In July, Dr. Audia Barnett of IICA Canada was invited to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to present at a “brown bag lunch” – a lunch and learn event for government employees.
Ottawa, ON. Dr. Barnett took this opportunity to present information on a project that was recently completed by the IICA Delegation in Canada in the area of women’s empowerment in the cacao sector.
The purpose of the presentation was to share results of an innovative project which aimed to increase farmers’ retained income associated with cacao trade through processing of specialized products for niche markets. Targeting women associated with cacao in Peru & the Dominican Republic, the project entitled: Value Added Opportunities for Small Scale Cacao Producers, was successfully completed. Results from the project were described, including a generic business model for use in other cacao producing countries as well as a very motivational case study of a women operated cooperative in the Dominican Republic.
Attendees of the session – which also included invited representatives of the Private Sector and the Diplomatic Corps, expressed their renewed interest in the cacao sector, and appreciated the gender focus of the project. The delegation was encouraged by the response and looks forward to future events of this nature with GAC. Thanks to our colleagues at GAC who helped to organize this event!
For more information:
Audia Barnett
audia.barnett@iica.int
