Fyffes Reports on Partnership for Good Program Supporting Women

• Fyffes announces the first six months of the Partnership for Good program
• The partnership is a collaboration between Fyffes' Trudi's brand and CARE International UK
• The partnership is focused on empowering women in banana-growing communities in Costa Rica

Fyffes has announced the results of the first six months of the Partnership for Good program, a partnership between its banana brand Trudi’s and CARE International UK. The program targets women in banana-producing communities in Costa Rica.

The Partnership for Good program targets increasing women’s economic participation, strengthening household food security, and contributing to community development.

Within the first six months, the program has enrolled 228 rural women, who formed nine community groups. The women participated in six training sessions, including personal development, recognition of women’s rights, prevention of gender-based violence, leadership, communication, and business planning and finance.

Within December 2025, the women will submit 108 business plans, with ideas ranging from agricultural production (vegetables, fruits, eggs, and animals) to food services, beauty services, tailoring, small-scale retail, and food processing.

The program’s next step will be to provide seed capital to the women and launch their business activities. Additionally, the program will include the development of agricultural techniques for improved production and strengthening of food security.

At the outset of the program, a baseline study was carried out to establish the status of certain conditions related to leadership, economic participation, and food security among the participants.

The baseline study established that 1 percent of the participants had adopted at least three different climate-resilient agricultural practices. In addition, 15 percent of the participants were aware of at least three different human rights. Furthermore, 77 percent of the households experienced some level of food insecurity.

The study also established that 79 percent of the women and youth felt confident in their negotiation and communication abilities. In addition, 88 percent of the women and youth participated in household decisions regarding agricultural production income use.

The findings of the baseline study will inform the program’s priorities, including training in agricultural practices, business development, and the possible introduction of kitchen gardens.