Gender equality continues to be a global challenge, with no country achieving full parity as of 2024 despite decades of progress. While nations such as Finland, Iceland, and Norway lead in advancing gender equity, countries like Sri Lanka still face significant gaps in political representation, economic participation, leadership, and access to resources. Ranked 110 out of 146 in the 2022 Global Gender Gap Index, Sri Lanka’s persistent inequalities are evident in its low female labour force participation of 32.1%, compared to 71.9% among men.

These disparities are even more pronounced in agriculture. According to the FAO (2023), women own just 16% of agricultural land, and their representation in farmer organisation leadership remains below 20%, hindered by limited access to credit, decision-making roles, and productive assets.

Despite these challenges, the Fairtrade landscape presents clear opportunities for accelerating women’s empowerment. Supportive legislation like the Women Empowerment Act provides a strong policy foundation for gender inclusion, while the growing global demand for Fairtrade and organic products creates market potential for women-led enterprises. Expanding digital and financial inclusion initiatives, combined with Sri Lanka’s high levels of female educational attainment, further strengthen prospects for progress. Importantly, the rising interest in cooperative models offers an avenue for collective entrepreneurship, positioning women to play a central role in building resilient, inclusive local economies.

Responding to these challenges and opportunities,  Fairtrade NAPP Sri Lanka convened a strategic two-day national workshop on “Starting Women-Led Economic Empowerment Projects and Implementing the Gender Strategy,”  under the European Commission Financial Framework Partnership agreement programme, with the co-funding support of the European Union

The workshop brought together 19 women leaders from seven Fairtrade-certified farmer organisations—Thirasara Farmer Association, Forest Garden Growers Society, Lanka Fair Cocos Farmers' Association, All Inland Organic Farmers Association, Wayamba Organic Farmers Association, Seemasahitha Countrywide Wagakaruwange Samithiya, and the Welfare Society of Small-Scale Cultivators of Dompe, including 2 partner stakeholders.

The workshop aimed to strengthen women’s leadership and entrepreneurial skills, promote gender-responsive planning, and build a practical understanding of the Fairtrade NAPP Gender Strategy. It provided a space for participants to identify key gender-based challenges, co-create solutions, and develop actionable plans to advance women-led economic initiatives within their organisations.

DAY 1 – Understanding Barriers, Identifying Strengths

Session 1:  Context Setting

The workshop opened with an energising introduction by Iresha Sanjeevani, Program Manager of Fairtrade NAPP in Sri Lanka, highlighting Fairtrade NAPP’s strong commitment to gender inclusion in building resilient agricultural value chains.  Sachin Verma – Assistant Manager- Youth (Fairtrade NAPP), connected these local efforts to global Fairtrade gender frameworks, setting a clear and shared vision for empowering women leaders to challenge systemic barriers. The session established a unified purpose and strategic direction for the two-day programme.

Session 2: Journey to Empowerment – Life-Line Storytelling

Led by Chintha J. Munasinghe- external Gender Consultant,  participants traced their personal and professional journeys, identifying defining moments, challenges, and successes. The storytelling exercise fostered a powerful sense of connection, helping women recognise resilience as a leadership strength and underscoring the importance of mentorship and collective support. It created a confident, reflective foundation for the learning ahead.

Session 3: Barriers in Women-Led Enterprises

Participants explored the key obstacles limiting women’s economic participation, including financial access barriers, market constraints, cultural norms, and heavy domestic workloads. Shared challenges emerged across tea, coconut, and spice sectors, revealing the systemic nature of these issues. The discussion sharpened participants’ understanding of root causes and laid the groundwork for designing effective interventions.

Session 4: Intervention Design & Stakeholder Mapping

Building on earlier reflections, participants collaboratively designed targeted interventions such as financial literacy training, cooperative marketing models, and leadership mentoring circles. Through stakeholder mapping, they identified essential partners—from government agencies to financial institutions—who could support or scale women-led initiatives. This session shifted the focus from identifying problems to crafting strategic, solution-driven plans.

Session 5: Financial Literacy Workshop

In this practical session, the Gender Consultant introduced core financial management concepts, guiding participants through budgeting, savings, and managing enterprise finances. Hands-on exercises helped women distinguish between personal and business expenses and strengthened their confidence in financial decision-making. Participants were tasked with refining their intervention plans to ensure continuity and accountability

DAY 2 – Skills Building, Planning, and Practical Visioning

Entrepreneurship & Business Planning:

This dynamic session enhanced participants’ entrepreneurial thinking by covering business models, costing, pricing, and value chain opportunities. Women explored innovative ideas such as eco-packaging and organic value-added products while strengthening their ability to design sustainable, market-ready enterprises. The session boosted business confidence and equipped participants with practical tools to launch women-led economic initiatives.

Supporting Marginalised Women in Communities

Participants explored ways to extend empowerment beyond their organisation and into local communities, proposing women-led cooperatives, shared childcare, mentorship circles, and skills hubs. The session reinforced that true empowerment multiplies its impact when women uplift not only themselves but entire community systems.

Action Planning & Evaluation

The workshop concluded with participants developing clear and actionable implementation plans outlining goals, resources, timelines, and key partners. By defining measurable indicators of progress, participants left equipped with a strategic roadmap for advancing women-led initiatives. Feedback affirmed the workshop’s effectiveness and strengthened commitment to ongoing empowerment.

• Each SPO now has an actionable roadmap for women-led empowerment initiatives.
• Participants now understand how to apply the Fairtrade NAPP Gender Strategy at the grassroots level.
• Women gained confidence in business planning, budgeting, and Market analysis
• A WhatsApp group was established to strengthen connection, providing a space for sustained mentorship, collaboration, and mutual support.

Looking Ahead: Sustaining Momentum

Fairtrade NAPP will continue strengthening women’s leadership through follow-up mentoring, regional business development training, and partnerships with government and microfinance institutions to expand access to resources. Gender inclusion will be integrated into all farmers’ organisations plans, while success stories will be documented and shared to inspire wider learning and replication across Fairtrade communities.