IRRI Podcasts IRRI Podcasts

Girls are significantly under-represented in STEM. UNESCO data shows that only around 30% of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Specifically, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3%), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5%) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8%). Furthermore, only 30% of the world’s scientific and technological researchers are women.

In this special International Women's Day (#IWD2020) podcast, IRRI scientists zoom in on the drivers and barriers of women in STEM and how men can help create an enabling environment.

In this session, we are joined by:
-- Martina Castellion, Manager of IRRI's Seed Health Unit
-- Pauline Chievenge, IRRI Sr. Scientist for Soil and Nutrient Management
-- Peter Sprang, IRRI Agronomist

Moderated by KC Santos, IRRI's Marketing Manager.

We celebrated #WorldFoodDay with a special discussion moderated by IRRI Theme Leader Ranjitha Puskur. The panel, which includes Carolyn Florey (IRRI Technology for Development Lead), Lincoln Lee (Rice Inc. CEO), and Margaret Makelo (Kenyan State Department for Agriculture Research Director of Knowledge Management,Technology Transfer and Capacity Building), zoomed in on the role of youth in achieving #ZeroHunger.

Given that the average age of farmers is 60 years, agriculture faces a serious shrinking labor force. Clearly, this is one sector where young people can make a deep and lasting mark. But how can we end hunger by 2030, one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, if fewer young people are getting into farming? Additionally, what are the challenges we face in convincing bright and ambitious young people to find a career in farming?