This publication is the result of years of data collection, analysis, and reflection. It is a reference document that tells the story of how AWARD is organized, what it set out to do and what it has accomplished since it was founded in 2008. And it is also a success story of how AWARD Fellowships have given women researchers the tools they need to improve their science and leadership skills, recognize?gender issues and bring new understanding to their efforts supporting women smallholders, and to take their careers in new directions.

There is a bigger, much more important change that has happened since the founding of AWARD. There is now strong and growing interest among Agricultural Research and Development organizations and their leadership to partner and develop the kinds of empowerment and gender-responsiveness AWARD is focused on.