Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Jollibee Group Foundation reinforces support to smallholder farmers throughagri-technology – DULDULAO DOT NET This Day & Beyond

Jollibee Group Foundation reinforces support to smallholder farmers through
agri-technology

Together with local and international experts, Jollibee Group Foundation has been introducing technologically advanced farming techniques and systems to smallholder farmers to empower them to improve their productivity and gain more income.

Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) continues to support smallholder farmers by providing them access to technologically advanced farming techniques for more sustainable agriculture.

“Improving smallholder farmers’ knowledge and capacity for greater productivity and profit will redound to the continued growth of our agricultural sector,” said Gisela Tiongson, JGF Executive Director.

Launched in 2008, JGF’s Farmers Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) empowers and helps smallholder farmers sharpen their technical and business acumen, as well as partnership-building skills. Today, these farmers supply the vegetable requirements used in some Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Mang Inasal favorites.

“By becoming more adept and qualified to participate directly in the value chains of food companies, small producers get assured of a regular market, resulting in their increased and steady income,” Tiongson added. To reinforce support to smallholder farmers, JGF has adopted public-private partnerships to help farmers gain access to agricultural technologies that increase their yield, reduce farming costs, and make them more competitive in the market.

Weather data, farmer efficiency

Since 2020, the Foundation has partnered with IBM’s The Weather Company for a more accurate community-level, 7-day weather forecast. JGF also worked with the Central Luzon State University to interpret the weather data and translate it into the prescribed farm practice for the day. The information is then shared in a private messaging group for faster dissemination among the farmers. The SMS feature of this system is now being developed for easier access.

The Onion and Vegetable Producers Cooperative (OVEPCO) farmers from Barangay Tabulac in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija were among the first to benefit from this system. Through the barangay-level forecasts provided, the farmers can adapt and better decide when to plant, fertilize, and harvest their crops.

“It has been helpful. Now we can prepare for what will happen tomorrow. It has become a guide for our daily farming,” shared Eddie Soriano, OVEPCO Chairman.

This project currently supports 116 farmers in 12 barangays in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija and Alcala, Pangasinan.

Healthy soil, healthy production

In partnership with the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soils and Water Management, JGF ventured into studying soil samples and providing practical recommendations to make the soil healthier and more viable for greater yield.

To help farmers improve their crops, JGF worked with the PUM Netherlands Senior Experts, various seed companies, and Jollibee Group’s own Research and Development team to find appropriate onion and bell pepper varieties that will meet the company’s requirement, and which can be more easily produced by the farmers.

Together with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, JGF is also looking into further increasing the productivity of onion farms. Called “Project SAYA” or Strengthening Agricultural Yield of Allium Cepa L. (Onion) in the Philippines, the project aims to help increase onion production by addressing inefficiencies, gaps, and factors affecting the level of production; as well as to identify potential and suitable areas for expansion.

“These agri-technology efforts are creating a ripple effect of empowerment and opportunities among our partner farming communities and institutions. They have reported greater knowledge on farming techniques, increased yield and income, and the confidence to transact with market players,” said Tiongson. “JGF will sustain these efforts so that farmer entrepreneurs can continue to gain greater pride in their profession and to reap the benefits of sustainable agriculture.”

REFERENCE:

Lariza Garcia