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Grameen Rice-Finance
(2002) by SEKAP, Inc.

Reforestation
(1998-2002) by FCI

Sustainable Agriculture
(1998-2002) by SWCF

Rice Farmers Cooperative / Carabao Dispersal
(1998-2002) by SJP

Credit Cooperative
(2000-2002) by DLRLCDFI

Women's Handicrafts (2002) / Rice Cooperative
(1996-2001) by PBSP

Vegetable Farmers Cooperatives
(1998-2002) by AKAP

Women's Wastepickers Enterprise (2001) by JVOFI

Entrepreneurs Cooperative
(1998-2002) by MRMF-TRESP

Rice Farmers Association
(2001) by FAPBAPI

Credit Cooperative
(2002) by PMPCI

Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)
Rice Cooperative

Description of the PBSP project:

The program is a 5-year assistance that started in 1995 seeks to assist the small farmers of the five (5) municipalities of the Province of North Cotabato. Specifically, the program seeks to alleviate the poverty condition of small rice farmers through the provision of production credit, better farming technologies, marketing, and strengthening the management capabilities of the cooperatives. Part of the program is help local Non-Government Organizations respond to the issues faced by the small rice farmers develop their services such as advocacy, resource mobilization, and linkage.

The program has three (3) components, a) social preparation that prepares farmer organizations in managing rice enterprises, b) Productivity Improvement to optimize productivity of farms such as technology improvement, farm production credit assistance, and, c) Enterprise Development that enable farmer organizations to engage in processing and marketing of the rice produce.

The program services are able to assist eleven (11) small cooperatives with at least 3,400 small farmer members. A federation composed of these cooperatives is able to acquire facilities to engage in marketing the produce of the cooperative members. The program assistance was also leveraged by the cooperatives to acquire support from other sources such as additional funds, and post harvest equipments. The member cooperatives at the same time are able to sustain the production support services to their members. A local advocacy group was organized to assist small farmers get better concessions from the government’s support program and product pricing policies.

In terms of direct impact, the small farmers are able to increase their incomes through reduced production credit rates, reduced wastage because of the availability of the technologies and post harvest facilities, and fair market price of their produce.

Despite the difficulties faced by the cooperatives in managing their rice enterprises, the program assistance provided the small rice farmers the opportunity to build alternative structures that they can rely even during difficult times.

Testimony of Mr. Edgar Amoronio
(General Manager of the Sta. Catalina Cooperative)

Mr. Edgar Amoronio, General Manager of the Sta. Catalina Cooperative and Former Manager of the North Cotabato Federation of Cooperatives said,

“The most important contribution of the program to the small rice farmers, is the formation of an alternative marketing structure created by the cooperatives in the province. The marketing investment made by the federation shielded the farmers against unscrupulous traders who have been manipulating the price of rice. The competition posed by the cooperative federation caused the traders to increase their price, and that is, I believe, the most significant.”