Dear Friends,

I am delighted to share our latest updates from the past few months.

Following the selection and launch of the inaugural cohort of our Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), we convened the pioneer AWARD Policy Fellows for their first face-to-face activity, which included an immersive training on leadership and management.

We also expanded awareness of the GRASP Fellowship in Francophone Africa. We partnered with the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) to convene a policy dialogue targeting our stakeholders in Francophone Africa. The policy dialogue, “Toward Gender-Responsive Agricultural and Food Systems Policies in Africa“, highlighted how we can foster policy change for equitable agri-food systems.

Advancing our agenda of building a vibrant and robust intergenerational network of African and European scientists equipped to deliver gender-responsive climate adaptation solutions for African smallholders, we welcomed 60 emerging African and European scientists into the One Planet Fellowship. The inclusion of the young scientists into the Fellowship is set to foster south-south and north-south collaborations while exposing European scientists to the realities of climate change on the African continent.

In our commitment to our vision of robust, resilient, gender-responsive agri-food systems driving Africa’s inclusive prosperity, we recognize the need for transformative leadership equipped to unlock the potential of agricultural research and development. We are happy to announce that registrations are now open for the 2023 AWARD leadership series designed for middle to senior-level male and female managers who want to strengthen their leadership skills.

In May, we bid farewell to Ms Dorothy Mukhebi, the immediate former Deputy Director of Operations, after 15 years with AWARD and more than four decades working with various international and regional organizations in agricultural research development. Many partners and friends of AWARD highlighted Dorothy’s impressive track record and spectacular role in fostering strategic partnerships and advancing AWARD’s mentoring model. We wish Dorothy all the best as she embarks on this new phase of her life.

Finally, the recently released United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s report on the Status of Women in Agri-food Systems presents new evidence which underscores the central role of gender equality and women’s empowerment in achieving sustainable agri-food systems. At the 8th Africa Agribusiness and Science Week (AASW) convened by the Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) and partners, we led a consortium of partners to convene a parallel session anchored on this report. The session, “Making African Food Systems Gender-Responsive for Equitable Livelihoods“, featured diverse expert voices who highlighted what the new evidence means for our agri-food systems and some of the commitments that are required to make equitable food systems a reality.