Female entrepreneurs are being urged to adopt “green” methodologies in managing their businesses amid mounting environmental pressures.
The Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods (COESL) hosted a workshop on Wednesday to inform women about sustainable practices and provide them with resources to help strengthen their operations.
Co-Founder and Director, Marcia Brandon, said the event was designed to celebrate women entrepreneurs, in recognition of International Women’s Month in March, particularly those operating within the blue, green and orange economies.
“Those who are operating within the green and blue economies in Barbados, while we may not think about it, those two economies underpin our entire sustainable development movement in this region, and I’ll add the orange economy as well, because that’s cultural.
“Our focus at COESL is on helping entrepreneurs to understand how to green their business, how to run a green business as green as possible, how to take care of the environment so it, in turn, takes care of them,” Brandon said.
The event also served as a networking platform, allowing entrepreneurs to share ideas and learn from each other, while three participants received tools and resources to support growth in their farming operations.
A panel discussion formed part of the day’s activities, exposing participants to financing and innovation opportunities.
“Republic Bank is here, Caribbean Development Bank is here, we have a Bitcoin and blockchain person, so we’re trying to let them see what’s out there, and how to access financing and collaborate together, because together we are strong and together we innovate,” Brandon said.
Meanwhile, Leisa Perch, Gender, Social and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) Specialist with the 3R Crews Project, said the initiative is focused on engaging the public on water use, including consumption and reclaimed water.
She noted that female entrepreneurs, particularly farmers and female-headed households, are among the key target groups.
“I focus on not only gender equality but social inclusion, which means that I also consider intersectionalities of sex, age, location, ability, disability, source of income, including entrepreneurship and business, farming and other aspects that are going to be critical for how we engage with the public around water, water consumption, but also the use of reclaimed water,” Perch said.
Perch highlighted persistent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, including caregiving responsibilities and limited access to financing.
“We’ve known over time and even with ongoing efforts that women business owners and entrepreneurs are still struggling to find the time to invest in their businesses because of care responsibilities.
“They also struggle to find access to capital, and capital that’s flexible, that can enable not just earning money and earning a profit, but also enable capacities and interests in being more sustainable and being more ecologically friendly,” Perch added.
Brandon also stressed the importance of continued support for women entrepreneurs, noting that many face difficulties balancing work and family life amid economic pressures.
“We are in a time when women have had issues getting jobs, especially as mothers, where they have to decide if they are going to take a job and sacrifice time with their children, or not be as present for their children. We’re also in a time when jobs either don’t pay much or demand too much time, and the economy is so tight that you have to find a job,” Brandon said.
She said while entrepreneurship offers flexibility for mothers, challenges remain within small economies.
“Entrepreneurship is the way to go for many mothers because it gives them flexibility, but we have small economies, so that is why it’s so critical for women to work together, collaborate, find markets together, build things together where they can build scale and learn together as well,” Brandon said.
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