Supporting gender equality in agriculture is part and parcel of China-Canada Agricultural Development Program, while strengthening women’s leadership is a powerful way to promote gender equality.

“Training on Women’s Leadership in Agriculture” organized by China-Canada “Small Farmers Adapting to Global Markets Project”, “Sustainable Agriculture Development Project” and the College of Humanities and Development of China Agricultural University was held in Beijing. It lasted 5 days from 20 to 24 November.

Present at the opening ceremony on 20 November were Dr. Zeng Yinhua, Gender Equality consultant from Canadian International Development Agency, Project Manager Dr. Kevin Chen, and Prof. Li Xiaoyun, Dean of College of Humanities and Development of China Agricultural University, who also delivered the opening remarks.

Twenty-eight outstanding female workers in agriculture from the 6 project provinces of Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Hunan and Hubei attended the training. They are in one way or another leader in their working places, including one deputy director of grassland supervision and management bureau, one deputy director of poultry and livestock variety improvement station, one deputy director of grassland station, one deputy director of animal quarantine station, and leaders of other kind.

The five-day training adopted the participatory method and taught trainees differences between sex and gender, gender issue in development, women’s role in contemporary rural development, the influence of China’s entry into WTO on rural women, and methods and tools of integrating gender equality policy into China-Canada Agricultural Development Program. It enabled them to fully realize the positive role of gender equality in promoting the project and strengthening women’s leadership in agriculture.

At the closing ceremony, all trainees expressed their thanks to the organizer and teachers of the training in their unique way and set a higher goal for their future work. A trainee from Chenbarhu Grassland Station of Hulunbeier City, Inner Mongolia said, “Thank you for giving me this opportunity to receive the training which benefits me a lot and to make friends with sisters of other ethnic groups. I didn’t have gender awareness in my work in the past. I will apply what I learn to my work and win honor for women.”