December 12, 2022

 

Cargill in partnership to bolster food security Philippines by capacitating smallholder corn farmers

 

In an effort to further support the Philippine agriculture sector, Cargill Philippines is launching the Agri-Sagana Project in Cagayan and Isabela with the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) to capacitate farmers and cooperatives in the corn supply chain to boost agricultural yields, improve their standard of living and contribute to the country's food security.

 

According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippines has been dealing with a "perfect storm" which it describes as a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, African swine fever and geopolitical conflicts. This continues to hurt the agricultural sector, causing devastating impacts such as loss of jobs and "shackling" of food supply chains.

 

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has stressed the urgent need for food security measures, stating that global crises have exposed global food access challenges. During his visit to the United States in September, Marcos, Jr. met with Cargill executives to discuss how to achieve food security and self-sufficiency while also exploring ways to boost agricultural productivity in the Philippines by empowering smallholder farmers.

 

The marketable corn yield of smallholder farmers is declining over time due to poor farm production investments, inefficient harvesting techniques and inadequate post-harvesting processing infrastructure, Cargill said. Corn farmers are also exposed to unpredictable weather patterns that destroy crops. As a result, according to a Philippine Statistics Authority report, 34.3% of corn farmers are poor, which is higher than the national average of 21.6%.

 

"Building a more sustainable, food secure Philippines amid crises can be complex but possible through focused, collaborative and sustained efforts to improve farmer productivity and increase resilience of value chains," said Sonny Catacutan, country president of Cargill Philippines. "With our purpose to nourish the world, Cargill is deeply committed to harnessing the power of agriculture, supporting our farmers and achieving food security for Filipinos."

 

The Agri-Sagana project's purpose is to bring bountiful agricultural opportunities to corn farmers located in Cagayan and Isabela through established pathways – training and capacity development initiatives, development of an inclusive business process and the provision of infrastructure support for environmentally-sound agricultural practices.

 

The Agri-Sagana project seeks to empower 10 cooperatives and 8,000 corn farmers, majority of whom will be female, with the implementation of a Corn Academy and a Virtual Coop Training Hub to develop good agricultural practices, business and financial literacy among participating farmers. Further training will be provided on crop quality management control, specific to Cargill's requirements, while establishing the 'contact, connect, collaborate' approach to ensure corn farmers' increased access to markets.

 

The project also intends to transform existing post-harvest facilities into enhanced eco-smart post-harvest facilities, with over 500 to 1,000 farmers projected to gain from improved corn quality through the use of sustainable and environmentally-sound drying systems.

 

"With the Agri-Sagana project, we are excited to connect Filipino corn farmers with the right solutions and opportunities that create far-reaching and sustainable impact for their families and communities," said Joseph Liwag, commercial leader for Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain Philippines. "We are equally thrilled to partner with ASSIST who shares our commitment to advance farmer livelihood."

 

"As ASSIST moves forward in this partnership with Cargill Philippines, we will remain committed in creating more capacity-building opportunities that fit the needs of the smallholder farmers," said Francis Macatulad, executive director of ASSIST. "We acknowledge that other farming communities would greatly benefit from the Agri-Sagana project. As such, we hope to replicate and extend the bountiful agricultural opportunities programme in other farming communities and locations in the Philippines."

 

"We are… grateful to Cargill Philippines and ASSIST for choosing Cagayan and Isabela as the first two provinces where the Agri-Sagana project will be implemented," said Paul Vincent Balao, regional corn coordinator of the Department of Agriculture Region II. "Our ministry is committed in supporting the successful implementation of this project as we see its potential to be replicated in other provinces within the region."

 

The Agri-Sagana project is made possible through a partnership between Cargill and ASSIST in agreement to work together to capacitate corn farmers with training and support to improve their productivity and quality of produce.

 

- Cargill