BRIEF REPORT. Vision 50/50: Rural Women and Resilience to Poverty Tackling Climate Change and Rural Poverty for Sustainable Development

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1 BRIEF REPORT ON RURAL WOMEN S PUBLIC FORUM 2011 Vision 50/50: Rural Women and Resilience to Poverty Tackling Climate Change and Rural Poverty for Sustainable Development Thursday October 20, 10:30am 3:00pm St James Gibraltar Anglican Church Endeavour District, St. Ann Overview of National Public Forum for Rural Women 2011 The Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (SALISES, UWI), the Bureau of Women s Affairs (BWA) in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the UWI s Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS, Mona Unit), and the Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers (JNRWP) collaborated to commemorate International Day for Rural Women 2011 under the theme: Vision 50/50: Rural Women and Resilience to Poverty - Tackling Climate Change and Rural Poverty for Sustainable Development. This was the first national public forum held to commemorate and celebrate the contribution of rural women to national development. The national public forum was held on Thursday, October 20, 2011 from 10:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. in Endeavour District, Gibraltar, St. Ann. Jamaica joined other countries around the world and observed October 15 as International Day for Rural Women which has been celebrated since The commemoration recognizes the Page 1 of 11

2 critical role and contribution of rural women and girls in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty. The objectives of the commemoration were to highlight the multiple challenges faced by the poor in rural spaces, to recognize the pivotal role that rural women play in shaping the resilience of these spaces and to share ideas for an action research project that seeks to improve the livelihoods of poor rural women and families and enhance their ability to adapt to climate change over the next 50 years. This project partnership, between the two main entities the University of the West Indies and the Bureau of Women s Affairs in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is a component of the Sustainable Rural and Agricultural Development (S/RAD) Cluster within SALISES 50/50 project. Background The focus on rural women is in accordance with the Gender Sector Plan of Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan, the National Policy for Gender Equality as well as the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) multi-year programme of work for This special attention to rural women is also timely as the theme for the 56 th session of the CSW (27 February 9 March, 2012) is: "The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges." Jamaica s support to the sustainable future of rural women is consistent with its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) as well as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As Jamaica reflects on 50 years of development and plans for the future, it is recognized that climate change increases risks and vulnerabilities faced by rural women, especially those who are poor and are single female heads of households. In keeping with the mandate of the organizing entities SALISES, BWA, IGDS and JNRWP, continuous assistance is provided to rural women to help reduce poverty, develop resilience to climate change and improve their quality of life. However, much more work needs to be done to raise the living standard of poor rural women and their families over the next 50 years. This commemoration held on October 20, 2011 is phase one of a three-part project aimed at contributing to the achievement of this goal. The other two phases include: a) a pilot study in St Ann, examining the state of rural vulnerability and resilience and the nature of rural women s strategies for resilience and b) using the results to design an empowerment programme for a selected group of rural women in this area as a pilot for possible replication. This resilience approach to poverty reduction complements existing work examining risk and vulnerability, promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Union (EU) under the auspices of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). This project initiative, the first of its kind in Jamaica, will promote a gendered analysis of patterns of risk and resilience to help break the cycle of poverty Page 2 of 11

3 in the lives of rural women and their families in Jamaica. This initiative will seek to promote sustainability by monitoring project impacts and sharing the findings and lessons learnt. Purpose of Public Forum The overall project, which includes this forum celebrating rural women, will thus promote public awareness and sensitivity to the gendered nature of both development and resilience strategies. It will also stimulate networking with public and private sector stakeholders to invest in the future of rural women, and more broadly support rural communities in promoting sustainable livelihoods in Jamaica. Target group & Desired Output The desired beneficiary of this public forum was a group of fifty (50) rural women from within Endeavour District and surrounding communities. The desired outputs included: - Better understanding of challenges confronting rural women and their families - Celebration of rural women s contribution to farming, agro-processing, entrepreneurship and other forms of economic and social development - Enhancement of rural women s awareness of climate change challenges and mitigation strategies Actual outputs of the Forum Participants: The forum was broadly publicized and attracted participants from several other parishes. As a result there were 112 (105 women and 7 men) registered participants from the following parishes: 1. St. Ann 2. St. Mary 3. St. Andrew 4. St. Thomas 5. Trelawny Below: see snap shots of participants Page 3 of 11

