“They Produce Too”: Women Cultivating the Future and Sovereignty in Matanzas.
From Matanzas, a story of female empowerment and food sovereignty that demonstrates that they, too, produce.
More than four thousand women in Matanzas are directly benefiting from the «They Produce Too» project, an initiative that has been transforming agricultural production in the municipalities of Jovellanos, Perico, and Los Arabos since 2021.
The project is part of national policies to promote women’s participation in traditionally male-dominated sectors, such as agriculture, and to strengthen food sovereignty in vulnerable communities.
With the goal of improving the practices of local governments and agricultural institutions, the project seeks to guarantee efficient, sustainable, and resilient food systems.
In this endeavor, the active participation of women in productive initiatives is promoted, as is the case of the Coincidencias farm and the Los Bacallao MSME, with the support of Cuban entities such as CARE International, the Indio Hatuey Pasture and Forage Experimental Station, the Institute of Agricultural Engineering Research, the Matanzas Environmental Services Center, the municipal governments of Jovellanos, Perico and Los Arabos, the Ministries of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Environment and Agriculture.
«They Produce Too» project also has the support of international cooperation through Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the French Development Agency (AFD). To date, the project indirectly impacts more than 30,000 people, 65 percent of whom are women, who now have access to a greater variety and quantity of healthy, locally produced food using agroecological practices.
Beyond the numbers, this initiative represents a profound cultural shift: women who sow, lead, and feed their communities, challenging stereotypes and building a more just and equitable future.
From Matanzas, a story of female empowerment and food sovereignty that demonstrates that they, too, produce.
Written by Yannier delgado.
