Women farmers appeal for drought-resistant seeds

A group calling itself the Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers (JNRWP) is calling for the establishment of a dedicated fund to assist female farmers in rural Jamaica.

The group, headed by Tamisha Lee, wants female farmers to benefit from drought-resistant seeds and is also urging that the proposed national fund provide climate-smart technology and water-harvesting systems to women-led farms.

"Jamaican rural women are the invisible heart of the agricultural sector, managing small farms, processing crops, marketing goods, and preserving the traditional knowledge that sustains our domestic food security," Lee said.

Her comment comes as Jamaica prepares to join the rest of the world in observing International Day of Rural Women (IDRW) on Wednesday. Lee noted that despite women's significant contribution to agriculture, "they are disproportionately vulnerable to the droughts, floods, and volatile weather patterns -- the cruel realities of climate change that threaten both their livelihoods and our nation's ability to feed itself".

Lee has also called on the Government to expedite the regularisation of land tenure for women in agriculture, pointing out that land ownership is the key that unlocks access to formal loans and long-term sustainable investments in the soil.

"Investing in the rural woman is the single most effective investment in our nation's climate mitigation and food system stability," Lee said.

"When a woman farmer has security, her community has food security. When she receives climate-smart training, her land is protected, and her harvest is secured. The power of this investment is transformative, allowing us to move from simply surviving climate shocks to actively building resilient, sustainable food systems for the future," she said.