The Role of International Research Institutes in accomplishing the UN Sustainable Development Goals with Special Reference to Women in Agriculture

Abstract

Sustainability has been defined as the use of human, natural and material resources in a way that satisfies current needs without jeopardizing the capacity of future generations. The United Nations Organization has set forth seventeen sustainable development goals aimed at achieving them by 2030.The goals include poverty alleviation, relief from hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality of education, and gender equality. In achieving these goals agriculture plays major role. The view of agriculture as a food producing activity is too narrow in approach. In the broader sense, agriculture is a multifunctional activity. It has a profound impact in several ways on our landscapes, local, national and global economies, and ecosystems benefitting human populations. Agriculture is a location-specific activity to produce food, fiber and feed. Agricultural research depends on inputs from a broad range of disciplines. This paper presents the efforts of international research centers in targeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the vital role of women and their involvement in international agricultural research.