Project Detail |
Towards Sustainable Coconut (Oil) Production at Scale Supporting Sector Transformation in the Philippines (Coconut Alliance) Coconut oil is an all-rounder. It serves multiple purposes in food, cosmetics, cleaning products, and for technological devices. In 2019, the Philippines harvested 14.77 million metric tons of coconuts, making the country the world’s second largest producer and the top exporter of coconut products to the European Union (EU) in 2020. Despite its status as one of the country’s leading agricultural income sources, local coconut production often faces inefficiencies or fails to meet expected environmental practices. Farmers contend with challenges such as improper crop management, aging and inefficiently run plantations with little resilience to climate change and extreme weather events, leading to low incomes, limited access to markets, finance, and technical know-how. These conditions make it hard for farmers to produce enough good quality coconut to earn living wages. At the same time, international buyers struggle to meet increasingly high standards and market demand for eco-friendly coconut oil and products. Additionally, the distribution networks for these goods are complex, far-reaching, and lack transparency. Objective Coconut production in the Philippines has become more eco-friendly, contributing to landscape-level sustainability. The livelihoods of small holder farmers are improved. |