OECS targeting more women for Canada seasonal farm work programme

THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN Liaison Service (ECLS), the unit of the OECS Commission that is responsible for stewardship of the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agriculture Workers Programme is making a push for more women from the sub-region to be engaged on the programme.

It therefore “has embarked on a ‘Women in Agriculture’ initiative to give priority to expanding the participation of OECS women in the programme,” a release from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) states in a release.

“ The intent is for young women farmers to benefit from seasonal employment on a Canadian farm – including active-learning of modern farming methods and the use of technology in farming. The outcomes of this initiative also fulfil a strategic objective of the OECS Commission – reduction of unemployment among nationals of the OECS member states.” The organisation points out that remittances from employment of OECS nationals participating in this programme are estimated to be over EC$37million in 2021.

In the release, the OECS said that over the years, men have dominated the OECS’ participation in the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agriculture Workers Program but since 2020, a few women from Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have gone to Canada each year to work on farms in the provinces of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan. However, the ECLS wants this number to increase.

OECS director general, Dr. Didacus Jules spoke about the Commission’s strategy to increase opportunities for women in agriculture. According to Dr. Jules, “With this specific cohort of seasonal workers, the OECS is breaking new employment opportunity ground. The recruitment of a largely-female team of workers – many of whom are farmers – not only creates new gender-specific economic opportunities but also exposes them to new production technologies and standards that can be replicated back at home,” the release quotes him as saying.

“This is part of a new strategy to convert seasonal employment opportunity abroad into permanent, profitable self-employment at home. The ECLS Team has also had a breakthrough in opening up the programme to workers from our French Associate Member States to work in the Francophone

Canadian provinces and we commend them on this initiative.”

Head of the ECLS, Olaf Fontenelle gave details on the cohort of women travelling to Canada.

“The Women in Agriculture initiative is bearing some fruit – with a group of 40 St. Lucian women who will be employed with a strawberry farm in Nova Scotia, this year. Just last week, 13 ladies from this group arrived safely in Canada, to commence their employment and the remaining ladies will join them soon.”

This is indeed a milestone for the OECS’ participation in the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agriculture Workers Program (SAWP) – since this is the largest cohort of women to be employed with one farm since the programme’s inception over 50 years ago. The process to secure these opportunities began months before these ladies boarded their flights to Canada. The ECLS team has been persistent in pursuing negotiations with a few Canadian farms whose preference is for women farmers and who are also willing to invest in the more extensive housing requirements for women. The ECLS, having secured the requisite Canadian approvals for the employment opportunities, transmits these to the Ministry of Labour (St. Lucia in this case) that have the responsibility for careful recruitment, visa processing and pre-departure orientation for the successful women. The ECLS then completes the process, by welcoming the ladies and ensuring their welfare and well-being during the period of employment in Canada.