Project description / objective
Increased income and improved resilience of 12,000 very poor and vulnerable women and men farmers.
Market system focus
1. Calamansi fruit
Calamansi, a green citrus fruit traditionally cultivated in Eastern Samar, is a significant source of income for local farmers, especially on the island of Homonhon.
The subsector faces numerous challenges related to:
- weak technical knowledge
- lack of storage facilities
- transport to mainland markets
2. Banana
Banana is, beside coconut, the main cultivated crop in the project area. It became a significant source of local income after typhoon Yolanda (2013) flattened coconut plantations.
Farmers face many challenges including stagnating markets and a lack of access to:
- credit
- inputs
3. Cassava
Cassava is the most common cultivated root crop in Eastern Samar. It serves as a staple food alongside rice. Raw cassava prices have been extremely low for a prolonged period, having a very negative effect on the farmers’ income.
ESIP also works with seaweed, pineapple and cocoa value chains
Programme interventions
Objectives
Establishment of a commercial support system providing a wide range of quality services, including access to:
- inputs
- technologies
- credit
- markets
- and know-how
1. Calamansi fruit
Interventions
- Increasing the technical skills and knowledge of calamansi growers through field training, on-site demonstrations and exchange visits.
- Increasing access to quality inputs through linkage with the private sector actors providing fee-based services.
- Supporting a local calamansi-processing enterprise to:
- broaden their business network
- meet buyers´ and governmental requirements for food products
- enhance their products´ quality to make them more competitive on the national market.
2. Banana
Interventions
- Increasing the technical skills and knowledge of banana growers through field training, on-site demonstrations and exchange visits.
- Supporting a local banana-processing enterprise to:
- broaden their business network
- meet buyers´ and governmental requirements for food products
- enhance their products´ quality to make them more competitive on the national market.
3. Cassava
Interventions
- Increasing technical skills and knowledge of banana growers through field training, on-site demonstrations and exchange visits.
- Supporting a local cassava consolidator to expand his supply network to meet his corporate buyer demands.
Notable results (systemic change, poverty impact)
Data for income, agriculture sales, production, and productivity will be available towards the end of 2019.
Results as of January 2019
Currently there are 30 active private individuals (farmers) who are providing a wide range of fee-based services. These include:
- the provision of inputs (e.g. seeds, fertilizers, feeds) to the farmers
- buying farmers´ produce
- the provision of technical assistance
- linking farmers to microfinancing institutions
- the provision of insurance via a government sponsored programme
Most importantly they serve as a crucial link between farmers/producers and buyers/food processors. Our MRM system shows that these local service providers have reached 8,000 farmers and provided 20,000 'services' in past two years.
Calamansi fruit
A key achievement is the expansion of the calamansi enterprise’s network of buyers, thanks to ESIP support. From 2017 - 2018 the enterprise has been able to increase its sales by 50 per cent.
Banana
ESIP supports the local banana-processing enterprise. Thanks to ESIP interventions the number of farmers selling their products to the enterprise has substantially increased from 38 to 412.
Cassava
ESIP works closely with the major local actor in the cassava value chain i.e. a consolidator of dried cassava. They offer a very good purchasing price to cassava farmers. It is almost four times higher than for raw cassava, where dry matter content is 40 per cent. 145 farmers are currently selling their cassava to the consolidator, in comparison to 51 prior to ESIP´s intervention.
[uploaded February 2019]