by GIS
A group of women have combined their creative skill sets in an effort to create sustainable rural livelihoods.
The Saint Lucia Network of Rural Women Producers (SLNRWP) is made up of four clusters of producers from Canaries, Babonneau, Micoud, and Laborie, who advocate for the advancement of women.
“The Saint Lucia Network of Rural Women Producers came together in 2014 under the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA),” said Robin Darrell, secretary for the Babonneau cluster of rural women producers. “Initially, the individual groups were registered as nonprofit agencies under the Ministry of Transformation. IICA basically brought the groups together. Our aim is to empower women, to allow women to advocate for certain policies, and to better the livelihoods of women.”
Canabelle, the Canaries cluster of rural women, makes soaps from local ingredients, while the Babonneau cluster consists of agro processors and farmers.
“We buy our raw materials mainly from farmers in our area. With them, we produce gluten free flours from plantain, bananas, macambou, sweet potatoes and breadfruit,” said Ms. Darrell. “We also make dried fruits, relishes, and chutneys, and we have nine flavors of rum fudge that we manufacture.”
The Micoud cluster of rural women produces jams, jellies, and preserves, and recently began offering for sale locally-made dark chocolate. In Laborie, the Anse Kawet Crafters are known for their handmade crafts.
“Anse Kawet Crafters started in 1998 with two women crafters who decided that they wanted to teach craft making to the young people,” said Noella Alexander, secretary to Anse Kawet Crafters. “They started a small group which grew with the help of the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF) and the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF). Last year, three members of the Anse Kawet Crafters earned their CVQ certifications, and are now able to officially teach classes in handicrafts.”
The Saint Lucia Network of Rural Women Producers is attached to the international organization, the Caribbean Network of Rural Women Producers (CANROP), whose current president is Carmen Nurse from Saint Lucia.
The group’s members have received ongoing assistance from IICA in the form of training in agro processing, marketing, cultural exchange, and networking, and funding for the upgrade of product packaging and labels. And despite limited access to financing, and the lack of central processing facilities, the women continue undeterred.
“Ultimately, we want to produce a rural women’s brand of healthy products that are offered for local consumption and for export, and we also hope to get more rural women involved,” Ms. Darrell said.
The Government of Saint Lucia is in the process of securing processing plants for the Babonneau and Micoud clusters.
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