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Committing to gender equality is a long-term process that demands dedication to change on both the individual and organizational levels and means committing to a process of learning, analysis, reflection and action. AIC has embarked on a journey that will lead to men and women sharing equally in the power, decision making, work and benefits of the organization and its programs. This journey will be guided by a process known as gender mainstreaming, which takes into account gender concerns in all areas of endeavour, including how Gender Equality is expressed in AIC's governance, administration, membership, conferences, awards, journals, programs, and more. This is a very progressive effort by AIC, and will only be achieved through the active engagement and contributions of AIC members and supporters.
In 2005, AIC's international program was evaluated by CIDA, and the recommendations were incorporated into the current five year International Twinning Partnership Program (ITPP). In preparing for the 2006 to 2011 five-year program, AIC and its partner organizations proactively sought to define and achieve one of the five ITPP objectives, "to advance the representation and voice of women as participants and beneficiaries of agricultural endeavours."
In 2007, AIC began to examine whether the current gender profile of the profession was correspondingly reflected in its own membership, structures and programs. AIC hired two gender equality consultants and underwent an institutional gender assessment in 2007.
The Gender Equality Task Team (GETT) made up of volunteer members developed a scope of influence chart to help AIC better understand the areas where they have high, medium and low scope of influence in relation to gender equality as a basis to develop a range of appropriate strategies for facilitating change in these different areas. This framework has guided the process of mainstreaming.
The AIC Board of Directors supports the onging work of the Gender Equality Mainstreaming (GEM) working group by naming an elected representative to join with AIC volunteer members and Canadian and international project partners, in guiding the organization in mainstreaming gender equality.
Refer to Gender Equality within International Programs for further information on international project partner activities and results.
AIC's annual report identifies the progress in mainstreaming of gender equality, including work completed by AIC's Honours & Awards Committee and the Scientific Journals Committee.
In response to ever-increasing scientific predictions that half of the world's population could face climate-induced food shortages of vast proportions and within AIC's mission of broadening society's knowledge and use of science and agriculture, AIC convened a Climate Change Task Team (ACT2) in 2010 involving Canadian and overseas partners within its International Twinning Partnership Program. AIC's Climate Change Task Team (ACT2) has begun to identify the connections between climate change and gender equality.
In September 2009, AIC examined enrolments by gender in diploma, undergraduate, graduate and post graduate programs of agriculture at nine Canadian academic institutions. We noted the dramatic difference in numbers of women between enrolments in bachelor's programs when compared to Master's and doctoral programs in agriculture. We are interested to know why this decrease occurs and what actions from the agri-resource sector would impact the potential number of female scientists graduating and subsequently working in Canada.
In January 2010, AIC put out a call to women's studies/gender studies faculties and departments at Canadian universities to identify partners interested in working on a research project to study the current status and roles of women or gender balance in agri-resource sciences in Canada, including academia and the professional workforce. See Gender Equality of Science Graduates Research Project for more information.
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