March 8, 2018
 

Women's roles in aquaculture, biotech crop farming cited

 

 

March is internationally focused on women, and a special day, March 8, is reserved to observe International Women's Day. Some countries, like the Philippines, declare the whole month as National Women's Month. The farming sector also takes time to stress the role of women in the industry.

 

On Tuesday, Ireland's Seafood Development Agency (Bord Iascaigh Mhara, or BIM) launched a promotional campaign to profile the important role women play in the country's seafood sector.

 

Emphasising the agency's role in supporting and encouraging greater female participation in the sector, BIM CEO Jim O'Toole said, "BIM is assisting the Irish seafood sector to capitalise on the talents of women in the wider sector.  In addition to training and mentorship, we are also working with women across the catching, aquaculture, processing and retail industries to develop a network to share information and ideas that will further progress and elevate their role". 

 

The BIM pointed out that despite the Irish seafood sector's contributing €1.15 billion to Ireland's GDP in 2017, women's participation in the industry remains low. Just over one in 10 (11.7%) employees in fishing, forestry and agriculture sectors in Ireland is female, which is significantly lower than the EU average of 36.9%.

 

O'Toole explained that BIM's promotional campaign "tells the stories of talented women in a variety of roles, increasing the visibility of women in the sector and celebrating their contribution to this valuable industry".

 

BIM is also launching the campaign #Irelandswomeninseafood, which will include a series of podcasts that tell the stories of a selection of women who work in the fisheries sector in Ireland. Hear the stories in Women in Seafood.

 

Women in biotech crop farming

 

Meanwhile, according to a study conducted by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications SEAsia Centre (ISAAA) in China, India and the Philippines, women play a significant role in biotech crop farming.

 

In India, ISAAA said, that while male farmers take charge of the farm activities that require physical labor, women take an active part in farm operations such as weeding, picking and cleaning.

 

In China, a growing feminization in cotton farming has been noted. Field work is mainly conducted by women, which enable the men to engage in off-farm tasks. Based on focus group discussions, the reduction in pesticide use and less labor requirement of planting GM crops benefitted women.

 

In the Philippines, according to the ISAAA study, women take charge of managerial tasks such as budgeting farm expenses, deciding on inputs and hiring laborers to work on the farm. "These indicate that women who are engaged in biotech crop farming experience transformation because of the value they provide to their family farm operations and the benefits that they get from the technology", it said.

 

ISAAA and its network of Biotechnology Information Centers (BICs) are also encouraging women to speak up about the benefits of biotechnology through the social media campaign #ScienceAndShe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Female scientists and science communicators involved in biotechnology share their experiences and aspirations to help bridge the gap between science and the public. Rick Alberto