Up the Supply Chain BY SARAH SAMPSON A CULTURE OF CARE > Thousands of women working on Colombian flower farms no longer need to leave the field to travel to faraway clinics for mammograms. Thanks to a program spearheaded by Asocolflores, the Colombian Flower Exporters Association, more than 1,600 women have received on-site screenings using portable infrared technology. That kind of targeted support reflects a deeper truth about Colombia’s floriculture sector: Women are the back-bone of the industry, and the industry has responded in kind. Women make up about 60% of the floral workforce — three times the national agricultural average — and more than half are heads of household, according to Asocolflores. To support this vital labor force, Asocolflores and its member farms have invested in a range of programs focused on gender equity, health care access, work-life balance, and leadership training. “Women have played a significant role in Colombian floriculture since the very beginning, but the trend became especially clear in the 1980s,” explains Juan Sebastián Moncada, director of social responsibility and shared values at Asocolflores. “From that point on, we’ve worked to strengthen our efforts to ensure fair and safe working conditions for women.” Asocolflores has led the effort with training sessions on issues such as sexual harassment prevention, gen-der-based violence, work-life balance, and the care economy, Moncada says. of the Ecuadorian magazine Ecuador y sus Flores. Her family operates two Ecuadorian flower and foliage farms. In the United States, women represent the majority of floral designers, compris-ing nearly 90% of the sector’s workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Recognizing the strength of women in the industry, two female floral leaders, Liza Roeser, AAF, of FiftyFlowers, and Melanie Spilbeler, of Choice Farms, last year founded Women In Flowers, a network of female floral professionals from all segments designed to provide community and support. The group held its first summit in Chicago in June. A Growing Trend The trend isn’t unique to the Colombian floriculture industry. Ecuadorean flori-culture farms are also tailoring programs to their female workers to support women who are often heads of house-hold, says Caridad Sáenz, editor in chief Advancing Female Leadership Even with many women already working in the industry, there is a strong com-mitment to closing gender gaps and promoting equity. empowering women Female farm workers take part in a supervisors school, which strengthens leadership and competitiveness among female workers, and the Cultivemos La Paz en Familia (Let’s Cultivate Peace In the Family) program, which focuses on alternative methods for peaceful conflict resolution and building a culture of peace. 40 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | Sept/Oct 2025 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASOCOLFLORES
Floral Management Magazine September/October 2025: Page-40
