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Blood, Sweat & Resilience

Women biz owners hit by hurricane Beryl make a climate-resilient comeback with gender-responsive support

March 31^st, 2025

Beryl makes landfall.

Twenty one hundred feet up Jamaica’s Santa Cruz mountains, a cool climate nurtures crops common to temperate zones. Trishawna Brown’s flower farm thrives in this environment; but the blessing of the elevation also curses the location with maximum exposure to weather events. Trishawna would come to terms with this double-edged sword when hurricane Beryl made landfall on 3 July 2024 in her district, Potsdam, St Elizabeth. Within hours, category 4 winds had destroyed years of sweat, tears and dreams.

Her livelihood in ruin, Trishawna's audacious vision of farming strawberries in tropical Jamaica, stirred, awakened by crisis. But in the aftermath, her immediate thoughts were on shelter, family and survival.

Beryl had wrecked her greenhouse packed with flowers and ornamental plants which she sells to neighbours, flower shops and streetside in Junction, a town 14 kilometres downhill. “I lost a lot of plants - and my house - the top and back, went. It set us back in income,” she recalls.

A picture of inequality: The aftermath of Beryl on farming lands in Treasure Beach, showing differential impacts on different types of housing in Jamaica. (UNDP/Ricardo Makyn photo)

Hurricane Beryl destroyed many crops in the farming belt on the south coast. (UNDP/Ricardo Makyn photo).

In the aftermath of crisis, male and female farmers face similar challenges, but for single mother of two, Trishawna, there are key differences: “I don't have any fatherly support, so it was hard to come back,’ she explains. Without income she agonised about sending her children to school. “It was depressing knowing you can’t find things for your children,” she says.

One third of all farmers in Jamaica are women. And though they make significant contributions to farming output, they face heightened and unique vulnerabilities.

A key example of this is poultry farmers. Many are single females, who were severely impacted by the hurricane, confirms Jamaica’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon Floyd Morris. As the backbone of food independence for chicken and egg supplies, they sustained a hit to their primary source of income for household and back-to-school expenses, he discloses.

Strawberry farming is Trishawna's passion project, fed by dreams and relentless research on YouTube and one-on-one chats with experts.

Maya and son Zaire at home. (UNDP/Anorak Productions photo)

Different Genders, different impacts following crisis

Tamisha Lee, Executive Director, Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers, witnesses this gender differentiated impact all the time. “Female farmers are disproportionately impacted by Climate Change as they have less access to financing, technology and land ownership,” she points out. “Their roles as caretakers also intensifies the burden during crisis, making recovery slower and more difficult.”

Recent research supports this observation: Although women like Trishawna account for 58 percent of MSME leadership, a majority of institutions in Jamaica which provide financing and business development services to MSMEs do not consider the specific needs of women entrepreneurs, an ILO study confirms.

“Female farmers are disproportionately impacted by Climate Change. Their roles as caretakers also intensifies the burden during crisis, making recovery slower and more difficult.”- Tamisha Lee, JNRWP

UNDP's targeted support for women micro biz owners

Instructed by the evidence, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the JNRWP and the Bureau of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, shortlisted 54 women business owners including farmers and persons with disabilities, for UNDP’s livelihoods recovery support valuing ($7.8 million JMD ) . Inputs, grants and training aligned to need were organized, targeting the most impacted south coast communities. Capacity building training taught survivors how to build resilient operations and build back stronger after disaster, and how to enhance financial literacy, financial management, marketing and sales.

54 beneficiaries of UNDP's Beryl Livelihoods Recovery programme at capacity building workshop.

Trsishawna: Strawberry dreams in tropical Jamaica

Trishawna, one of the 54, and the only flower farmer in the bunch, seized the opportunity to diversify. Years before, she had dreamed of farming strawberries. To feed her passion, she soaked up YouTube teaching videos and tips from local experts. With UNDP support she is now part of a tiny but growing strawberry farming group satisfying only 10% of local consumption. With a 90% gap now filled by exports, the Government is targeting the sector for growth. Strawberries grow at no lower than 2000 feet in tropical countries, and some 25 percent or 220,000 hectares of Jamaica is at this elevation and higher. Potential income is lucrative at 3000 JMD (18.75 USD) per pound. .

