Local yield gets fillip

Crop pest infestation remains an issue among several Filipino farmers, who suffer from reduced crop yields and increased production costs without proper knowledge of pest and fertilizer management.

Since 2023, pests (such as fall armyworms, locally known as harabas, and black bugs) have severely damaged the crops in certain areas in Luzon.

The infestation has resulted in yield losses ranging from 50 percent to 70 percent.

In August 2024, the Department of Agriculture also reported that armyworms infested 3,237 hectares of crops in Western Visayas, recording damages worth P57 million.

These challenges affect farmers’ livelihoods and may also put the country’s food security at risk.

To help farmers address these, Jollibee Foundation has partnered with PUM Netherlands.

The Dutch non-profit volunteer organization is known for supporting small businesses in developing countries to help enhance the farmers’ productivity, efficiency, market competitiveness and sustainable growth.

The partnership began seven years ago and was made possible by a meeting at the Dutch Ambassador’s residence.

Since then, PUM Netherlands has shared various agri-innovation techniques and practical technologies that have changed how the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program helps farmers approach agriculture and JGF identify possible interventions.

“While we can see that access to market and financing are already providing the farmers with better income, the way to sustain their profit is by having access to modern technologies and skills that can further improve their yield and sustainable farming practice while lowering their production costs,” said JGF president Gisela Tiongson.

JGF and PUM organized four advise-on-location missions and four remote coaching sessions from 2019 to 2024.

Over 500 FEP farmers have benefited from the said partnership.

After the sessions, farmers learned reliable and optimized fertilizer usage for soil health regeneration.

They also gained vital knowledge on proper pest and disease identification to manage pests effectively without overly relying on synthetic inputs and harmful chemicals.

In turn, the environment-friendly practices have allowed the farmers to grow healthier and higher-quality crops for their institutional clients like the Jollibee Group.

Amid various agricultural challenges, mostly prevalent among tropical countries like the Philippines, the partnership between JGF and PUM sought to empower farmers, improve their livelihood, and enhance their productivity through knowledge sharing, upskilling, and agri-innovation as aligned with the Jollibee's sustainability agenda.