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5 Remarks/Greetings: Hon. Minister Olivia Grange, Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture, with responsibility for Women/Gender Affairs was unavoidable absent but sent her remarks, which was aptly delivered by Mrs. Faith Webster, Executive Director at the Bureau of Women s Affairs. The challenges faced by rural women were noted as well as efforts by the Government of Jamaica in addressing them. This important point was highlighted in Minister Grange s remarks: The reality is, women in general, and in particular rural women, have suffered from structural and institutional problems, and are marginalized on two counts: they face higher levels of poverty and they are discriminated against legally, socially, economically and culturally. For example women own only two per cent of the land, and receive only one per cent of all agricultural credit. Only five per cent of all agricultural extension resources are directed to women The National Gender Policy formulated by the Bureau of Women Affairs and approved by Cabinet in March speaks specifically to developing and implementing strategies to alleviate poverty and addressing other vulnerabilities among rural women Some of the partners travelled to the forum to greet the participants. The following partners delivered greetings: - Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), UWI delivered by Dr. Patricia Northover, Senior Fellow - Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), UWI delivered by Ms. Suzanne Charles, Research Fellow - Rural Agricultural Development Authorities (RADA), Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries delivered by Mr. Leroy Kennedy, Deputy Parish Manager for St. Ann. Presentations: The presentations were well received by the participants. 1. Development for All: The Rights of Rural Women was presented by Mrs. Webster, highlighting the rights of rural women according to the National Policy for Gender Equality and CEDAW among other human rights agreements. 2. Climate Change Managing risks and enhancing resilience for sustainable development was presented by Mr. Hopeton Peterson, Manager for the Sustainable Development and Regional Planning Unit at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). He highlighted some of the challenges of past hurricanes and storms; their impact on citizens, including rural women; the role of citizens in mitigating some of the challenges and how citizens contribute to the challenges as well. 3. Ms. Paulette Thomas, Senior Officer in the Home Economics and Social Services at RADA, outlined some of the social and economic services and opportunities provided by RADA to rural women and their families under the topic Rural Women and RADA. 4. The Vision of Rural Women was delivered by Ms. Mildred Crawford, President of Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers. Ms. Crawford shared, from the perspective of the organization and its members, of the desire for greater inclusion and priority to be placed on the needs of rural women, especially the more vulnerable women and their families. This desire was echoed by several participants. Page 5 of 11

6 5. Reframing resilience in Rural Jamaica: Empowering Women as a Route to Poverty Reduction was delivered by Dr. Northover. She also gave and overview of the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Group and its research projects. 6. Mrs. Siddier Chambers, Project Officer at the Bureau of Women s Affairs and Research Associate for S/RAD gave the final presentation on The Way Forward for Rural Women in Jamaica. She highlighted the forum as an initiative which coincides with the desired output of the National Policy for Gender Equality, Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan and CEDAW. She then outlined the three (3) phases of the participatory action research project entitled Vision 50/50: Rural Women and Resilience to Poverty : Phase I Launch of research project Phase II enhance research project and source additional funding Phase III begin implementation of empowerment programme for rural women and source additional funding Ms. Lola Granville, a participant from Trelawny making a comment on rabbit-rearing during the main question and answer session. In the background are some of the presenters - (l-r) Dr. Patricia Northover, Ms. Paulette Thomas, Mrs. Faith Webster, Mr. Hopeton Peterson and Ms. Mildred Crawford. Page 6 of 11

7 Question & Answer Session: This was conducted throughout the presentations. Some of the issues discussed during this session relate to the following: 1. Garbage collection and disposal 2. Suitable access to credit and small loans for rural citizens 3. Land acquisition rental and purchase 4. Suitable market for products, especially agro-processing 5. Cost-effective rental or purchase of farming equipment 6. Skills training 7. Praedial larceny 8. The importance of registering with a group/group networking Media coverage: A press release was disseminated on October 15, 2011 which is officially observed globally as International Day for Rural Women. Discussions in the media of the forum heightened on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 beginning with a radio interview on Power 106 FM with Mrs. Siddier Chambers interviewed by Mr. Ralston Hyman and Mr. Ronald Thwaites. See table below with list of media coverage and interviews. DATE MEDIA HOUSE PROGRAMME/HOST INTERVIEWEE/ARTICLE The Gleaner Rural Express Press release and advertisement for the forum Power 106 FM Newstalk 93 FM Power 106 FM Power 106 FM/Music 99FM Real Business with Mr. Mrs. Siddier Chambers Ralston Hyman and Mr. Ronald Thwaites 8:45 9:00 a.m. Mrs. Shirley Duncan, Director, Community Liaison Unit, BWA And Ms. Leonie Sawyers, Member of Airy Castle PDC, St. Thomas Independent Talk with Mr. Ronald Thwaites 6:45 to 9:45a.m. Live outside broadcast Page 7 of Mr. Omar Sweeney, General Manager, Technical Services, Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) 2. Mrs. Faith Webster, BWA 3. Mrs. Stephannie Hutchinson-Ffrench, JSIF 4. Dr. Leith Dunn, IGDS 5. Ms. Mildred Crawford, JNRWP Mrs. Faith Webster Mrs. Shirley Duncan Ms. Christine Taylor Ms. Mildred Crawford

