The Need
Mindanao is home to some of the Philippines’ most promising cocoa-growing communities — yet for many smallholder farmers, the gap between potential and productivity remains wide. Limited knowledge of good agricultural practices, inadequate post-harvest facilities, and little access to technical expertise keep yields low and incomes precarious. Without targeted investment in farmer capacity and infrastructure, the cocoa sector’s promise will continue to stay just out of reach for the communities that work it every day.
The Intervention
Cacao Pro integrates community-based technical expertise, farmer capacity development, and post-harvest infrastructure support. It trains agronomists as Cocoa Doctors to bring good agricultural practices directly to smallholder farmers in their own regions, equips 50 cocoa farmers with hands-on training in crop nutrition and entrepreneurship, and supports three Rural Based Organizations in establishing post-harvest facilities for drying and fermenting cocoa beans — complemented by model farms, roadshows, and best practice forums that turn isolated knowledge into shared progress across the community.
Country:
Phillippines
SDGs
Key Priority Area/s:
Food Security & Agriculture Skills
Education & Entrepeneurship
Donor:
KFW DEG
Partners:
Yara Fertilizers Phils. Inc.
75
Agronomists and farmers trained on cocoa production and entrepreneurship
Goals Achieved:
3
Rural Business Organizations supported in establishing post-harvest processing facilities
Goals Achieved:
Farmers Equipped
Cocoa Productivity Kits developed and model farm established
Goals Achieved:
Impact Measured
Baseline and endline studies conducted to track program outcomes
Goals Achieved:
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