In this field, participation of women, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where women constitute a large proportion of the agricultural labour force, will also be critical to enhancing their decision-making in agricultural research and extension services and to addressing their specific needs. For instance, transformation of diverse agroecological rural economies requires the expertise of biologists, agronomists, water engineers, nutritionists, economists and social and political scientists (Lipton, 2010). Moreover, the private sector tends to invest mainly in profitable research, including agricultural chemical inputs, machinery and biotechnology, targeting wealthier economies and larger farmers.