Your host
Dr Anika Molesworth is the founder of Climate Wise Agriculture. She lives in the Far West of NSW Australia, where her family raises sheep and goats. It was the decade-long Millennium drought that spurred Anika's interest in climate change, and how to ensure sustainable and vibrant farming landscapes into the future. Anika is a recognised thought-leader of agro-ecological systems resilience, she is an agricultural science researcher, communicator and works in international agricultural development.

Anika's dedication to raising awareness of climate change impacts on farms, and most importantly, what action can be taken to reduce emissions and adapt to changing conditions has gained her widespread notability. Her career has taken her around the world to every continent (including Antarctica!), meeting with global leaders and royalty. Anika was named the 2015 Young Farmer of the Year, was the 2017 Young Australian of the Year NSW Finalist, and 2017 NSW Young Achiever Award for Environment and Sustainability. In 2018 she was awarded the Green Globe Awards Young Sustainability Champion, the NSW/ACT Regional Achievement and Community Award for Agricultural Innovation, and the 350.org Heroes of a Low-Carbon Economy Youth Champion. In 2019 she was named a Future Shaper by InStyle and Audi, and a Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review.
Guest: Francesca Earp
COVI19 has seen Francesca put her PhD investigating Female Empowerment on hold and undertake a Master in Global Development
This extract is taken from her blog Things my father taught me about feminism
found here https://mekonglivestock.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/things-my-father-taught-me-understanding-the-fight-for-gender-equality/
As a twenty-three year old female and a graduate animal scientist working in Laos with the University of Sydney and Department of Livestock and Fisheries research team, I consider myself a feminist, with strong beliefs on female farmer inclusion. The world I am part of here in Laos is different to the one my father had described. Here not all girls get the opportunity to attend school, females are not engaged in community conversations and women are not always viewed as equals. As I’ve grown up I have noticed that this is not only the situation in Laos it is a global problem. Despite conscious movements towards gender equality, we still live in a world where men dominate political parties, dictate laws on female anatomy and freedom and hold a strong majority of the leadership positions.

Worldwide men and women, some just like me, are realizing the fight for equality is not yet over. ‘Seeds of change’ have been planted and a movement is underway. Importantly this movement is also occurring in agriculture with many groups now understanding the best way to achieve food security is to educate, train and engage both male and female farmers. In farming communities men and women often hold different responsibilities and duties. In Laos financial studies have indicated that the women’s role often revolves around financial decision-making, small ruminant care and the education of children. These are all important roles and she too requires consideration in training and project engagement. Another important lesson learned in community visits is that the woman is often likely to be the one to pass on new information. This means that training of the female farmer will also contribute to improved community outreach and extension.