B.M. Prasanna, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program and the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE), will participate in this webinar organized by Agrilinks.
By Anya Umantseva and Alejandro Ramirez, CIMMYT
How do social norms around gender influence the work of agricultural development professionals? A recent workshop held in Mexico for agricultural extension professionals – comprising 20 women and 26 men – turned the spotlight on the topic of “masculinities”, defined as “a set of attributes, values, and behaviors that are characteristic of being a man in a given society and time.”
The workshop was organized by CIMMYT’s Gender and Social Inclusion Unit and facilitated by GENDES, a Mexican NGO that specializes on working with men on topics of gender and masculinities. The event was funded by the Mexican Government as part of the MasAgro project.
The majority of extension agents in Mexico are men and socially and culturally constructed norms of how men should act directly impact the ability of women farmers to access and benefit from rural advisory services. The idea of discussing norms around masculinities came from the extension agents themselves. One of the objectives of this workshop was to reflect upon the concept of “machismo” in Mexico, and how it influences the extension work of the participants.
Using modern technologies, dedicated to new knowledge and with hopes to improve the world:
Here they are – the Maize-Asia Youth Innovators Awards Winners of 2018!
Keep up your great work!
The awards recognize the contributions of innovative young women and men who can inspire fellow young people to get involved with maize-based research, change agency and farming. The awards aim to celebrate youth participation in maize-based agri-food systems and are sponsored by the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE) in collaboration with Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD).
The awardees have been invited to attend the 13th Asian Maize Conference, Ludhiana, India (October 8-10) where they will present their work and receive their awards.
The winners are:
International experts to convene in Ludhiana, India, to discuss the way forward to increase climate resilience and productivity of maize, and to strengthen maize-based cropping systems in Asia.
Ludhiana, India (CIMMYT)—Maize is one of the most important crops in Asia alongside rice and wheat, and provides important economic opportunities to smallholder farmers. The 13th Asian Maize Conference in Ludhiana, India (October 8-10) will bring together key Asian maize partners and global experts to discuss the present status, challenges, and future opportunities for enhancing maize for food, feed, nutrition and environmental security in Asia. The conference is jointly organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research (ICAR-IIMR), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE), and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA).