Coffee farmers in Sultan Kudarat province need not worry about the fate of their crops during natural calamities, as Pioneer Insurance, in partnership with Nestlé Philippines, has recently provided crop insurance coverage.

In a statement, Pioneer Insurance announced that coffee farmers from the Tinalon Farmers Association, United Highlander Farmers Producers Cooperative, and the Rural Improvement Club-Kuden in Sultan Kudarat will be insured, giving them a vital lifeline amid production risks and climate-related uncertainties.

This insurance initiative is part of Project Coffee+, the flagship program under Nestlé’s Nescafé Plan, which brings together public and private sectors to help smallholder coffee farmers sustainably improve yields, incomes, and quality of life.

“This isn’t just about policies on paper,” said Geric Laude, Pioneer Insurance’s Head of Agriculture and Partnerships Department. “We met with the farmers, listened to their needs, and made protection more accessible where it matters most: on the ground.”

Project Coffee+ is a multi-year, intensive program that empowers participating farmers to become agripreneurs by equipping them with advanced farming knowledge and basic business skills.

The program’s success in significantly increasing harvests and incomes led to the launch of Project Coffee++, focused on nurturing the next generation of coffee farmers in Mindanao, where Sultan Kudarat and Bukidnon produce 80 percent of the country’s coffee.

The local coffee subsector faces challenges, with declining output supplying only 15 percent of domestic demand—the rest met by imports. Crop insurance for coffee farmers is thus a crucial step in strengthening both their capabilities and the industry.

Sharing a commitment to sustainable agriculture and inclusive growth, Pioneer’s Agriculture Team began collaborating with Nestlé in mid-2024 to engage farmer communities and introduce crop insurance.

Field visits and direct conversations were key in shaping insurance products aligned with farmers’ long-term goals under the regenerative agriculture (RA) approach, which protects agricultural resources for future productivity while addressing climate change.

Planting hope through agri-insurance

Pioneer has long been a pioneer in inclusive insurance solutions for underserved communities. Through CARD Pioneer Microinsurance Inc., it launched BINHI Crop Insurance in 2017—the country’s first and only micro-agricultural insurance product.

With support from the Asian Development Bank, Pioneer and CARD Pioneer made history in 2022 by launching the Philippines’ first public–private crop insurance partnership with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.

In January 2024, Pioneer established its Agriculture Team to further close the protection gap in the agriculture sector. Since then, it has rolled out insurance products covering grain (rice and corn); high-value crops like coffee, cacao, mango, and sugarcane; and livestock—helping farmers manage climate change-related risks.

This latest effort with Nestlé builds on Pioneer’s momentum, demonstrating that relevant, community-driven insurance can be a powerful tool for real transformation.