Philippines

Our Expertise

ICCO has been in the Philippines since the 1970s. Centered on agrarian reform and rural democratization, our program has made significant contributions in people empowerment and the re-distribution of land to small farmers and indigenous people. This formed the bases of our current programs, in which we integrate elements of inclusive value chain development, peace building and democratization, and innovative impact investment and financial services. We find market solutions to address underlying causes of poverty, thereby focusing on sustainable business processes and systemic change.

In the Philippines, ICCO Cooperation works on establishing inclusive and sustainable value chains where small producers (farmers), businesses, governments, service providers and financial institutions work together, bring in their capital or expertise, and thereby strengthen each other’s successes and social impact. Together with our partners we develop value chains where actors cooperate on equal terms and where small producers and private sector businesses engage in mutually beneficial relationships. In this context, we pay special attention to organizing and strengthening producer groups in their engagement in value chains, support the private sector in developing policies and operations that are pro-poor and gender responsive, and conduct lobby and advocacy to influence policies of both government and businesses.

In the Philippines, ICCO Cooperation South East Asia makes use of the following interlinked approaches and models:

Markets for the Poor (M4P)

The M4P approach aims to transform market structures by increasing the participation of the poor, and to make the market more beneficial and sustainable for them.

Value Chain Development (VCD)

We focus on empowering small producers and marginalized groups by connecting them to viable and sustainable value chains and its actors, to generate income and improve food security.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)

Our emphasis has always been on partnerships and cooperation. The PPP-model connects the resources and expertise of various sectors (governments, companies, knowledge institutes, ngo’s) when implementing entrepreneurial programs to eradicate poverty.

Business Incubation & Impact Investment

Through our investments programs, ICCO contributes to fair economic development in emerging economies. ICCO provides conditional capital (such as loans, equity and guarantees), by ‘blending’ financial instruments. Our Business Incubator Program (AgriBusiness Booster) provides capacity and capital to small and medium enterprises and farmer cooperatives, for them to grow and develop into strong and independent enterprises.

Business & Human Rights (BHR)

We work with local communities, private sector actors and governments to achieve a world where the private sector operationalizes its role as an important partner for development. We see the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) as an important guideline and framework for private sector sustainability.

Disaster Management

The Disaster Management program includes disaster response (emergency relief, early recovery and rehabilitation), disaster risk reduction (preparedness and risk management) and developing resilience (DR3). ICCO’s unique DR3 approach emphasizes the development of sustainable livelihoods as part of its menu of responses to ensure that disaster survivors do not return to poverty but become sustainable and resilient in the long term.

Examples

In the Philippines, the work of ICCO focuses mainly on responsible business and inclusive markets. We implement programs focusing on the (organic and sustainable) value chains of pili nuts, seaweed, muscovado sugar, organic rice, cacao, coffee and coconut.

Typhoon Haiyan - ICCO helped the survivors by going back to basics

Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, left a wide swath of devastation on people’s livelihoods, access to social services and in public and private infrastructures. A large number of population were displaced. UN agencies and government reports estimate that 14 million people were affected, including 6,500 casualties and 28,000 injured. Hundreds more are missing. One million houses were damaged or totally destroyed, leaving 4 million people displaced across 600 municipalities and 44 provinces in 9 regions of the country.

ICCO helped the survivors by going back to basics. Its Asset Reform and People-Centered Rehabilitation Project helped thousands of farmer survivors engage in cash crop and vegetable production with trainings on intercropping, organic agriculture and marketing. Because it takes a village to recover from disaster, village-level organizing is done for the management of communal farm-related enterprises and for sustaining community participation in the rehabilitation process. Relying on decades of organizing experience, ICCO and its partners mobilized villages as self-help groups in support of advocacy to engage government on short-term and long term rehabilitation issues including asset reform, right to land and right to secure housing.

The impact of climate change combined with acute poverty and extreme inequality exposes the Philippines to high vulnerability to shocks and risks from disasters. In this context, ICCO realizes the importance that its Disaster Management program should not only focus on disaster response (emergency relief, early recovery and rehabilitation), but also and even more on disaster risk reduction and resilience (DR3).