Winrock international and its approach to gender equity in the fields of agriculture and evironment

Win rock Institute for Agricultural Development is a non -profit International NGO headquartered in the US but with a global mission and mandate. Winrock's mission is "Working with people to build a better world - Increasing agricultural productivity, rural employment while protecting the environment". Winrock was established in 1985 with the merger of 3 Rockefeller-founded organisations: Agricultural Development Council, Winrock International Livestock Research and Training Centre and International Agricultural Development Services. Winrock is committed to long-term success, not short-term solutions. It promotes integrated projects by strengthening education and training, development and extending technology and improving public policies. Winrock works in over 40 countries in Asia, Latin America, Europe, United States and Africa. In Africa, Winrock has programmes in Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Cote d'ivoire, Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon. Equity is a crosscutting theme in all Winrock's programmes and activities. The two areas where equity is emphasised include income levels and gender. Reduction of the gap between the rich and the poor and men and women is emphasised in all operations. In addressing these issues, Winrock recognises the impact policies and programmes have on rural groups whose voices are rarely heard at levels where key decisions are made. The top and the bottom are therefore regarded as parts of a continuum and none of them is complete without the other. At the policy level, focus is on policies and resource allocation while downstream, the programme responds to programme-related gender gaps and disparities such as in extension, technology transfer and information. In Uganda and Tanzania, the AWLAE programme is working with Associations of Professional Women in Agriculture and Environment to transfer agricultural technologies such as cassava, improved varieties of sorghum and sweet potatoes to the farmers, the majority of whom are women.