Dorienne Rowan Campbell, a Jamaican woman who has dedicated decades to agriculture, owns a small organic coffee farm producing top-quality beans that has become a model of sustainable practices, and has served as a lifelong mentor to other small Caribbean producers, has been distinguished as one of the Leaders of Rurality of the Americas by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

Rowan Campbell will receive the “Soul of Rurality” award, part of an initiative by the specialized organization for agricultural and rural development to recognize men and women who leave their mark and make a difference in rural areas of the Americas—and whose work is crucial for food security, nutrition, and environmental sustainability.

“My work is to be the voice of small farmers and to help drive the changes that strengthen them and allow them to achieve a good standard of living,” she says.

In 2001, Rowan Campbell was one of the founders of the Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM), where she served for several years as president of an organization dedicated to making organic farming economically viable by paving the way for certification, training inspectors, and establishing demonstration farms.

Through JOAM, Rowan Campbell and her colleagues have trained around 150 women in the Caribbean who are interested in organic agriculture. In recognition of her contributions to food production and women’s rights, she was honored by the Jamaican government and received an award from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an environmental entrepreneur.

Dorienne Rowan Campbell is committed to engaging Jamaica’s youth in agriculture. (Photo: IICA)

Her farm, Rowan’s Royale Farm, is located in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, where some of the world’s most sought-after coffee is produced. Since 2004, the farm has been inspected and has obtained the Certification of Environmental Standards (CERES), an international document awarded to those who practice sustainable farming.

Even before climate variability became widely recognized as a global issue affecting crops, she noticed its impacts on her farm and understood the need to preserve biodiversity through nature-based solutions. Today, she is an inspector for a certification system and trains other Jamaican farmers, combining efforts to produce high-quality coffee while protecting the environment.

The Leaders of Rurality award recognizes individuals who play a dual, irreplaceable role: guaranteeing food and nutrition security while also safeguarding the planet’s biodiversity through agricultural production in all circumstances. The initiative also aims to highlight positive examples that can inspire rural communities across the region.

Dorienne also holds Canadian citizenship, though she insists her heart belongs to Jamaica. “I learned the work and use my farm as a training ground for other small farmers because, unless people can see a model in action, it’s very difficult to break old, ingrained habits,” she explains. She is also a member and holds a leadership role in the Jamaica Coffee Growers Association.

Rowan Campbell leads a group of about 15 women she calls “eco warriors,” whom she trains in agricultural and economic matters. These women go on to spread their knowledge in their communities, with a particular focus on youth.

“I grew up in Jamaica,” she recalls, “where I attended a school with large green spaces where we raised chickens that the children took care of. I think my interest in farming started there, although my father also loved agriculture. He was a lawyer and a judge, but his small farm was his soul. I started working the land there, and one day he told me I had turned it into a real farm. It was the nicest thing anyone has ever told me.”

“I went to university in Canada, where I studied English and History. Later, I worked for eight years at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, first in the Women and Development Program and then serving all 52 member countries. But I always believed that my Jamaican roots were my true source of strength. So, I returned, and today, although I spend part of my time in Canada, Jamaica is my home.”

Upon returning to the Caribbean, Dorienne wanted to engage in agriculture in harmony with nature—an activity that was both productive and environmentally responsible. “I remember saying that there was a river beneath my farm and that anything I put into the soil would end up in that river. That’s why I decided not to use chemicals, and many people thought I was crazy.”

She became interested in organic farming more than 30 years ago, and spent a long time building alliances with other farmers who shared her concerns. Today, she not only conducts training workshops but also serves as an inspector for farms seeking certification.

Her farm covers about five and a half hectares, though much of it is steep and covered with trees and shrubs. She cultivates just over two hectares, where, in addition to coffee, she also grows turmeric and ginger.

Dorienne’s lifelong concern has been securing a place in the community that properly reflects the essential contributions of small-scale farmers.

“I am convinced that small farmers do not receive the respect they deserve,” she asserts. “Many people in Jamaica associate agriculture with slavery because it was the work everyone did when they were enslaved. As a result, many believe that being a doctor or a lawyer is the only respectable career. I fight against that mindset and try to get young people involved in agriculture. They are very interested in new technologies and how they can be applied to production. This is crucial. If we don’t engage young people in agriculture in Jamaica, we won’t just lose the coffee industry—we will lose our food supply as well.”

This article was originally published by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture