PowerPoint Presentation

Breaking the Grass Ceiling Local Interventions to promote the economic empowerment of Rural Women

D I A L O G U E

Kei thl in Caroo Executive Director, Helen’s Daughters

5 t h G R O W T H & R E S I L I E N C E

About

More

Us

Women in Agriculture

Women represent the first formal food contact for most

human beings- the vast majority of babies are nourished via

breast milk. Furthermore, women generally mold the palates

of most families, doing the cooking, introducing children to

W h y t h e e m p h a s i s o n w o m e n i n A g ?

new foods and passing down recipes and food preparation

techniques to their children and close relatives. Therefore,

women represent the foundation of the food chain and the

food security discourse.

The Grass Ceiling

100%

I s A g a B a t t l e o f t h e S e x e s ?

90%

Similar to the glass ceiling, women farmers are often excluded from larger

80%

markets because of barriers to finance, inputs and training.

70%

01. Landholdings

02. Agricultural Loans

60%

While there is an overall issue, with access to

In countries such as Jamaica, women own about

agricultural loans. Less than 2% of Jamaica’s

11% of land compared to 89% of landowners

50%

commercial lending portfolio is allocated to

who are men. In Dominica the landholdings for

agriculture with less than 10% of Jamaican

female banana farmers was 21% vs 79% of male

farmers having access to credit. This is even more

banana farmers and in St. Lucia, 30% of land is

40%

pronounced when it comes to women farmers.

owned by women vs. 70% owned by men.

30%

20%

03. Farmer Registration

10%

There are about twice as many male farmers as female farmers,

0%

studies have acknowledged that women often are not counted in

Land

Loans

Registration

official statistics as their work might be unpaid on family farms or they

might engage in subsistence agriculture.

Women Men

Our History

Rural Women’s

Workshop

2017

A one-day leadership summit for rural women

workers that focused on empowerment, workers

rights, and financial management.

UBC x HD- Sustainable Change

Programme

2018

Collaborated with the University of British

Columbia by partnering chemical, biological and

geological engineering students with rural

women farmers to find sustainable agricultural

practices, develop skills and develop technical

recommendations for the sustainable design of

a farm.

Rural Women’s Ag-

cademy

A six-month capacity-development program that

2019

provides monthly classroom-style training on

financial literacy and book-keeping, sustainable

farming, market linkages and digital literacy.

HD Virtual Ag-cademy

This is a hybrid RWA that was launched during

2020

the COVID-19 pandemic, and was completely

virtual, this programme focused on an

introduction to hydroponics and essentials to

agri-business development.

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Our Achievements

Capacity-

Business

Impact

Innovation

Development

Efficiency

Over 300 women have

Improved understanding of

The only agricultural

Improved business

adopted new sustainable

sustainable agriculture and

training program available

efficiency, large-scale

agricultural practices and

adapted crops planted to

during COVID-19

contracts were obtained,

the majority have switched

market demand, taking into

pandemic, as such our

determined niche markets

to pesticide-free farming.

account land degradation

program was used as a

and developed additional

and climate change.

replacement to receive

sources of income from

certification during the

agro-processed goods.

pandemic.

Contact Us

Send your message here: info@helensdaughters.org

Come visit us at Fond Assau, Babonneau

Castries St. Lucia

Give us a call at +1 758-287-7700

Follow and like us @helensdaughters.slu

/helensdaughters.slu

Thank You!