Under the shady canopy of trees at the Glass House, female farmers shared their products and passion for food sustainability at the first Women in Agriculture Farmers Market on Friday.
The market, part of the ongoing Gender Affairs Unit Women’s Month events, spotlighted females working small backyard farms to agri-processors in cottage industries.
One such farmer, Althea Rhoden of Althea’s Produce, said she was happy to be part of the special market.
“It’s definitely feels great to be here and to get to sell some of the products we plant and produce,” she said.
Rhoden said the event gave her a chance to showcase her produce and connect with women who shared her love of agriculture.
“It’s good that they’re honouring us because we work hard, and we’re happy to be here,” she said.
The market, which ran from 1:30pm to 5:30pm, offered an array of products and gave attendees an opportunity to buy fresh produce ahead of the weekend.
Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks said she was pleased to see the response to the market and believes the spotlight on female farmers was needed.
“We’re focused on women in agriculture and it is something that we haven’t really been talking a lot about as a country. We talk about women in aviation, we talk about women in STEM.
“But now we’re moving into a space where we want to raise the spotlight on women in agriculture in the Cayman Islands,” she said.
Ebanks-Wilks, who also has responsibility for the Gender Affairs Unit, added that as few as 2% of women in the Cayman Islands are involved in agriculture.
“We wanted to have an event like today to promote and to encourage more women in this space. I know a lot of women already do a little bit of backyard farming. From a sustainability standpoint, we want to be able to promote more food security, even [if it’s] just in our communities,” she said.
The Cayman Islands’ 2021 Census showed only 1.2% of total employment was attributable to skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers.
On Tuesday, 26 March, a special ‘Women, Food Security, and Sustainable Agriculture’ workshop will be held from 10am-1pm, at the Intergenerational Hub at 131 MacLendon Drive, George Town.
The educational workshop will cover topics essential for success in the agricultural sector, including environmental and agricultural policies, practices, and programmes implemented by the Cayman Islands government.
It will also focus on strategies for navigating agriculture in the age of climate change and insights on how to initiate and manage a successful farm.
Those interested may register for the workshop here.
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