In a strategic alliance, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Taiwan Technical Mission has launched the “Where Women Bloom” project.
This initiative has successfully equipped twenty-five women with crucial skills in small-scale mushroom production and operational expertise in mushroom cultivation.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, participants have undergone comprehensive training, enhancing their capabilities and paving the way for economic self-sufficiency.
Gregg Rawlins, a representative of IICA in Saint Lucia and the Eastern Caribbean State explained that the collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, IICA and the Taiwan Technical Mission underscores the significance of public-private partnerships in driving impactful change.
Said Rawlins: “ ‘Where Women Bloom’ is predicated upon the realization that small-scale and sustainable mushroom production provides an opportunity to local farmers to diversify their production and to invest in the rural milieu with potential for high return on investment.”
At a ceremony, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Saint Lucia His Excellency Peter Chia-yen Chen said “we are proud to say that this project has (benefitted) women around the island—from Gros Iset to Vieux Fort. From their application, training session to their preparation for building mushroom houses every participant has shown collaborative partnership with our team.”
According to Alfred Prospere, Minister for Agriculture, “the supportive function of women in the home economy is critical to food security, youth and elderly health… as well as providing value adding functions at the home level.”
Prospere said that the focus on women goes beyond “… the ground opportunity made available by the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan and the Taiwan Technical Mission.”
He added that it “recognizes that women in agriculture in the Caribbean as in most developing countries play important roles in household food security as income earners, nurturers and managers of natural resources and biodiversity.”
During the certificate ceremony on Thursday 10, August 2023, each participant received a certificate of completion and was provided with mushroom care kits, symbolizing the project’s practical approach to ensuring continued success.