The majority of those who produce, process, and market Africa’s food are women, but only one in four agricultural researchers and one in seven agricultural policymakers is female. Vicki Wilde, Director of Nairobi-based NGO African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), recently sat down with BurnessGlobal’s Ellen Wilson to discuss why that gap is a major concern and how AWARD is working to bridge it.

Watch Ellen’s interview with Vicki:

About this Series

Conversations in Development is a monthly series that features interviews with fascinating people we have known or worked with over our 20+ years in the development space. Through these interviews, we’ll share fresh perspectives on a variety of issues, from agricultural development to global health to forestry, and hopefully spark a dialogue about the top development priorities in the world today.

This project is dedicated to our colleague Jeff Haskins, who passed away suddenly in July 2012. He was a “big ideas” guy, always pushing those he worked with to think about the world differently. We know he would be proud of this project.

Watch a video of ILRI’s Susan MacMillan’s reflections on Jeff.