Mennonite Economic DevelopmentAssociates of Canada

Published purpose

This project aims to support inclusive economic opportunities in the poor, rural areas of Mindanao, in the Philippines. Aligned with the Government of the Philippines’ post-coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery response, this project works to increase the productivity of cacao farms and enterprises, particularly those led by women, while promoting gender equality and resiliency in communities vulnerable to conflict and climate change. Project activities include: (1) assessing needs, providing training and offering matching-grants to financial and business service providers in the cacao sector; (2) providing investment capital to financial intermediaries and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); (3) improving the farming and business practices of cacao smallholder farmers and co-operatives, through training and matching grants; (4) offering workshops and retreats to women and men cacao smallholder farmers, and appointing gender equality champions, to promote gender equality in households and communities; and (5) increasing awareness of the gender and environmental needs of cacao smallholder farms, SMEs and co-operatives through an advisory council. This project expects to benefit 6,250 smallholder cacao farmers, 15 cacao co-operatives and 150 smallholder household couples, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanano (BARMM) and Davao regions of Mindanao.