Contents:
1. The 55th Meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women - CSW (21 Feb - 4 March 2011).
2. New Report on "Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development" by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
3. The United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP16.
4. The AWARD Fellowship Program Call for Applications 2011.
5. First Edition of The Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services' Newsletter.
6. Upcoming Events.

1. The 55th Meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women- CSW (21 Feb - 4 March 2011)

The PRGA Program has been invited to participate in a panel session of the 55th Meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women- CSW. The panel titled “Gender, Science and Technology in Agriculture” will take place as part of the Parallel Events presented during the first week and is organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Bank. The panel will discuss pro-poor agricultural technologies and strategies to get more women into agricultural science. It will showcase investments made into agriculture, in particular development of new farming techniques, extension services, processing and marketing that pay attention to gender differences and have a positive impact on the livelihoods of rural women and men. The expected goal of this panel is to contribute to the CSW debate on science and technology and add a focus on agriculture.

More information: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw55/parallel-list.html

2. New Report on "Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development" by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO)

The report gives trends and statistics about proportion of women in agriculture versus men; it also outlines the general trend of feminization in agriculture globally. Women tend to be the food producers of what people eat at home. Men focus on commercial agriculture. Moreover, the report argues that women are hampered by persistent gender inequalities. Policymakers and researchers seeking to respond to this situation are hindered by gaps in data and analysis.

To see the Report: http://www.ifad.org/pub/gender/agriculture/GRE_WEB.pdf

3. The United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP16

The last Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP16), was held in Cancun from 29 November to 10 December in parallel with the Agriculture and Rural Development Day (ARDD). The COP 16 web-section includes the Cancun Agreements and the Decisions adopted.

More information: http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_16/items/5571.php

4. The AWARD Fellowship Program Call for Applications 2011

The AWARD Fellowship is a two-year program that offers a series of career-development to African women in agricultural science. Women nationals of Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, who have completed a bachelors, masters, or doctoral degree are eligible to apply. Read more about the eligible disciplines in the link below. Important: Deadline for Applications is March 25, 2011.

More information : http://www.awardfellowships.org/the-award-fellowship/call-for-applications-2011.html

5. First Edition of The Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services' Newsletter

The "Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services" (MEAS) is a USAID funded project. The project's objective is to define and disseminate good practice strategies and approaches to establishing efficient, effective and financially sustainable rural extension and advisory service systems in selected countries. MEAS’ purpose is to assist USAID staff, development partners, and developing country public, non-governmental, and private institutions in providing more effective, sustainable, and efficient extension and advisory services to rural people.

More information: http://www.prgaprogram.org/Newsletter/Newsletter%202011/February%202011/MEAS Newsletter Feb 2011.pdf