FPD Brochure

FOUNDATION FOR PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

FOUNDATION FOR PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

2007

BUILDING LIVES BUILDING A NATION I love the Philippines

Annual Report

B U I L D I N G L I V E S , B U I L D I N G A N AT I O N

The Foundation for People Development (FPD) is a voluntary consortium of non-government organizations that have agreed to work together for greater effectiveness and synergy in undertaking genuine people develop ment programs, laying emphasis on savings mobilization, values formation, entrepreneurial development, and business networking. The FPD was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on December 7, 1993.

CONTENTS Message from the Chairman 3 & the President Development Strategy 4 Projects and Commitments 8 Upcoming Opportunities 17 Annexes OfďŹ cers and Consortium Members Development Partners

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Message from the Chairman & the President “FPD: Revitalized, Responsive, and Rooted on Values” 2007 marked a milestone for FPD as we revitalized our operations. We started the year with newly elected officers and reorganized consortium members. We also refined our strategic direction and clarified our priorities. Guided by a roadmap and scorecard that we crafted, we identified opportunities to enhance synergy and integration.

As part of this renewal, we clearly defined who we are: We are an integrator who advocates business growth with social equity in our interventions for people development -- skills building, work ethics, & values formation. We help build communitybased enterprises mainly anchored on farming, fishing and agri–industrial business. We empower micro and small farm enterprises via integrated programs and services. Moreover, we instill among people the Christian values of love for family, community, and country.

Last year, we carefully reviewed our past efforts as we leveraged on successful experiences and relationships. We therefore identified within our projects specific models focusing on empowerment and partnerships -- with farmers, business firms, government units, academe, community organizations, and donors.

For example, our existing projects have shown that we performed encouragingly well in helping with the following initiatives: organize cooperatives, set up cooperative stores (“Koop Marts”), establish a product packaging center, develop alternative market outlets for farmers’ products, and enhance agriculture education via the entrepreneurship and agribusiness approach. These projects show positive results: increased incomes, improved productivity, enhanced community participation, and improved governance.

Apart from these efforts, however, we have designed new project models, as we benchmarked on best practices in farm-based enterprises locally and abroad. We are pleased to announce that several of these new initiatives are now ready for launching.

For example, we will immediately start operations to adopt the joint venture enterprise model, initially, with selected lettuce farmers and coffee growers. In addition, together with farmer-cooperators, we will showcase several “techno-demo” farm models, such as in poultry raising, coffee growing, and vegetable farming.

We will, therefore, work more vigorously to replicate successful initiatives and start new projects.

We will pursue avenues to increase our integrated support to countryside enterprises, especially in the areas of marketing and microfinance.

As we move forward, we are confident that we will deliver more. We will achieve our objectives together with the strong support of our development partners and private volunteers.

Dr. Jesus P. Estanislao

Dr. Raul C. Hernández

Chairman, FPD

President, FPD

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Development Strategy FPD Organization The formation of the Foundations for People Development (FPD) way back in 1993 was inspired by a group of development professionals from the private sector, academe, and nongovernment organizations, who felt the compelling need to bond and join organizational resources to address poverty in the countryside. The pioneering commitments of those organizations gave birth to FPD. FPD’s unique contribution to countryside development has always been its values-based and practicum-oriented agriculture education and cooperative enterprises for farm families. In late 2006, FPD re-organized and revitalized to tackle more community-based enterprises of greater scope and intensity.

The current members of FPD consortium are composed of the following NGOs: ASCEND Foundation; Bais Family Farm Association; CRC Credit Cooperative; Daguiao Foundation; Institute for Solidarity in Asia; JEB Foundation; Pampamilyang Paaralan pang Agricultura Inc. (PPAI); Parents for Education Foundation Inc. (PAREF); PAREF Southridge Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative; Rural Livelihood Productivity Center (RLPC); Sri Visayan Foundation; Total Reforestation for Economic and Ecological Sustainability (TREES) Consortium; and University Center Foundation.

FPD Vision By 2020, we shall be a nationwide network of enterprise development institutions serving as entrepots for community cooperativeness and as grassroots agents for further building our nation.

FPD Mission To help people help and develop themselves so together with others, they can help develop also their community.

