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There are many inspiring girls working in agriculture. While farming and agriculture could also be thought of historically to be male-dominated, girls researchers, farmers, and innovators make important contributions to the development of our meals methods.
Kashar Daniel, 32, is a farmer and the founding father of Fresh Harvest, whose mission is to determine higher farming practices by researching what has been achieved in the previous and creating methods to deal with these points, in addition to utilizing know-how to make farming simpler.
If you go to Daniel’s farm in Grand Riviere, Dennery, and see the scenic format and the assorted practices and methods she employs, you’d suppose she has years of expertise in the trade. But you would be stunned to be taught that she’s solely been farming for 3 years. Despite having no prior farming information or curiosity in the sector, she has overwhelmed the chances to develop into a really dynamic feminine farmer by means of her intensive analysis and numerous trials.
“I am currently pursuing a BSc in Marketing and I got into agriculture three years ago with no prior farming experience. My parents were banana farmers for over 30 years and being the last of six I was never really allowed to assist them. With the decline in the production and sales of their bananas, my interest in the sector was purely out of wanting to help them diversify. I began researching other options that would be more profitable for them. Through research, my interest grew and I found myself wanting to know more about the agricultural industry and how it functioned both in the past and presently. Particular interest was placed on the challenges that continue to persist. While I was formulating the way forward for my parents, they decided that it was time to retire. With no continuation plan in place, I became a farm owner overnight and my inheritance came in the form of a pitch pork and garden boots.”
Daniel’s farming journey has not been one with out struggles. Her farming profession started shortly earlier than COVID arrived when she was nonetheless new to the trade and the enlargement of her manufacturing coincided with the rising curiosity in native produce and the upkeep of wholesome immune methods. With the numerous decline of key markets throughout that point, she needed to formulate a brand new market technique.
“The traditional markets that others were accustomed to was not available to me, therefore I had to take a step back and evaluate the market condition. My initial target customers became individual households and because of that I had to produce what they wanted and a wider variety of vegetables as opposed to large quantities of one particular thing. That in itself was a challenge at times. Having to do multiple deliveries really takes away from the time I had to tend to my farm.”
To date, one of the troublesome challenges for her just isn’t having the ability to produce at full capability because of an absence of reliable and high quality farm labor, which is additional exacerbated by the truth that she has a full-time job.
“Open field agriculture comes with a lot of hard work and coupled with being employed full time, this poses serious constraints on what I can accomplish in a given week. I have to source persons to do the tasks that I am not able to and finding workers to provide an honest day’s work for honest pay is something I continue to struggle with.”
Despite her difficulties, the resilient farmer has efficiently maintained her enterprise, Fresh Harvest, the place she primarily sells cabbages and different produce. She additionally sells seedlings wholesale to different farmers.
Daniel believes that bettering farming on the island would require a multifaceted method and advises feminine farmers to make the most of help from organizations equivalent to Helen’s Daughters.
“Improving the industry will take a multifaceted approach, policy along with individual farmer behavior. Our aging farming population provides us with an opportunity to equip young farmers with the necessary agribusiness knowledge. To ensure that they are also fully aware of the risks and challenges of climate change and the responsibility that they hold to preserve the natural environment and not just adaptation.”
“You have to be aware of the weight of the responsibility that comes with food production as you are the first line of defense to the health of the nation. Don’t let society dictate what your role should look like, take pride in your title. There is strength in numbers and you should get together with like-minded people. Organizations such as Helen’s Daughters provide excellent support to women in the industry.”
Daniel’s journey may be adopted on Instagram and Facebook at @freshharvestslu. To buy recent produce, you can too e-mail [email protected] or name 758-730-6124.
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