Happy International Women's Day! At the ANH Academy and IMMANA, we know that gender equality, women's empowerment and leadership are crucial to achieve goals of sustainability and equity within food systems. Many research Grants and Fellowships funded through the IMMANA programme focus on improving how we measure the essential contribution of women across the food system, and how to harness women's potential to make change in their communities, countries and internationally. At our upcoming ANH2021 conference, we will feature work from women researchers, practitioners and policies from around the world, and research focused on understanding the role of women in nutrition, agriculture and health.

Our team has come together to celebrate today by writing about what gender equality means to us:

• "I challenge gender inequities in my work because they aren’t good for anyone- no matter their gender. Being a woman in science means lifting as we climb, and there are many mountains to climb, personally and professionally." - Sera Young, IMMANA Grantee

• “I always dreamed of being a scientist, and in school I watched the teachers encourage the boys' interest in science and engineering. Many women and girls face much greater challenges in building their education and careers. Gender equity means everyone getting the same opportunities in life.” - Elena Martinez, PhD Candidate

• “No nation can ever flourish and achieve sustainable development by stifling the potential of its women and depriving itself of the contribution of half its citizens. Thus, active role of woman is a prerequisite for attaining the ultimate goal of any global and local efforts towards improving health, nutrition and living standards." - Bekele Megersa, IMMANA Fellow

• “According to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. Each human being is unique and should be equally valued, not based on their gender, ethnicity, wealth, or any discriminatory criteria. In our research in low-middle income countries, we see first-hand how women are critical for improving agriculture, nutrition, and health of society. Yet, they are often not given equal access to resources such as food, land, money and equal educational opportunities as compared with men.” - Aurelie Bechoff, IMMANA Grantee (Read this recent interview with Aurelie about her career to celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which was 11 February)

• "I am hopeful that the following generations will not be constrained by stereotypes they learn from early on. An inclusive world means that everyone has access to the same resources regardless of ethnicity, gender, or origin – let's continue our work to achieve this!" - Laura Hackl, IMMANA Fellow

• "To me, an inclusive world will allow every single person, no matter their background or identity, to have access to the same opportunities, not constrained by systems of power or hate. An inclusive world will be a kind world!” - Sylvia Levy, Communications Officer

• "An inclusive world to me means the end of outdated gender-based societal pressures." - Lauren McIntyre, Research Uptake Manager

• "Happy International Women’s Day, to half of the world’s population to whom all others owe their lives. Here’s to an end of discrimination of any kind. It’s not only baseless but damaging for everyone and the world we live in." - Joe Yates, ANH Academy