FPD Core Values • • • • • •

Observance of God’s presence in our life, work, and relationships Personal discipline and instilling the savings habit Family solidarity and adherence to traditional values Entreprenerial development and promotion of culture of excellence Cooperative spirit, networking, and market competitiveness Continuing education for genuine, sustained progress

FPD Roadmap In pursuit of its Vision and Mission, FPD developed a Roadmap to better clarify and communicate to everyone its corporate direction and priorities. Apart from providing focus for its long-term objectives, the FPD Roadmap helps to reinforce alignment and synergy in the planning and execution of FPD programs and activities. The Roadmap template focuses on four (4) strategy themes, namely: Finance; Constituencies; Internal Process; and Further Growth and Development. As shown in the Roadmap, for each of these four strategy themes or perspectives, FPD has defined the priority strategic objectives that it will undertake.

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Finance. From a strategic finance perspective, FPD will give priority to strengthening tie-ups with local institutions, especially with local government units (LGUs), particularly in the cooperative movement. Twinning arrangements will promote the pooling of funds for local resource mobilization.

Constituencies. From a strategic perspective of defining and responding fully to constituencies, FPD will reach out to serve more local communities. Priority will be given to individuals and institutions who promote and spread cooperatives. FPD will also foster stronger linkages between cooperating schools and cooperatives.

Internal Process. From a strategic perspective of improving internal processes, FPD will constantly improve and perfect its existing models for cooperatives by “working together & growing together… and growing with social equity”. It will secure the long-term viability of its enterprise development schools.

Further Growth and Development. From a strategic perspective of further growth and development, FPD will ensure that it distills and “institutionalizes” best practices gleaned from its experimental initiatives into ready-to-offer packages to communities willing to organize cooperatives.

FPD will focus on multiplying the cooperating schools as enterprise development agents of communitybased cooperatives. FPD will also continue its R&D to test concrete community-based development approaches that it can propagate.

The Roadmap will guide FPD in crafting a Balanced Scorecard, jointly with its development partners and other stakeholders. Initial moves have already been started in designing a Scorecard, a performance management tool for translating broad objectives into more specific, measurable, realistic, and timebound targets and outputs that cascade across the various business units, projects, and stakeholders.

FPD will revisit the Roadmap every year to ensure that it is following its Roadmap in a manner that is consistent with its charter.

Foundations for People Development Road Map Finance

Constituency

% of additional resources from twinning arrangements set aside for FPD

LGU to provide service fees to FPD for coop marts, pack centers, micro-finance

Twinning arrangements strengthened between R/U EDS & supporting coops

Work with LGUs interested in coop marts, pack centers, micro-finance FPD as Leadership Center

FPD as Center for Values Formation

Internal Capacity

Learning & Growth

Develop coops around R/U EDS for their sustainabilty

Constantly refine & improve packages for sharing: coop marts, pack centers, micro-finance

Multiply R/U “enterprise development schools” [PPAI model]

Develop packages for set-up of coop marts, packaging centers, micro-finance

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Core Services: The FPD Integrated Program The logic or guiding system embodied in FPD’s core services is the FPD Integrated Program, made up of closely inter-related portfolio of projects for the benefit of the poor and the underprivileged. At the core of the Integrated Program around which the FPD portfolio revolves are the FPD enterprise development schools.

WHAT MUST BE DONE? Education, Values Formation, Enterprise Development

FPD takes the lead in organizing enterprise development schools in the countryside for improving the lives of small farmers and their families. FPD puts the highest premium on “learning and growth” by setting up enterprise development schools at the secondary, post-secondary, and tertiary education levels.

Within the immediate periphery of these enterprise development schools are the FPD support initiatives. These portfolio of projects support the enterprise development schools in the form of microfinance initiatives, livelihood projects, enterprise development programs, small packaging centers, cooperative marketing enterprises, market linkages, and project management. They complete the loop of supply-value chain in agri-industrial enterprises. Specific projects that will be set up either separately or in combination with another eventually support the enterprise development schools.

Thus, FPD’s unique contribution is ensuring that the overall system, i.e.; the Integrated Program, works and is made to run on an affordable, financially sustainable basis. FPD connects the different components of the system and ensures the alignment of professional, technical, economic, and financial discipline within the system.

The main features of the FPD Integrated Program are, as follows: i)

Enterprise Development Schools: Agriculture Education with Focus on Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness, and Cooperatives

FPD helps existing Family Farm Schools by training teachers on the dual technology system.

