IRRI joins celebration of Women’s Month

The contribution of women in rice research and production was the focus of the 2015 celebrations of International Women’s Day (IWD) and Month (IWM) at the International Rice Research Institute.

IRRI’s own studies have documented the various important roles women have in different farming scenarios across countries, as well as changes in the farm—such as migration of labor to urban areas—that affect these roles and, hence, the whole rice production chain.

Once a year, IRRI honors the role of women in rice production and research, and in the efforts that support these two endeavors, in a series of activities held in March, IWM.

This year’s IWD theme, “Make it Happen,” was also the title of the photo exhibit at IRRI Headquarters that featured women staff members, including some from the Institute’s country offices.

Other highlights were a special seminar by Liz Humphreys, senior water scientist, and a freedom wall on which IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler scribbled, “Our power derives from our women, without whom our vision would be an unfulfilled dream.”

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