St Kitts and Nevis: The Minister of Agriculture – Alexis Jeffers, during the annual “Advancing Women in Agriculture Forum,” announced that the Ministry of Agriculture had taken a vital step favouring women empowerment. The ministry has launched a new mandate to invest in women in technology.
The government is optimistic that this step will contribute towards greater production, and training will be provided for the success of the agricultural sector of the federation.
The Department of Agriculture hosted the Agriculture Forum at Agriculture Conference Room on March 8, 2022.
The minister further shared updates on the plans made by the ministry to invest in women. Jeffer said, “The government and our ministry will provide help to the women of St Kitts and Nevis to receive the necessary equipment, and the land issue will be addressed.”
He further stated that the women must increase their production, the government will provide training to women, using more innovative methods of agriculture and farming.”
He further notified about the ways to go in agriculture and stated that green-house technology and shade houses have been established by the government to make the technologies available for the women interested in the pursuing greenhouse production or shade house production.”
The ministry of agriculture has further assured that special extension, as well as advisory service, will form part of the agricultural support to women. “This will help the government provide support to understand the market and how it operates, and it will enable them to know the market’s needs both in products, quality and volume,” the minister notified.
Ministry of Agriculture further mentioned that it would extend support to women to change the mindset of farmers and farming to plant for the market instead of producing and then think about the market after that.”
The minister continued, “We also aim to expand women’s skills as well as knowledge for the better production of the sector.”
Jeffers further mentioned that the St Kitts and Nevis government has been planning to launch programmes that will provide empowerment to the women who have been a part of the agro-processing space.