This formal education emphasizes the farm experiential learning by combining classroom teaching with actual work in a farm, store, or factory. FPD assists in embedding agricultural education with entrepreneurship, agribusiness management, and cooperatives formation.

FPD also works for establishing other creative variations of the Family Farm School system, but maintaining the core program of values formation, continuing education, skills training, and entrepreneurial development.

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ii)

Microfinance

FPD trains people in savings mobilization and setting up microfinance systems to start up communitybased enterprises. It also helps secure donor funds and venture capital for financing needs of farmbased livelihood projects. FPD also initiates joint ventures with farmers and strategic partnerships with private entities such as landowners and corporations in putting up projects to support agribusiness. iii)

Cooperatives Training

FPD assists farmers, associations, schools, and various institutions in forming cooperatives. FPD provides training in “cooperativism” or ”corporative” (i.e.; Mondragon’s Corporation Cooperativa of Spain and NACF-National Agricultural Cooperative Federation of Korea) and in putting up cooperative enterprises, such as cooperative stores. These cooperative enterprises provide added income to target beneficiaries, apart from empowering them by actively participating in the development of their community.

COMMUNITY COOPERATIVE BUSINESS VENTURES AND COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT (Farmers/Fisherfolks/Community Entrepreneurs)

Organizing

Working Together

Business Enterprise (Selling/Marketing) Foundation for People Development

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iv)

Marketing Support and Business Networking

FPD helps farmers-fisherfolks and local producers tie up with actual and potential buyers. It provides marketing advice and support to local groups. In addition, FPD taps the support of strategic partners in putting up community-based market infrastructures, such as marketing centers, product packaging centers, and input supply outlets, wherever they are most needed.

For further development of farm businesses, FPD offers access to its wide network of cooperatives, private corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions. v) Project Management FPD’s pool of development professionals help develop capacities of local government units and community enterprises in many areas, which include, among others, strategic planning, project proposal preparation, project management, monitoring and evaluation. Learning approaches take the form of training, knowledge sharing, coaching, mentoring, and motivating farm / rural / urban micro-small entrepreneurs and local groups.

Projects and Commitments FPD’s Family Economic Enterprise Development (FEED) Schools The objective of FEED School is to assist local institutions establish income-generating farm and rural enterprises that are operationally managed and supervised by family farm or rural development schools nearby.

FPD trains FEED school teachers on the dual technology system in agriculture education and agribusiness entrepreneurship. Students spend continuous learning via alternating cycles of classroom teaching and actual practicum work in a village enterprise. The student’s workplace may be a farm, a factory, a store, or a business office.

In 2007, FPD entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Congresman Juan Edgardo Angara, Provincial Government of Aurora Governor Bella Angara Castillo and local officials of the Aurora province for the establishment of the Canili Family Rural Development School located in the barrio of Canili in the town of Maria Aurora, province of Aurora. FPD is providing the training of teachers in values formation, farm entrepreneurship, and cooperative formation. Another development partner, the Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT), helps in training the teachers in sustainable resource management.

The school offers secondary (4 years high school subjects) adopting the dual technology system of family farm schools. As such, the curricula include practicum work in farm or agri-industrial enterprises nearby, in addition to work ethics, values formation, and introduction to cooperatives, with the parents’ participation.

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EDUCATION Family Rural / Urban Development Schools (highschoaol / secondary) and Family Economic Enterprise Development (FEED) Schools of FPD. ... solution to country’s problem The students, together with family members, will put up viable livelihood projects as part of the curriculum. Micro-enterprises may include poultry and livestock raising, vegetable farming, and food processing. The benefits to the students and their families will be additional food on the table and augmented household incomes.

The initial batch of first year high school students have began their studies at Canili Family Rural Development School last year. New batch of students will be added for each year. The Canili Family Rural Development School will eventually lead to the establishment of FPD’s FEED School. Due to the expected economic and social impact of FEED School, FPD will vigorously tap other opportunities to undertake this project nationwide..

Technical Assistance for the Provincial Government of Bulacan on Various Enterprise Development Projects In 2007, FPD signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB), wherein FPD will assist the PGB in carrying out a set of enterprise development projects for implementation over the period 2007-2010. These projects are in line with the goal of the PGB to build a strong middle class within the Province by creating more job opportunities and increasing incomes of its constituents. Thus, the PGB has embarked on programs for developing micro/livelihood businesses and small and medium-enterprises (SMEs) throughout the Province.

