A local organization – Women in Agriculture for Rural Development (WARD) – was recently the recipient of a quantity of equipment, that compliments the Canadian High Commission in Barbados, through its local project initiative window, Canada Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI).
The equipment was handed over to WARD on Wednesday, 23rd March 2022, by Ms Amanda Martinez, Political Officer of the Canadian High Commission.
Ms. Martinez, in brief remarks at the handover, said inter alia, that her High Commission was pleased to be of assistance to women farmers.
The donation (equipment) included: rotating garden tillers, trimmers, wood chippers, post-hole diggers and landscape fabric covers.
Along with the equipment, the assistance also provides for the purchase of seeds, field demonstrations, hands-on training in the use and maintenance of the equipment and training and capacity building in areas of Environmental Preservation, Strategic Farm Management Practices and Composting.
The women farmers noted that over the years, their operations have been very labour intensive and the overall cost of production extremely high. As such they were unable to produce the variety, quantity and quality of crops they desired, and often times the yield produced was relatively low.
In extending their sincere appreciation for the assistance which is expected to address their challenges, the members of WARD pledged to take good care of the equipment, to make maximum use of them towards enhancing their livelihood. They noted that their work will be much easier as they acquaint themselves with the use of the equipment, enabling them to contribute more meaningfully not only to rural development, but to the nation as a whole.