Breaking Barriers and Cultivating Change

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science advocates for equal opportunities and inclusion across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). ICARDA actively promotes workplace gender equality, and we are proud to focus on women and youth empowerment as one of our cross-cutting research themes. As women’s involvement in dry area agriculture grows and male migration to urban areas increases women’s workload, ICARDA and CGIAR investigate the impact of gender gaps on equitable and demand-driven development.

We spoke to Dr. Anna Backhaus and Dr. Hafssa Kabbaj about their experiences as women working in agricultural research. They highlight existing disparities and suggest ways to combat these challenges. ICARDA shares their ambition to encourage more women to pursue science careers. Diversity in science and research is the key to achieving our goal of identifying transformative approaches that enhance women’s productivity, food security, and income opportunities to eradicate gender-based inequalities.