The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is revamping its ‘Agriculture in Bloom’ programme to tell the stories of female farmers and attract more women in agriculture and fisheries.

Portfolio Minister Floyd Green said that there are strong female farmers in Jamaica who are often more prolific than their male counterparts. However, their stories are often not heard, and the programme seeks to change that reality.

“The research has shown that frankly, our women do better, and more of the profits that they make find its way back into the households, so the families do better,” Green said as he explained the rationale for such a project.

He added that to boost the involvement of women in agriculture, his ministry has implemented a policy that mandates for at least 20 per cent of projects to go towards the youth and women.

The ‘Improving Rural Livelihood Through Resilient Agri-Food Systems’ is one such programme that was recently implemented by the agriculture ministry to reach women farmers. The programme, which targets 150 residents in Kitson Town, St Catherine, also aims to have 40 per cent of participants being women and youths. They will benefit from training in agricultural technologies.

The ‘Agriculture in Bloom’ programme was first announced by Green during his 2021/22 Sectoral Debate presentation. It targets women at different stages of their agri-entrepreneurial engagements and helped them to transition.