[UPDATED] "Exploring Women's Role in Food and Agriculture Resilience"
The School of Management and the Office of Gender and Development invites the interested public to a webinar “Exploring Women’s Role in Food and Agriculture Resilience” on 16 March 2021 (Tuesday), 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. It has been recognized that women have important roles in agriculture. As the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in the food and agriculture system and other relevant actors, it is likewise important to gather the current policies in place for women. What inclusive policies for women can the local government develop further to ensure and improve their role in building and enhancing resilience in the food and agriculture system?
The webinar discussants are from the team of an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)-funded and University of New England (UNE)-supported research team. They will highlight the significance of inclusive policies for women as a COVID-19 response.
To confirm participation, please register at https://bit.ly/UPMin-SOM-Webinar4 on or before 15 March 2021. For more inquiries, you may contact or . This is a public offering for March National Women's Month and the UP Mindanao 26th Anniversary celebration.
[POST-EVENT UPDATE] University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao researchers are set to produce a policy guidebook that local government officials can use in developing policies that enhance the role of women in food and agriculture systems. However, the research team face challenges during the research, such as intermittent internet connection, lack of a single database of ordinances and policies, and the respondents’ busy schedules. The team disclosed these during the online forum “Exploring Women’s Role in Food and Agriculture Resilience,” spearheaded by UP Mindanao on 16 March 2021 as a public offering for the National Women’s Month (NWM) and UP Mindanao’s 26th-anniversary celebrations. “Women are significant actors in agriculture, and we want to discover enabling policies that are inclusive and responsive for them now and after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said university researcher Marilou Montiflor. Their efforts are hampered not only by the abovementioned challenges but also due to the travel restrictions. “We also found no network of local officials who head agriculture and women’s committees,” said research associate Jeia Manila. Still, the research team intends to fulfill its objectives in 2021 with the support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Alumni Research Facility. “UP Mindanao and ACIAR have been partners in research and faculty development for more than two decades,” said agribusiness economics professor and UP Mindanao chancellor Larry Digal. In the same forum, Dr. Christie Chang, the project team’s mentor from the University of New England, shared her gender studies in agriculture/agribusiness in Papua New Guinea’s traditional society. Mr. Luis Antonio T. Hualda, UP Mindanao School of Management’s adjunct faculty member, also shared his insights on building resilience in food systems where men and women contribute to the process.