Under the MOA with the Provincial Government of Bulacan, FPD’s services have been tapped to enhance the capability of four (4) Offices of the PGB: the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), Provincial Cooperative Enterprise Development Office (PCEDO), Provincial Planning Development Office (PPDO), and Provincial Youth, Sports, Education and Arts & Culture Office (PYSEACO). FPD will facilitate in the orientation, organization, setting up, management, and development of the following set of projects of the Bulacan Provincial Government: a) Cooperative Marketing Enterprise (CME)-BEAM; b) Savings Associations; c) Cooperative Marts; d) Satellite Toll Packing Centers; e) Community Micro Finance; f) Family Rural/Urban Development Schools; h) North Food Exchange Project; and i) Life IN and Life AFTER PGB. For each of these projects, FPD will deliver specific forms of technical assistance, for instance, knowledge transfer and technology, mentoring, coaching, motivating, and advisory assistance for sustainability of projects. Concrete projects are now successfully operating and benefitting Bulacan families, while initial mobilization have also started for the other simultaneous projects.

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• Bulacan Packaging Service and Toll Packing Center “Tatak Bulacan” is the inspirational theme of the current Packaging Service and Toll Packing Center located in Malolos, Bulacan, which the Provincial Government Bulacan has successfully put up through FPD’s assistance, and with support from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). This product packaging service accelerates the marketing of current and potential products in Bulacan; promotes Bulacan products in local and international trade fairs, and boosts income-generating livelihoods for families.

• North Food Exchange The North Food Exchange (NFE), which is a joint undertaking of the Provincial Government of Bulacan, private investors, and cooperative associations is considered as the biggest and most complex among the projects that FPD will assist in Bulacan. As planned, the North Food Exchange, as an economic enterprise system, will function as a large, agro-industrial and marketing complex that will feature a large food terminal, product assembly and packaging centers, product processing centers, and cold chain facilities. It will also include support infrastructure such as connecting roads and highway interchange systems, wastewater treatment, and power facilities.

The project aims to boost farm production, increase farmers’ incomes, and improve the food marketing and distribution systems within the northern provinces and Metro Manila. The main strategy adopted is to directly engage and link-up the network of farmer cooperatives and other key market players from the private sector as the buyers, assemblers, processors, and sellers of farm-based products.

The pre-feasibility studies for the North Food Exchange have been completed and the Technical Development and Master Plans as well as the Business Plan of the Project are currently being updated, while land provision has been committed. FPD’s services have been tapped in technical and management studies, as well as in mobilizing the network of cooperatives that will engage in direct buying and selling of the commodities among their members.

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FPD’s Cooperative Marketing Enterprise (CME) The Cooperative Marketing Enterprise (CME) Project of FPD assists cooperatives, micro and small entrepreneurs, and farmer-fisher folks/rural associations put up cooperative stores (called Koop Marts) as market outlets for their farm-based products.

FPD provides training in setting up and guiding/monitoring the perfomance of CME Koop Marts.

Also, FPD develops market linkages between CME Koop Marts and farmer-fisher folks/rural associations, such as those within the network of Family Farm and FPD’s Rural/ Urban Development Schools. CME Koop Marts operate as subsidiaries of FPD. A CME Koop Mart serves as an intelligent buyer and seller for the cooperative movement. Apart from farm-based products, the Koop Mart also sells household commodities and novelty items. Koop members get cash rewards/patronage income for their accumulated purchases after a given period.

FPD helped establish the Bulacan Koop Mart Project located in Malolos, Bulacan. The Koop Mart was put up in partnership with the employees and families of the Provincial Government of Bulacan.

Processed food products sourced from Bulacan and other provinces are sold in this Koop Mart. This project has been generating additional local revenues for the Provincial Government of Bulacan.

Another successful CME Koop Mart Project of PAREF Southridge Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative, Inc. in Muntinlupa City. FPD helped organize a cooperative and set up a Koop Mart among the school faculty and staff. The Koop Mart supplies household commodities for the members.

In addition, farm products sourced from FPD network of farm associations are sold at the Koop Mart.

For example, organic specialty coffee produced by the Bais Family Farm Association in Bais City, Negros Oriental is made available at Southridge CME Koop Mart.

With the success of CME Koop Marts, FPD is actively promoting the replication of these communitybased cooperative stores in other areas of the country.