Working a patch of land 40 feet below her backyard, Trishawna finally started her strawberry farming journey.

To support her fledgling effort and the growth potential of strawberry farming in Jamaica, the UNDP project directly purchased climate-smart equipment: a 1000-gallon drum, two acres of drip hose material to support drip irrigation, a venturi tube PH tester and a nutrient meter. “It has helped my farm because we are now in a drought season,” Trishawna reports.

Now, she has begun to harvest strawberries and sell to eager markets. “I just need to (harvest) more fruits to meet the market because the market is there. I started off with two fruits then I could pick, then from that I could pick a dozen, and from that I could pick a pound”, she reveals.

She has now picked many more pounds and intends to access technical support to improve her harvests.

Harvesting strawberries on Trishawna's farm. (UNDP/Anorak Productions photo)

Keisha: Extraordinary poultry farmer

Keisha Wint from Manchester is a fearless single mother and poultry farmer who is blind. Home is a modest yet vibrant blue board house along a tranquil, tree-lined road in Warwick District nestled amidst flourishing farmlands. Her coop is in the backyard, and she manages operations with help from her adult son, her main support in business.

At the beginning of her small biz journey, family members tried to discourage her. “They said ‘you can’t manage’, but I'm a very determined person and I go for what I want. I don't let my disability stop me from earning because I love my own money. I don't like to depend on people,” she declares.

“Persons with disabilities face a lot of challenges,” she reveals. “There are times you ask for assistance, and they feel you can’t help yourself”. It’s why she feels more can be done for women with disabilities.

“As a woman and person with a disability, especially as a single parent, trust me, it's not easy and for me as a woman to earn and provide for me and my son - it's challenging sometimes but I’m a person who perseveres; I don’t let anything stop me from doing what I'm doing.”

Hurricane Beryl wiped out her chicken stock, setting her back financially. But the same can-do grit that caused her to start her poultry business saw her through to the recovery phase.

As a beneficiary of UNDP’s livelihoods recovery programme, she received 100 baby chicks, feed and materials to expand her chicken coop. “The chickens now have more room to move about. This will help me to add more baby chicks so I can have more chickens to sell on the market.

Since then, she has sold off 100% of her harvest to restaurants, grocery shops, cook shops and householders, and reinvested a portion of profits into purchasing another 100 chickens. They are now six weeks old and soon to be slaughtered. Customers are already lined up.

“The profit is good because price gone up since Beryl, so it has been going good,” she confesses. “To be honest it’s a big achievement because it has enabled me take care of the medical bills and I am grateful for the opportunity.”

Keisha, entering her expanded chicken coop

Maya: Poultry farmer with dreams of better for her family

Maya Biggs, a poultry farmer, lives in a slightly elevated area of Clarendon called Pleasant Valley. A shy and quiet mother of three boys, she lives with her partner in a modest wooden home perfectly situated to take in the breathtaking beauty of the Bull Head mountains. The trek to her house is stony and difficult, but the reward is a cool crisp air amid miles and miles of rolling hills.

On this site, she dreams of a better place for her family, and has already begun the work on a small plot of land downhill from the current house.

These plans were temporarily interrupted when Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the valley.

“I raised 100 chickens and when the storm Beryl came it take away my livelihood that I use to take care of my kids and to send them go to school and help myself.”

In the aftermath, only the stone foundation of the coop remained. She remembers the moment she first realized: “My first thoughts were ‘Wow, look at that.’ It impacted me but I didn’t take it to heart because you can always bounce back and do what you can do to improve and help the kids.”

