Mayreau and Union Island Women Develop 40 New Products as Recovery Efforts Gain Momentum
20 June 2026
By Admin. Updated 6:48 p.m., Saturday, June 20, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Women farmers from Mayreau and Union Island are strengthening their communities’ recovery from Hurricane Beryl through agroprocessing, entrepreneurship and value-added agriculture.
Representatives of We Are Mayreau Inc. (FarmHub) and the Union Island Land Restoration and Farmers Cooperative recently participated in a two-day Agroprocessing Programme at the Food Laboratory of the Division of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE) at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.
The training programme was facilitated by Michker N. Edwards-Porter, Programme Coordinator and Lecturer in Agriculture and Food Science. Participants received practical instruction in food safety, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles, dehydration technology, packaging and labelling, batch coding, costing, entrepreneurship and value addition.
Held under the theme “Transforming Local Resources into Sustainable Opportunities,” the initiative focused on equipping women farmers with the skills needed to convert locally available crops and natural resources into marketable products, while reducing post-harvest losses and supporting food security across the Southern Grenadines.
A key outcome of the programme was the development of 40 value-added products derived from crops and resources grown or sourced in Mayreau and Union Island.
The products included breadfruit, green banana, green plantain and dasheen flours; vegetable and herb powders made from crops such as pumpkin, carrot, okra and pigeon peas; waffle, pancake and cake mixes; herbal tea blends; soup and beverage mixes; flavoured breadfruit, dasheen and plantain chips; green mango wine; and nutraceutical products including sea moss, soursop leaf and neem capsules.
The initiative comes as communities in the Southern Grenadines continue rebuilding nearly two years after Hurricane Beryl caused extensive damage to homes, livelihoods and agricultural production systems across the region.
Organisers said the programme was designed to help women farmers diversify income streams, increase the value of agricultural produce and create new business opportunities within their communities.
The collaboration between We Are Mayreau Inc. (FarmHub) and the Union Island Land Restoration and Farmers Cooperative also underscores the role women play in agriculture, food production and community development.
According to organisers, the programme supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including efforts aimed at reducing poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality, encouraging economic growth and strengthening climate resilience.
As recovery efforts continue in Mayreau and Union Island, organisers believe initiatives that combine skills training, innovation and entrepreneurship can help create more resilient and sustainable local economies.
END
