Building Capacity of Farmers and Agri-Food Processors: IICA, SBA, and AWIA Collaborate to Boost Competitiveness in Agriculture

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in collaboration with the Small Business Association of Barbados (SBA) and the Association of Women in Agriculture (AWIA) are helping to build the capacity of farmers, agri-food processors and fisherfolk to facilitate increased competitiveness of enterprises.

This came in the form of four recent workshops which were part of a larger intervention led by UN Women and funded by the UN Trust Fund for Human Security across five countries and targeted at women and youth. The project is called UN Women and IICA working together to support women in agriculture under the UN Trust Fund for Human Security.

The first workshop, Agribusiness Marketing for MSMEs, focused on topics such as marketing planning, meeting buyer demands, conducting market research and branding for success.

This session was followed by a workshop on Food Safety, Traceability and Compliance which exposed participants to regulatory and technological aspects of food safety, traceability, and best practices.

There was also a financing component to the workshop. This focus on financing was well received by participants who were informed of strategies and tactics required to improve their access to financing.

The third workshop was a follow-up from the first on marketing, and sought to expose entrepreneurs to the use of e-commerce and social media to boost market presence and profitability, brand enhancements and meet market standards and requirements.

The final workshop targeted fisherfolk and was held at the Oistins Fish Market. This session addressed Seafood Management: Fish Quality and Handling. It was a direct response to the call by fisherfolk to provide a targeted intervention for the community. There was a call for similar sessions in the Bridgetown and Pile Bay fishing facilities.

The sessions sought to target women primarily and saw an estimated 25 women benefit from the intervention. However, at least 10 men and youth also took advantage of the capacity building.

Overall, the beneficiaries noted the timeliness of the intervention with the Christmas season approaching and the ongoing efforts to be successful in business. They also applauded the leadership by UN Women as well as the collaborators under the project.

AWIA, SBA, UN Women and IICA said they are confident that the initiative would have strengthened the capacity of women in agriculture and fisheries in Barbados to expand their market scope and produce safer food. (PR/BT)