Having made it the livelihoods recovery shortlist, Maya received a restock of baby chicks, an 800-gallon water tank for water harvesting, and eight feet of zinc and chicken mesh wire plus resources to support the rebuilding of her coop.

Maya says the donation has now put her back on her feet as part of the poultry industry’s comeback. “This has kind of pushed the business a little further”.

Since then, she has sold all 30 chickens to neighbours and retail shops plus ‘round robins’ and drink ups. She is on the verge of increasing output next time to 40 and intends to invest in her own fridge instead of borrowing.

“It has been a great experience; it sends the kids to school and puts food in the house."

Vulnerable persons can fall off the radar - UNDP Resident Representative on field visit

Trishawna, Keisha and Maya’s compelling stories of survival underscore the need for a gender inclusive and nuanced approach to disaster resilience.

Dr Kishan Khoday, UNDP Resident Representative says this became more evident on his visits to the three beneficiaries.

“Vulnerable persons can fall off the radar if we don't make an extra effort to include them before, during and after a crisis strikes."

But he said UNDP has proved that small-scale interventions can make a difference especially when anchored on solid partnerships with government and NGOs in the field.

“As UNDP implements its current country programme, we will continue to invest in the kinds of interventions that build the resilience of our most vulnerable groups, and to advocate for the resources and consideration that will ensure they are no longer left behind." - Kishan Khoday

UNDP is reducing barriers to resilient livelihoods

Noting the disproportionate impact of climate change on women, UNDP Gender Analyst and Gender Focal Point, Abby Gale Clarke, says limited financial opportunities, recovery barriers and caregiving responsibilities continue to present hindrances to resilience. “Through this initiative, we aim to reduce these barriers, to promote inclusivity, equality and to ensure that we are leaving no one behind as we tackle the climate change challenges,” she says.

"I'm seeing empowered women" - Bureau of Gender Affairs representative

“The impact of the support has been vast. It has been huge”, declares Mitzie Moore Cooke of the Bureau of Gender Affairs. “What I'm seeing is empowered women - women who are resilient. The support has allowed them to come out of that depression and so now they are on the path of recovery, beaming with confidence and empowerment,” she observes.

"Elated, Excited, Privileged" - beneficiaries

“I am feeling excited and elated because trust me, it's helped a lot”, says Keisha Wint of her beryl recovery gift. “I want to do more because I know the demand for chicken is very high, so I really want to expand the business some more within the next couple of years,” she says.

Maya says her resuscitated poultry business will improve her lot and help her to help others in the community. “I'm feeling happy, well gifted and warmly. I can help myself and my kids as a farmer and can help other women farmers to move on to a next point in life”.

“I've never received a help like this before in my life,” says Trishawna with tears. “This is a privilege, and I am so grateful. It means a lot to me. There's no word to describe this feeling. This is a big step, and this will help me to improve my life. From the bottom, top and side of my heart, I am very appreciative.”

She says she wants to create employment for at least two persons so that her turn of fortune also benefits her community. But at the end of the day, it’s about her legacy; “My dream is to provide for my children, and this is a future business for them as well. I don't want when I die, I leave them with nothing”.

Maya: “I'm feeling happy, well gifted and warmly. I can help myself and my kids as a farmer and can help other women farmers to move on to a next point in life”.

“I am feeling excited and elated because trust me, it's helped a lot, says Keisha Wint

BEFORE

Maya, Trishawna and Keisha share thoughts on survival from crisis and how hurricane Beryl impacted them as women farmers.

AFTER

Weeks after receiving inputs under UNDP's Beryl Livelihoods Recovery programme, women farmers share their triumph over crisis as resilient micro enterprise owners

Footnotes

Text by Gillian Scott, UNDP Communications Analyst. Thanks to UNDP Gender Focal Point and project coordinator, Abby Gale Clarke; Mitzie Moore Cooke of the Bureau of Gender Affairs, Tamisha Lee, Executive Director, Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers. Photos by Anorak Productions for UNDP Multi Country Office in Jamaica.

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