WOMEN farmers, state minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Kerensia Morrison says, already know how to make limited resources stretch, and it’s time the financial system caught up.

Speaking at the She Grows Forum and FarmHers Market in Kingston last week, Morrison said many rural women operate like seasoned business owners, planning around crop cycles, managing cash flow, and reinvesting profits from one harvest into the next. Yet, despite their discipline, most remain on the sidelines of formal lending.

Her comments came as the Bureau of Gender Affairs released findings from a national assessment showing that women in farming continue to face steep barriers in accessing credit and markets. Many said they are still not taken seriously by banks, even as they share the weight of the island’s food production and often head multigenerational households.

The bureau says the results will guide new efforts to connect women farmers with affordable financing, business training, and technologies that support climate-smart agriculture. The initiative, part of Jamaica’s observance of the International Day of Rural Women, aims to turn what has long been informal know-how into formal opportunity.

During her address, Morrison recalled meeting a farmer from Guys Hill, St Catherine, who lost both her crops and home assets after weeks of heavy rain. Without insurance or access to flexible repayment terms the woman fell behind on her loan, and collectors repossessed her furniture.

“What was tragic is that she had entered into a loan arrangement with one of the more aggressive agencies. They went into her home and they took everything…It was a double loss,” Morrison said. “Loss of crop, loss of income, and loss of dignity.”

She urged financial institutions to design lending products that reflect the realities of women in farming, who often rely on short harvest cycles and lack collateral such as land titles.

For its part, the Bureau of Gender Affairs says it intends to take those realities into account through new partnerships with local lenders and business development agencies. Director Nardia McLaren said the data collected from rural women across St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and St Thomas point to a need for more inclusive financing and practical support such as access to affordable pesticides, irrigation, and farm technology.

“We found that many of these women are running farms, raising families, and managing communities all at once,” McLaren said. “What they need are systems that recognise that effort — access to funding, training, and markets that make it worth their while to keep producing.”

The She Grows Forum and FarmHers Market, staged under the theme ‘She Invests: Turning Challenges into Opportunities’, also featured exhibits from women-led agribusinesses and community producers. The event forms part of a wider push to strengthen women’s economic participation, particularly in rural areas where poverty levels remain highest.

Organisers say the next step is linking these women to consistent buyers and export channels — moving them from small, seasonal production to sustainable, income-generating enterprises.

— Karena Bennett