Early Shoots Of Success: Fyffes Advances Women’s Empowerment In Costa Rica

Fyffes and CARE International are seeing promising early results six months into a new programme in Costa Rica that is helping rural women in banana-growing communities build leadership skills, launch small businesses, and strengthen household food security.

Image: Fyffes

Marking both International Women’s Day and the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer, Fyffes has announced strong progress after just six months, with over 200 rural women actively participating, and more than 100 business plans already developed. 

A collaboration between Trudi’s – Fyffes’ new consumer banana brand launched last year – and CARE International UK, the Partnership for Good initiative focuses on women in banana-growing communities in Costa Rica.

The project is designed to enhance women’s autonomy, productive capacity and resilience, while aiming to improve household food security and wider community wellbeing.

Building Skills And Confidence 

In its first half year, Fyffes said the programme enrolled 228 rural women, organised into nine community groups. 

These participants completed six structured training modules covering personal empowerment, recognition of rights, prevention of gender-based violence, leadership and assertive communication, business planning and financial management. 

The high level of engagement is reflected in the 108 business plans formally submitted by December 2025, signalling strong ownership of the programme’s economic empowerment component.

From Ideas To Enterprises

The women’s business plans span a diverse range of income-generating activities tailored to local realities, according to Fyffes. 

Proposed enterprises include agricultural production, such as vegetables, fruit, eggs and livestock; service-based activities like food preparation, beauty services and tailoring; value-added food processing; and small-scale retail operations. 

Fyffes said the next phase of the programme, supported by seed capital distribution later this year, will focus on launching these enterprises, embedding climate-smart agricultural practices and tracking measurable improvements in income, empowerment outcomes and household food security.

Evidence-Led Design

An initial baseline study of the programme has provided crucial reference data to measure change in the women’s leadership, economic autonomy, and food security. 

Key findings highlighted both challenges and strengths:

• Only 1% of participants were using at least three sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural practices.

• Just 15% reported awareness of at least three of their human rights.

• 77% of households experienced some degree of food insecurity.

• 79% of women and young people expressed confidence in their negotiation and communication skills.

• 88% reported actively participating in household decision-making on agricultural production and income use.

Fyffes said these insights have directly shaped programme priorities, including strengthening technical capacity-building, entrepreneurship support, and the planned roll-out of household kitchen gardens and climate-smart agriculture.

Responsible Sourcing And Shared Value

For Fyffes, Trudi’s and the Partnership for Good are positioned as a concrete expression of responsible strategic sourcing and human rights due diligence in its agricultural supply chains. 

The global importer and distributor of tropical fruits said the initiative supports sourcing communities to build a more inclusive and sustainable economic future. 

This aligns with tightening regulatory expectations and growing consumer demand in Europe and North America for transparency, traceability, and verified social impact. 

Fyffes said its Partnership for Good Programme contributes to advancing gender equity, improving climate resilience, and fostering long-term community prosperity in fruit-growing regions.