First Award for Latin America
Category:UpdatesAquaculture without Frontiers is very pleased to announce that Veronica Esquivel Medina from Mazatlán, Mexico is our Woman of the Month for July. This is the first such award presented to anyone in Latin America.
A current leader for all women who are working in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Mexico, Veronica is an example of hard work, honesty and collaboration. She is always involved in young professionals’ career development and everyone seeks her out for her advice.
Veronica has always fought for the rights of women in Mexican policies and has led several fisheries and aquaculture women’s groups in Mexico. Veronica has always been very supportive of aquaculture and has actively played a major role in Mexico’s strategic planning for more than a decade. Recently she was part of the team that coordinated the National Development Plan of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Mexico, where she made sure that gender issues were always addressed. Since the elaboration of this plan Mexican aquaculture has improved 32%.
According to Antonio Garza de Yta, Director General de Planeación, Programación y Evaluación
CONAPESCA and President LACC, World Aquaculture Society, “Veronica is a silent warrior who needs to be honoured. It has been an enormous pleasure to collaborate with her in recent years and there is no doubt whatsoever that Veronica is a role model to any person who has contact with her. She is a synonym of professionalism and hard work.”
Alleviating poverty and malnutrition is a major issue in Mexico and as a means of supporting the poor population, the federal government invested through CONAPESCA around 150 million USD to support more than 36,000 families in 145 municipalities in 22 of the 32 states of México.
In Mexico the role of women in the rural environment and the development of aquaculture is of utmost importance. Aquaculture production models are at three levels, namely extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive with rural integration varying according to climate and activities integrated with land and animal husbandry.
Veronica is currently collaborating in the Department of Planning and International Affairs for CONAPESCA and has worked tirelessly for the organisation in areas such as Administration; Management; Governance and Strategic Planning. Veronica has shown a willingness to transferring knowledge and technology and developing within the sector an increasing capability and capacity ensuring the issues of gender are well covered.
If you would like to nominate a woman to be the next Woman of the Month, please check the Criteria and complete the Nomination Form.