Five Ghanaian mid-career women are amongst 49 African women selected as Fellows in the first cohort of The Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship, an initiative of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This new competitive career development Fellowship is targeting African women in agri-food policies who can support the implementation of gender-responsive agricultural policies in Africa.
Women account for
nearly half of the world’s smallholder farmers and produce 70% of Africa’s
food. As such, effective policies are critical if research innovations are to
provide gender-inclusive, sustainable solutions which allow Africa to develop
equitable agri-food systems capable of feeding its growing population.
Drawn from diverse organizations including the private sector,
non-governmental organizations, and government agencies, the 49 AWARD Policy
Fellows of the inaugural GRASP Fellowship cohort hail from six African Anglophone
countries – Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and
Zambia. The Ghanaian women, and others selected for the GRASP Fellowship,
are set to participate in a series of interventions designed to enable them to
become more effective policy practitioners.
A pressing need for effective
policy
Over the past 20 years, Ghana has
made significant progress in reducing poverty and hunger and has been hailed for its stability and democratic governance.
However, improvements at the national level mask huge inequalities between the
north and south of the country, and between rural and urban areas. Hunger and
malnutrition persist primarily in northern Ghana, an area that is experiencing
increasingly erratic rainfall and long dry periods due to climate change.
Nevertheless, across the
country, Ghana’s food systems face numerous challenges. In addition to gender
inequality, the industry is also beleaguered
by low prices, poor road infrastructure, lack of access to finance, inadequate
markets, post-harvest losses, insufficient education and knowledge,
unsustainable farming systems, and rural-urban migration.[i]
Through their
work, the Ghanaian GRASP Fellows have experienced first-hand some of the
challenges facing the agricultural sector. Policies are essential in driving
and supporting change – and these can be implemented throughout the value chain
for effective transformation, notes Fellow Portia
Adade Williams from the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute
(STEPRI). “In the face of a changing climate, we must support the poorest and
most vulnerable by building a resilient agricultural system,” she says. “This
includes researching ways to build the adaptive capacity of smallholders against
climate change and sustain their productivity.”
Female future makers
To aid in
enhancing women’s position within agriculture and create economic opportunities
for them, Fellow Rose
Aawulenaa works for Plan International on their ‘WISE’ (Women’s Innovation
for Sustainable Enterprises) project. Over 12,600 women have received training
to develop their communication and business development skills – and Rose
appreciates the difference this is making. “When you get to work with people,
especially women, and you’re able to make an impact on their lives, the smile
on their faces alone brings fulfilment,” she enthuses.
Meanwhile,
improving food safety is the primary concern for Fellow Clara
Agyeman-Attafuah Darko, who works at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
“We work directly with farmers, processors, and other agricultural value chain
actors to aid them in producing more quality food produce and products to get
more income,” she shares. Clara also targets policymakers to improve support
for these actors at the highest level. “Our reports give policymakers
information to make national policy decisions about agriculture, which we then
implement.”
Providing
policymakers and key agricultural stakeholders with information as a means to
enhance food security is also significant for Comfort
Yelipoie who works in the Ministry of Agriculture’s Directorate of Crop
Services. She is working on building a seed database, to help develop
environmentally-sustainable, accessible, and affordable seed varieties for
farmers. However, effectively targeting policymakers takes work – which is
something that Fellow Augustina
Quaynor Korkoi understands. Through her position at the Foundation for
Security and Development in Africa, she is helping develop programs that train
young agricultural workers in advocating with policy stakeholders.
Getting
to grips with GRASP
The GRASP Fellowship, through mentorship,
provides Candidates with much-needed support and guidance by building their
skillsets and connections. This aspect of the program has been a draw for many
applicants. “The unique thing about this AWARD scheme is that I get a mentor,”
asserts Clara Agyeman-Attafuah Darko whose mentor is a Professor at Department
of Food Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology. “Professor William Otoo Ellis is guiding me in shaping my ideas and
ensuring they become a reality.” On the other hand, Rose Aawulenaa shares that
she is looking forward to mentoring a younger colleague and “encouraging other
young women to have self-confidence.”
Augustina
Quaynor Korkoi appreciates the significance of being selected as a Fellow. “This
is a great opportunity for me to gain more knowledge and improve my research
and advocacy skills,” she notes. Meanwhile, Comfort
Yelipoie reveals she has already found the GRASP training sessions to be
“particularly empowering” – and is thrilled that her new skills “will enable me
to respond to gender issues within the agricultural sector effectively.”
Applications
for the second cohort of the AWARD GRASP Fellowship are now open for women who
are citizens of Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, and
Senegal. Submissions can be made via https://eu.jotform.com/230430982603956, and must be completed by 15 May 2023.
For more information on the GRASP Fellowship, click here.
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