A Women’s Month campaign was recently launched by Stellenbosch University’s (SU) faculty of agrisciences. It aims to celebrate the faculty’s women students, and change the narrative around women working in agriculture.
The #WomeninAgriSciences campaign, which began on 1 August and will run throughout the month, aims to encourage more women to study in the field of agrisciences, said Monika Basson, coordinator for undergraduate recruitment and marketing at the SU faculty of agrisciences. The campaign was inspired by the #WomenofSU campaign in 2020, she said.
The #WomeninAgriSciences campaign was started to “shed light on what students in the applied sciences do, even if it is just to change their perspective and their view of it”, said Basson.
“Empowerment of women doesn’t come from being in a high-profile job, but it comes from understanding the needs, mindset, and challenges of other women,” said Prof Aletta Bester-van der Merwe, associate professor of genetics at SU. GRAPHIC: Kyra Rensburg
The percentage of women in undergraduate agrisciences courses has dropped from 46% of overall take-in in 2018 to 39% in 2021, according to Michael-John Freeborough, faculty manager at SU. Many students are unaware of the field of study, or misinformed about what it entails, said Basson.
“As the field of applied science has historically been dominated by men, more women must be introduced to work with other women from diverse backgrounds,” said Prof Aletta Bester-van der Merwe, associate professor of genetics at SU.
Campaigning for women in science
#WomeninAgriSciences is a social media-based campaign. Posters featuring selected students and their credentials are being posted on the SU faculty of agriscience’s Facebook and Instagram pages, according to Basson. The posters were designed by African Sun Media, she added.
“There are so many negative perceptions about agriculture,” said Basson. “I wanted to showcase some of our current students, as well as our alumni, […] so people can think differently about AgriSciences and what it has to offer.”
Basson told MatieMedia that she tried to select a diverse mix of students from different academic backgrounds and parts of the country for the #WomeninAgriSciences campaign, “so that students can see that people from their community also came to Stellenbosch to study”.
“We try to look at students who generally are younger. We want to actually attract more students into our programmes, [therefore we want] younger role models that the [prospective students] can look up to…or that they can just associate with,” explained Basson.
Casey-Leigh Bushby, a BScAgric viticulture and oenology student featured in the #WomeninAgriSciences campaign, always knew she wanted to work in science. Bushby told MatieMedia that she chose to study winemaking, as it combines science with creativity.
The #WomeninAgriSciences campaign created an opportunity for Casey-Leigh Bushby, a BScAgric viticulture and oenology student featured in the campaign, according to Basson. It resulted in the Cape Winemakers Guild following Bushby on social media, and reposting about her, said Basson.
The campaign acts as a platform to inspire women to follow a career in agrisciences, according to Bushby. “It’s such a great honour for me to be part of this campaign, […] I always hope to inspire other young women of colour,” said Bushby.