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FPD’s Community Fund (CF) In line with its poverty reduction objectives, FPD has designed the Community Fund (CF) Project to help the rural and urban poor transform into productive entrepreneurs. The CF strategy provides integrated support assistance for starting up micro or small enterprises that are viable and sustainable.

These are in the form of the following: opportunity citing, business training, seed capital, access to market & technology, and mentoring.

Training will increase the skills, knowledge, and motivation of target poverty group in selecting, creating, and operating micro or small enterprises. Under the CF Project, FPD will provide the training program to enable the target group to: a) Choose the best business to start given their skills and local markets; b) Learn the basics of business management, which cover marketing, production, quality & productivity, and finance, and c) Manage people and group dynamics, including leadership and group decision making.

Seed capital will be given to target groups in the form of a loan. The loan will bear an interest that approximates market and at attractively competitive rates to eventually bring the target groups to mainstream bank financing. Loans will be granted only after the target groups have fully completed the training program. The target groups will also be trained in setting up an initial savings program, which will serve as their equity contribution.

Sustainable Rural/Urban Community FPD’s Business Ventures Partnership Framework Venture Capital

Entrepreneurs Nat’l Gov’t

LGUs

LIVELIHOOD, Micro & SME DEVELOPMENT

Development Aid Agencies/ Organizations 1st World Investors, Philanthropists & GRANTS

Community Enterprise Institutions / FPD’s Rural-Urban, FEED & Business Schools

Access to market will be improved by FPD. The FPD’s base market is the needs of the FPD family and their communities. FPD will undertake initiatives to improve the capabilities of the farm families to supply the local and export markets.

Access to technology will be enhanced. This will be undertaken by networking the FPD CME entrepreneurs to experts & specialists from the government and private sectors.

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Mentoring will be provided to target groups for a more individualized approach to building skills and knowledge. This will help tailor the training to workplace requirements and situation needs of target individuals. Through the CF Project, FPD will help budding entrepreneurs gain confidence, overcome the typical challenges of a new venture, understand local market opportunities, for them to become self-reliant and grow the business enterprise.Models or pilot projects will be set up as demonstration work areas and training sites for target groups.

Models or pilot projects will be set up as demonstration work areas and training sites for target groups.

FPD’s Livelihood And Productivity Centers (LPC) The Livelihood and Productivity Centers (LPC) Project of FPD will serve as a multi-functional service center that features techno-demo farms, farmers marketing centers, and farm input supply networks.

This Project will be put up in rural and strategic areas where market and technology infrastructure support facilities are badly needed.

LPCs may be established either as stand-alone projects that operate separately from other farmrelated projects, or may be attached to existing projects, like the Family Farm and Family Rural / Urban Development Schools in various provinces, or as component parts of the upcoming FPD-initiated Family Economic Enterprise Development (FEED) Schools.

FPD’s BUSINESS SUPPLY VALUE SUPPLY Farming/fishing

Processing

Packaging

DISTRIBUTION Wholesailing/retailing

Shipping

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The Techno-Demo Farms of LPCs serve as farmers’ field schools where farmers can observe and learn improved farming methods and technologies. This will facilitate technology transfer and replication of farm techniques to other areas.

The several existing Farmers Marketing Centers (“bagsakan”) will be considered as part of the LPC Project where farmers can bring in their produce. In addition, FPD will explore the possibility/ viability of establishing its own Farmer Marketing Center that will also serve as product assembly and packaging area for specific agricultural commodities. Common marketing service facilities will be provided like a stock yard, storage, sorting, grading, and packaging of agricultural products.

An Input Coop-Supply Store will also be an important component part of the LPC Project. This will provide crop and livestock farmers with a more reliable and relatively cheaper source for their production inputs, such as fertilizers, feeds, and other farm inputs.

The LPC Project will therefore function like a convenient, one-stop shop for farmers, given its multiple service features. The LPCs may be owned and operated by FPD, either solely, or in partnership with strategic entities, such as landowners, cooperatives, farmer/rural associations, LGUs, and private corporations.

Life Series and Subscription Farming Project FPD is launching the LIFE Series Project, which are joint venture livelihood enterprises between FPD and farmer – cooperators. LIFE stands for Livelihood Initiative for Family Enterprises. The Project aims to help small farmers earn more decent incomes by providing them with an integrated package of support.

