Creating more opportunities for women

Tate & Lyle’s Fairtrade partnership works with women to gain more active roles in the sugar industry. For example, Fairtrade Premium contributed to The Progressive Sugarcane Producers Association launch a Female Empowerment Program.

This pilot project worked with 60 women across four communities in Belize, with a focus on training attendees in skills such as financial literacy empowerment, economic opportunities, and hands-on training.

It focused on training in financial skills and financial literacy for sugarcane revenues, as well as small business entrepreneurship and ways to diversify their income.

Through these newly acquired aptitudes, these women have the potential to pursue new business opportunities, improve their farms, and in turn build a more successful family farming business, resulting in a long-term impact for those involved.

On a day-to-day basis, these new opportunities mean women have more control over the family income and expenses. Perhaps most importantly, these opportunities also instil more confidence, and generate greater recognition for, female sugarcane farmers.