Investing in Those Who Grow Our Food:
Partnerships for Farmers & Fishers
.
Last May, we joined the country in recognizing National Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month, a time to honor the people and communities who grow our food, sustain local economies, and keep rural livelihoods moving despite many challenges.
For FSSI, supporting farmers and fisherfolk means investing in the social enterprises, cooperatives, and community-based organizations that work closely with them. It means providing financing that helps enterprises access working capital, strengthen operations, and expand their markets. It also means supporting capacity building, co-investments, partnerships, and learning spaces that allow these enterprises to grow with accountability, resilience, and long-term direction.
.
In this issue, we share stories and updates that reflect this continuing work.
We feature new social enterprises in agriculture and agri-processing – Dontog Technofarms and Liloy Green Tech Agri – producers Association. Dontog Technofarms supports highland vegetable farmers through fair market access, contract farming, and sustainable farming practices. Meanwhile, in focus area, Zamboanga del Norte, we conducted an Enterprise Readiness and Ownership Training for Liloy Green Tech Agri-producers Association, the first social enterprise supported by FSSI in the province. The training helped strengthen enterprise ownership, accountability, strategic direction, and action planning among its members. In Samar, we worked with a core group of local organizations to identify priority sectors and potential social enterprise partners that may be supported under FSSI’s triple bottom line strategy.
This issue also presents our work in renewable energy. We share updates from the PHILSSA Consortium on Just Energy Transition in Manila, the Solar Community Meetup organized by New Energy Nexus Philippines in Bulacan, and FSSI’s roundtable discussion on the pilot implementation of Small Solar Energy Enterprise financing products. These engagements remind us that the shift to clean energy must be inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the needs of communities.
We are also pleased to share that our social enterprise partner JMJ Solar, recipient of the first-ever FSSI 3BL Social Enterprise Gold Excellence Award, was featured in My Puhunan: Kaya Mo! for its work in providing solar energy solutions to households, businesses, farms, and communities in Agusan del Sur and nearby areas.
Our participation in sectoral and partner-led spaces, including the General Assembly of St. Francis Multipurpose Cooperative and the KITE 2.0 forum in Cebu, also reflects our continuing commitment to learning and collaboration. These engagements allow us to listen to partners, contribute to discussions on responsive financing, and strengthen our shared work with cooperatives, social enterprises, and development organizations.
We also include perspectives on the broader social enterprise ecosystem, including our recent article on how Filipino social enterprises are contributing to sustainable development as the 2030 SDG targets approach, and a thought leadership piece on co-financing with our member, the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO). These remind us that social enterprises need more than short-term assistance. They need long-term, strategic investment, technical support, and partnerships that help them build resilience and scale their impact.
May was a time to recognize the role of our farmers and fisherfolk, but our support for them continue beyond the observance. This means strengthening the systems that support their work: accessible financing, fair markets, strong organizations, climate-responsive practices, and partnerships rooted in trust and shared responsibility.
On behalf of FSSI, I thank our social enterprise partners, member organizations, co-financing partners, and fellow development actors who continue to work with us in advancing inclusive and sustainable development. Together, let us continue investing in those who grow our food, strengthen our communities, and help build a more sustainable future.
