for change in society. CNBC Africa is joined by Dawn Robertson, CEO: The Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct.</p>


All is set for the SHE-EO Sleep Out challenge

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<p>The inaugural SHE-EO Sleep Out is less than a week away, taking place at on the 8th of August &#8211; a day before Women&#8217;s Day. The event aims to engage business as a force for change in society.</p>


What the SleepOut challenge means to Nissan SA’s Liz Segal

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<p>The inaugural SheEO SleepOut is around the corner, taking place at the Union Buildings on August 8 &#8211; a day before Women&#8217;s Day. The event aims to engage business as a force for change in society.</p>


IDC’s Busisiwe Mabuza speaks about 2017 SheEO SleepOut challenge

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<p>Joining CNBC Africa to talk about her involvement in the SHE-EO Sleep Out 2017, and a lot more is Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Award-Winning South African Singer/Entertainer.</p>


Women's day

1st for Women CEO on navigating COVID-19 headwinds & SA’s auto insurance outlook

WIPHOLD CEO on how increase female leadership in SA

Op-Ed: Ending global hunger requires tackling gender inequality

What is gender equity & how can it be achieved?

All is set for the SHE-EO Sleep Out challenge

What the SleepOut challenge means to Nissan SA’s Liz Segal

IDC’s Busisiwe Mabuza speaks about 2017 SheEO SleepOut challenge

Yvonne Chaka talks about her involvement with the SheEO SleepOut

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Women's day

1st for Women CEO on navigating COVID-19 headwinds & SA’s auto insurance outlook

WIPHOLD CEO on how increase female leadership in SA

Op-Ed: Ending global hunger requires tackling gender inequality

What is gender equity & how can it be achieved?

All is set for the SHE-EO Sleep Out challenge

What the SleepOut challenge means to Nissan SA’s Liz Segal

IDC’s Busisiwe Mabuza speaks about 2017 SheEO SleepOut challenge

Yvonne Chaka talks about her involvement with the SheEO SleepOut

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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