8 Jamaica Information Services (JIS) Audio interviews Mr. Hopeton Peterson Ms. Lillieth James Mrs. Siddier Chambers Mrs. Faith Webster Dr. Patricia Northover Mrs. Siddier Chambers The Gleaner Article entitled Rural women honoured at St. Ann seminar see full article at Achievements Three (3) of the main achievements of the forum are: the large number of participants; great support from the main partners; and numerous media coverage (including pre and post event). Mrs. Faith Webster, Executive Director, Bureau of Women s Affairs (right) being interviewed during the live outside broadcast on Power 106 FM at the forum on October 20, Page 8 of 11

9 Challenges Three (3) of the main challenges of the forum are: late request for sponsorship; inclement weather (rain); and limited time for discussion with the participants. Lessons learned The forum was a success based on the projected targets. However, the forum could have received greater support if sponsorship requests were made earlier. Also, the forum provided a good opportunity for rural women to market their products; however, adequate provision was not made to facilitate effective advertisement and sale of the products. S/RAD will make greater effort to incorporate these lessons as well as mitigate the challenges, to ensure rural women enjoy maximum benefit from upcoming activities. Ms. Lateshia Lattibeaudiere of Mount Friendship Women of Purpose League, St. Andrew, displays agro-process products - baked breadfruit, cheese & rasin bammies. Page 9 of 11

10 Next step for the project Going forward on the success of this forum, S/RAD will proceed into Phase II of the project, which is to enhance the research project and source additional funding. This phase of the project has an expected time-frame of eight (8) months, during the period January August Partners This public forum for rural women was made possible by the kind support of the following partners: 1. Bureau of Women s Affairs (BWA) an agency in the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture 2. Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), UWI 3. Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), UWI 4. Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers (JNRWP) a NGO for women 5. Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) 6. Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project (GOJ/EU/UNEP) 7. The Way Out Project Jamaican Women s Economic and Political Empowerment (BWA/DRF/UN Women) 8. Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) an agency in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries 9. Social Development Commission (SDC) 10. Joan Duncan Foundation Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) 11. Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 12. Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Thank you! The Sustainable Rural and Agricultural Development (S/RAD) cluster within SALISES 50/50 project and the main organizing entities SALISES, BWA, IGDS and JNRWP express sincere gratitude to all the partners who supported this critical initiative, which signaled a milestone in the development of rural women in Jamaica. This initiative would not have been possible without your kind contributions and support. We are delighted that you saw the forum as a suitable avenue to contribute to national development and we look forward to your continuous partnership in future initiatives. Page 10 of 11

11 The planning committee for the forum consisted of Dr. Patricia Northover (chairperson); Dr. Leith Dunn; Mrs. Siddier Chambers; Ms. Christine Taylor and Ms. Mildred Crawford. The forum was an output of the Sustainable Rural and Agricultural Development (S/RAD) cluster within SALISES 50/50 project. Fifty-Fifty is a research project designed and organized by the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) at UWI Mona. It will include a series of seminars based on sectoral and thematic studies around the central theme of reviewing the past fifty years of independence and looking forward to the next fifty. The mission of SALISES is to undertake high-quality research and graduate teaching in the areas of social and economic development policy, governance and public policy with special reference to small developing countries. For further information on SALISES 50/50 project and S/RAD Cluster visit Budget (expenditures) PARTICULARS AMOUNT VENUE 5, MEDIA - print 55, MEDIA outside broadcast 80, CATERING 130, RENTAL OF TENTS, TABLES & CHAIRS 20, TRANSPORTATION FOR RURAL WOMEN 107, MISCELANEOUS 12, , Page 11 of 11