The University of Maryland's International Women in Agriculture (WIA) program prepared female extension educators and leaders to work with poor or vulnerable women so as to improve family food security. This was done by expanding or initiating low-input agricultural practices on their farms, including: vegetable gardening, small-scale poultry production, composting to improve soil quality, improved postharvest handling and food preservation, preparation of nutritious meals, and marketing of agricultural products.
The International WIA focused its efforts on the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP-II), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), from 2011-2017. AAEP-II was a consortium of five land grant Universities, led by UCDavis, with UMD-WIA managing the Women's Programming across Afghanistan. 
WIA also led a small program in Ethiopia, in partnership with Wolkite, Debre Berhan and Bahir Dar Universities, funded by Rotary International, from 2015-2019.
In the U.S., our sister program, the Mid-Atlantic Women in Agriculture Program, is dedicated to providing knowledge and resources to women who share a passion for agriculture.
