By Ma. Athea Menguito
As cliché as it may sound, synergy between stakeholders from a range of sectors is necessary for any industry to thrive – including the cacao industry of Davao de Oro in the Philippines.
Since 2020, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) has been implementing the Sustainable Farming in Tropical Asian Landscapes (SFITAL) Project in the province of Davao de Oro (formerly Compostela Valley) in Mindanao, Philippines. The project is envisioned to promote environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial cacao production in the province, which could also contribute to the country’s efforts to attain its target yield of 100,000 metric tons by the year 2022. Specifically, it aims to assist the smallholders, who are both entrepreneurs and environmental stewards, to benefit from well-functioning environments for sustainable commodity value chains in Asia.