Village Connect
For generations, many Filipino farmers believed that success ended once their crops reached the market. The focus was on planting, harvesting, and selling—often individually and at prices set by others. But across farming communities today, a quiet change is happening. Farmers are discovering that progress grows faster when they organize, plan, and lead together.
This shift is being guided by the Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach (AECA), a system that helps farmers move beyond survival farming and into organized enterprise. Instead of working alone, farmers form clusters where they pool harvests, share resources, and make decisions as a group. Through this, small producers become reliable suppliers that can meet the volume and quality standards of big buyers.
AECA is a core part of the Agro-Enterprise for Inclusive Value Chains (AEIVC) Training Program, created by the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) with Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan in 2021. The program does not train farmers directly at first—it trains the people who guide them. Agri-extension workers, NGO staff, and field facilitators learn how to organize farmers, study markets, plan production, and run farming like a business.
Since its launch, more than 339 facilitators have completed the AEIVC training. These trained leaders now work on the ground, helping farmer groups become confident, organized, and business-minded. They teach farmers how to plan together, manage finances, meet buyer requirements, and negotiate fair prices.
One group that saw strong results is KAISAHAN, an organization that supports small farmers and farmworkers, especially those fighting for land rights. Through AECA training, KAISAHAN gained clearer tools and methods to organize farmers into strong clusters. They now help communities practice collective marketing instead of selling alone to middlemen.
For facilitators like Jec Magbato of KAISAHAN, AECA changed how he viewed farming. “I used to think AECA was just about grouping farmers and increasing production,” he shared. “But I learned it’s really about leadership, planning, and helping farmers manage their farms like real businesses.”
With guidance, farmer clusters now handle tasks once thought impossible: setting production schedules, managing deliveries, meeting contracts, and reinvesting profits. Farming becomes not just a way to survive, but a shared enterprise that grows over time.
AECA reflects JGF’s wider mission of supporting sustainable agriculture and food security. When farmers are organized and confident, they can become stable partners in the food system—helping ensure steady supply while improving their own livelihoods.
Beyond better income, AECA builds something deeper: dignity. Farmers learn to speak as leaders, to decide as a group, and to dream beyond the next harvest. When they grow together, farming becomes more than work—it becomes a pathway to resilience, shared success, and hope for a future where no one is left hungry.
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