Women step forward in push to nurture African climate scientists

(Reuters News, 13 Jan 2020) A new programme is training African scientists to be leaders in their field, with a focus on meeting the needs of women farmers in adapting to a warming climate.

As a child, Kenyan meteorologist Saumu Shaka helped out on her parents' small farm growing maize and pigeon pea - and learned how the weather can hold food producers hostage.

"Looking back, the yield has declined over the years," said Shaka, 28, who works with the Kenya Meteorological Department.

A decade ago, her parents would get 25 sacks of maize from their six hectares in Taita Taveta County, southeast of Nairobi.

Today that has dwindled to five bags at most, because of erratic rainfall that can also spur crop-destroying pests.

As climate change fuels extreme weather and threatens harvests, Africa needs more scientific expertise to help small-scale farmers adapt, especially women who tend to be hit worst, said Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, director of Nairobi-based group African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).

According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), women represent nearly half of farmers in Africa and produce up to 80% of basic food crops.

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Reuters News, 13 Jan 2020: Women step forward in push to nurture African climate scientists