CWSE-Prairies

Highlights of the Chair Program

Dr. Annemieke Farenhorst served as the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) in the Prairie region from 2011-2020. Dr. Farenhorst was the first agrologist and Manitoban to be awarded this Chair. The Chair program strongly focused on advancing women in agriculture and strengthening the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students in university programs. The agricultural sector is key to the Prairies, and in a global context, if women had the same access to resources as their male peers in agriculture, the resulting increased total agricultural production could reduce world hunger by an estimated 12 to 17%. In Manitoba (18%) and Saskatchewan (16%), Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) account for a greater percentage of the total population than in any other province in Canada. Indigenous peoples are the fastest-growing population in Canada and hence the recruitment of new talent to natural sciences and engineering (NSE) professions can be sought in this demographic.