ZOOM101: ZOOM Sensitization Workshop for Rural Women in Agriculture

• Central Region (Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth) - Bridge Palm Resort in Clarendon
• Western Region (St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland) - Bluefield’s People’s Community Association, Westmoreland
• Northern Region (Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary) - Village Academy School of Agriculture, St. Ann
• Eastern Region (St. Catherine, Portland, St. Thomas, Kingston & St. Andrew) - College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE)

Why Zoom 101 competency training was needed
On March 10, 2020, Jamaica was thrown into a frenzy with the announcement of its first Covid-19 case. As infections mounted and panic surged the government responded with tighter measures and restrictions on face-to-face gatherings.
Almost immediately, other sectors latched on to Zoom as the “new normal” in strategic communication and the platform became the tool for keeping many businesses afloat. What
became glaringly obvious however, was that the farming community (and in particular many rural women farmers) were late adapters to this technology.
The Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers (JNRWP) was among the organizations greatly impacted by this hesitancy among our rural women producers and farmers. Quite often, trainings and other opportunities offered by the JNRWP were hindered by farmer’s lack of knowledge in the use of the platform.
As indicated in prior reports, women are disproportionately impacted by the economic loss brought on by the pandemic, which has resulted in the disenfranchisement of many persons worldwide. With the economic fall-out in the tourism sector (the country’s largest foreign exchange earner) and the ‘temporary’ loss of this market segment, farmers are forced to find other buyers for the glut of produce now on the local market. Therefore, networking has become a necessary tool for survival and economic recovery among rural women producers amid the pandemic. Networking provides an environment of support among women, the sharing of best practices and an opportunity for exposure to new markets.
The workshop was also geared towards changing the “mindset” of farmers to become more receptive to technology and adaptable to the “uncontrollable” events that are a consequence of the environment we live in. Change is inevitable and farmers will have to adapt. If the industry is to survive, rural women will have to rise to the challenge of the evolutions in technology.

1. To introduce the cloud-based ZOOM app, as a viable tool for communicating and networking during the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. To minimize hesitancy and increase use of this platform among the target audience post training
3. To expose target groups to the fundamentals of the ZOOM communication platform and to improve comfort level and proficiency in the use of this app
4. To encourage direct learning and participation among target audience during workshop

Participants of the workshops completed the GPN Workshop Evaluation form and provided valuable feedback to help determine whether the objectives as previously stated were achieved. Over eighty percent (80%) of the participants provided positive feedback on the execution of the four workshops and were very satisfied with its delivery citing the technical glitches and short time as areas that could be improved.
Over one hundred and ten (110) rural women producers were introduced to the Zoom app and are now able to join and host their own meetings. In a video recording, one member shared how elated she was to have participated in such a training and when she got the invitation to attend, she had to drop all other prior commitments so that she could participate as she was doing a course that required her to use the platform.
Our rural women now have the confidence that they need to use the Zoom platform to support their farming enterprises. One participant noted that she has already scheduled a Zoom meeting with her church after participating in the training