Dear Editor,

As the world marks International Day of Rural Women on October 15, we are called to celebrate the indispensable backbone of our nation — our rural women. From the red dirt of Manchester to the seaside fishing village of Belmont in Westmoreland, rural women are the backbone holding up Jamaica’s food supply, keeping our communities together, and driving local economies. Their labour feeds our families, their strength sustains our social fabric, and their resourcefulness holds our communities together through every crisis.

Over the past year, the Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers (JNRWP) has been on the front lines alongside our members distributing vital shelter and emergency supplies, expanding parametric climate-risk insurance protection, facilitating business continuity training, and delivering critical psychosocial support and mental health wellness sessions to help our women process the deep emotional toll of disaster. We have seen firsthand the extraordinary grit of our women who refuse to let their farms, businesses, and spirits stay broken.

Yet, as we approach the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Melissa, front-line community action alone is not enough. The reality on the ground remains sobering: Far too many rural women who lost their homes are still “kotching” with family and friends. They are managing households, caring for children and the elderly, and striving to rebuild while lacking the security and dignity of a place to call their own.

The psychological strain of prolonged displacement, financial instability, and climate trauma weighs heavily on our rural mothers, farmers, and entrepreneurs. Resilience should never be used as a convenient excuse for State or societal inaction, nor should it mean suffering in silence. Celebrating the ability of rural women to endure hardship is meaningful only if our collective efforts are matched by structural, long-term support that addresses both their economic recovery and mental well-being.

On this International Day of Rural Women, the JNRWP calls for an immediate shift from rhetoric to resolute action. We must move beyond commemorative statements and commit to a transformative rural women’s agenda that prioritises: 1) targeted housing recovery: Urgent assistance and prioritised housing allocation for rural women who head households still displaced by Hurricane Melissa 2) social support: Accessible recovery grants, low-interest microfinance, and agricultural inputs alongside sustained, community-based mental health and psychosocial resources tailored for rural women 3) inclusive decision-making: Ensuring rural women who carry out the critical work on the ground are given a seat at the table in national disaster preparedness, climate adaptation, and policy planning Our rural women have anchored Jamaica through storm after storm. It is time for national stakeholders to anchor them — mind, body, and livelihood.

Rebuilding our rural communities requires more than praise; it requires purpose, policy, and prompt intervention. Let us honour our rural women not just with our words today, but with the housing, mental wellness, economic justice, and systemic backing they so rightfully deserve.

Tamisha Lee President Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers