It is working on a series of position papers and calling for the active involvement of women and the integration of a gender perspective into the post-Lome agreement. Banana production, described as green gold, has been affected by the newly-introduced rules promoting free trade. Women have no prospect of immediate relief since agricultural diversification takes time and needs subsidies to produce favourable results in the long term. Unemployment rates in the Windward Islands are high among both women and men, and banana farming is a lifeline income for women and their families, financing day to day needs and children's education. The research and action programme has sensitised whole communities to what free trade will mean to them.
Sessions run for the equivalent of two days a week over a ten-month period.
Topics covered are the Lome convention, World Trade Organisation rules, lobbying, self-esteem and project preparation, as well as parliamentary representation and rights. The training was held with facilitators the people knew, who could explain things simply and use the community's own experience. The results of the training are fed through the Caribbean Reference Group, which brings information on negotiation to the member organisations and conducts training in lobbying and advocacy. Campaigns Policy . Fair Trade .