A group of calamansi farmers from Jaen, Nueva Ecija went from barely making enough profit to cover monthly expenses, to becoming an award-winning supplier for the Jollibee Group in a span of four years.

For these farmers, selling their produce to local traders used to be their only means to access the market and had no control on pricing. This resulted in minimal earnings and a struggle to deal with cost of production. With the help of Tulay sa Pag-unlad, Inc. and Jollibee Group Foundation, their situation gradually improved.

Through the Foundation’s Farmer Entrepreneurship Program, they were organized to establish MASIFAGCA Pangkabuhayan, Inc. in 2018, and received training, grants, and mentoring. The group was also equipped with the right knowledge and tools to maximize their potential. And since the program aims to help them become farmer entrepreneurs, they were given the opportunity to transact directly with new buyers.

“I joined out of curiosity,” said Imee Patingo, one of the members of MASIFAGCA. “I wondered how the group would be run. I’ve never been part of an organization before.”

Some of the lessons they have learned from their Farmer Entrepreneurship Program training and farm visits included supply management and financial planning. They also learned price and quantity bidding, giving them control on how to value and sell their products.

Since their first delivery to Jollibee Group back in August 2018, their business has consistently grown, even during the pandemic. This has helped Imee to feel more secure in her livelihood. With her growing income, she was able to pay off her debts, send her child to school, and repair their house.

In 2020, MASIFAGCA received their accreditation for Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP) from the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Plant Industry. The following year, they became the first Farmer Entrepreneurship Program group to be recognized at the Jollibee Group Supplier Summit with a bronze award. Their commitment to compliance, strong performance, and proactive measures has given them a good advantage as suppliers. They have become more confident in themselves as they continue to meet quality standards despite having limited resources and manpower compared to more established suppliers.

Imee’s message to other farmers gives hope that they too can achieve the benefits that her organization has enjoyed through FEP. “Let’s dream about becoming better. It’s not bad to dream. We need to open our minds and hearts to many possibilities in our lives.”

Among the constant concerns of Filipino farmers is the weather. Unforeseen dry or wet conditions may affect their product quality and yield.

For the Onion and Vegetable Producers Cooperative (OVEPCO) chairman Eddie Soriano, who has been an onion farmer since 1990, there were only two ways to determine what the upcoming weather might be: from news on television or by frequently checking the sky.

This was until 2021, when Jollibee Group Foundation, in cooperation with IBM’s Client Innovation Center PH, launched the Weather Insights Project. Through weather information from The Weather Company, initial data processed by the Jollibee Group Business Technology team, and analysis and translation of this data by the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), the project has enabled farmers to gain access to daily localized weather forecasts.

Eddie, along with 30 other OVEPCO farmers from Barangay Tabulac in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, were among the first to benefit from this technology. For Eddie, their onions are at risk when they are unable to prepare ahead of weather conditions. “That’s usually the case with us onion farmers. We’re surprised when it suddenly rains in the morning, afternoon, or evening.”

Onion farmers plant in November or December and harvest in March. In between, they have to make sure not to overwater their crops. They may water and fertilize their plants today but if it unexpectedly rains tomorrow, the crops could be heavily inundated.

Since the Weather Insights project began, Eddie has had access to regular 24-hour weather forecasts specifically affecting their barangay. He receives the forecasts through a Facebook group and shares the information to his fellow farmers who do not have online access.

It has been helpful, he said, “So we can prepare for what will happen tomorrow.” For instance, if they were planning on watering their crops today, they will postpone doing so if they know there’s a chance of rain the next day. “It has become a guide for our daily farming,” he said.

The regular weather forecasts have since helped Eddie to achieve greater yield and make his produce last longer after harvest. Through the help of Jollibee Group Foundation, IBM and CLSU, onion farmers like Eddie are now capable of making more informed decisions on their farming techniques and how to improve their productivity and profit.

Part of the solution to the problems smallholder farmers face is learning new ways of doing things. This is why Nelben Moreno, founder and CEO of Green Habits Agri Trading, participated as a resource person for our online course, “Agro-Entrepreneurship for Inclusive Value Chains: An Introduction."

Through this program, participants learned about the Agro-enterprise Clustering Approach, including leadership and technical skills based on Jollibee Group Foundation’s implementation of the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program. The latter seeks to encourage farmer groups to practice collective marketing in order to improve their income and quality of life.

Nelben is among the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program partners tapped to become a resource person for the online course. She completed the eight-month Agro-enterprise Training for Change Program of the Foundation in 2019, finishing at the top of her class. She has since led the creation of farmer cluster groups that have delivered to institutional markets in Davao del Norte.

“It has been my personal commitment [to help] our fellow farmers,” Moreno said, “so when I was invited to teach, I didn’t have second thoughts. I am happy to share our experiences, our ups and downs in implementing Agro-enterprise Clustering Approach in our organizations and, hopefully, we can persuade the participants to adopt this approach, and for them to become agents of their own development.”

Teaching through an online course was a new experience for Moreno. “Since I am used to face-to-face training, it took me some time to adjust. By looking at [the participants] physically, you will know how they react and feel about the training, but now I have to be content [with] their reaction emojis,” she said.

Nelben believes that members of developmental institutions, as well as supply and value chain organizations for smallholder farmers, would benefit immensely from joining the agro-entrepreneurship course. The virtual program can impart knowledge and skills necessary for working harmoniously with farmer groups, supporting organizations, and the market.

“It is not easy and it requires consistent efforts,” Nelben noted. “But having learned different approaches in helping farmers, the Agro-enterprise Clustering Approach is a good fit for the inclusion of smallholder farmers in the value chains where stability of supply and market is feasible.”

Three batches of the agro-entrepreneurship online course were held in 2021, producing 97 graduates from 47 organizations. These groups consist of national and local government offices, non-government organizations, financing firms, farmer cooperatives, social enterprises, and the academe.