EL BATAN, Mexico (CIMMYT) – A social media crowd sourcing campaign initiated to celebrate the achievements of women has led to more than a dozen published blog story contributions about women in the maize and wheat sectors.

Each year, International Women’s Day gives the world a chance to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. This year, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) put out a call asking for blog contributions from the social media community.

CIMMYT asked readers to submit stories about women who have made a difference in the maize and wheat sectors, including women involved in conservation agriculture, genetic resources, research, technology and related socio-economics.

The “Who is Your Maize or Wheat Super Woman?” stories are featured on the CIMMYT website from Monday, March 2, 2015 in the lead up to International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, 2015.

Contributions include blog stories about women from Britain, Canada, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, and the United States. Their stories will also be made available in Spanish-language.

SUPER WOMEN BLOG POSTS:

• Asriani Anie Annisa Hasan Protects Local Maize Varieties

• Candice Gardner Plays Major Role in Preserving U.S. Maize Diversity

• Jennifer Brito’s “Tortillas Verdes” Improve Maize Nutritional Value

• Chhavi Tiwari Aids Women Farmers with Zinc-Fortified Wheat

• Julieta Salazar Boosts Nutritional Profile of Maize in Guatemala

• Jessica Rutkoski Conquers Math Demons, Finds Success as Wheat Breeder

• Julie King Tames Wild Relatives of Wheat, Improving Resilience

• Diane Holdorf Promotes Sustainability to Support Smallholders

• Dolores Robles Gonzalez Spurs Farmers to Adapt Conservation Agriculture

• Suchismita Mondal Develops Climate Change Resilient Wheat

• Jane Ininda “Priceless Gem” to Maize Development in Africa

• Julie Miller Jones Dispels Myths that Wheat Protein is Unhealthy

• Nobel Winner Barbara McClintock Discovered “Jumping Genes”

• Rosalind Morris an “Outstanding Wheat Cytogeneticist”

• Jeanie Borlaug Laube Unites Global Wheat Community

• Paula Kantor Engages Men to support Gender Progress

• Evangelina Villegas, CIMMYT Super Woman Developed Quality-Protein Maize