FPD will provide the management, technical, financial, and marketing support to farmercooperators. Financial support from FPD will be in the form of farm inputs equipment, and other farm logistics as well as seed/working capital, if necessary. For their part, the farmer-cooperators will provide the land (their farm) and labor. Farmer-cooperators must also be willing to share farming experiences to other farmers, and to open their farm to FPD family groups and visitors as LIFE Demo (demonstration) Farm.

With respect to profit sharing arrangements, FPD will share 40% of net profit while 60% will go to the farmer-cooperators. LIFE Demo Farms will be established in strategic areas where FPD operates.

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Farmers who will join this venture will form part of a system known as “Community Supported Agriculture” (CSA). The CSA concept originated in Japan in the 1960s, as consumers interested in safe food and farmers seeking stable markets for their crops joined together in economic partnership. The heart of the CSA system is a shared commitment to building a more local and equitable agricultural system. It allows farmers to focus on land stewardship and still maintain productive and profitable family farm enterprises.

Although CSA can take many forms, it basically operates by “subscription” system. That is, consumers subscribe by committing to buy a certain quantity of products, say at a given week, month, or year. It is for this reason why CSA is also known as “subscription farming”.

Under the LIFE Series Project, FPD will use its Cooperative Marketing Enterprise (CME) projects for the marketing and logistical requirements of production.

As project start-up, lettuce produced by the Dagatan Family Farm School and coffee produced by the Bais Family Farm Association will be marketed under the CSA or “subscription farming” system.

This approach will also be established in FPD’s Canili Family Rural Development School in the town of Maria Aurora of the Aurora province.

A variation to the “Community Supported Agriculture” is the “Corporate Supported Agriculture”, which FPD will also adopt. Companies will be asked to subscribe to a certain amount of order on a regular basis. They could sell the farm products to their employees or to their regular chain of buyers.

Companies may consider “subscription farming” as part of corporate social responsibility.

FPD will set up LIFE Demo Farms in strategic areas where it operates. As start up, FPD will establish LIFE Demo Farms in the following areas with farmer cooperators already identified: i) “Coffee for LIFE” in Barangay Sab-Ahan, Bais City, in the province of Oriental Negros: this is in partnership with the Bais Family Farm Association. A 2-hectare farm will be developed as a technodemo farm for coffee farming. Nestle will provide technical support. ii)“Pigs for LIFE” and “Chickens for LIFE” in Barangay Lomboy, Tanjay City, Oriental Negros: this is in partnership with a land owner, Mrs. Encarnacion Gayo. This will serve as a techno-demo farm for pig farming making use of natural feeds, and no-smell, no-wash technology and native free range chicken for broiler and egg production. iii) “Lettuce for LIFE” and “Cows for LIFE” in Barangay Sto Nino, Lipa City, province of Batangas: this is in partnership with a farm owner, Mrs. Gloria N. Hernandez of the Rosario House Int’l. This will serve as a techno-demo farm for lettuce and organic fertilizer production, as well as cow dairy and fattening demo farm. iv) “Abaca for LIFE” in Barangay Sab-Ahan, Bais City, Oriental Negros: this is in partnership with Bais Family Farm School. This will serve as a techno-demo farm for abaca farming to produce fibers for handicrafts and barong-making.

In launching these projects, FPD will create a network of farmer-cooperators to be named as FARMS (Farm Associates for Resource Management Systems). These farmer-cooperators will have their own showcase farm projects wherein visitors can learn better farming methods for replication. Farmercooperators may also serve as consultants to other farm project implementors.

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FPD’s Trees Consortium Program TREES stands for Total Reforestation for Economic and Ecological Sustainability, and was established

by FPD in 1998 to promote forest sustainability, bio-diversity, and ecological protection that will lead to poverty alleviation and economic development.

In line with its objectives, TREES has successfully organized three separate occasions for nationallevel Tree Farmers Congresses held in Mindanao involving key stakeholders from the government, private sector, NGOS, academe, and other concererned institutions. During those conferences, specific policy and project-related issues and recommendations were discussed, such as forest protection, forest rehabilitation, tree farming, and community-based approaches to forest management.

FPD is continuing efforts to sustain the development momentum and interest among various stakeholders in TREES. One important project of FPD is providing assistance to coffee farmers in Bais City and Tanjay City in Negros Oriental for livelihood promotion and forest management.

FPD’s Help² Bank Project In response to the gap in delivery of social services especially to farm families, FPD has launched the HELP² Bank Project (HELP squared). The first level of FPD assistance under HELP ( 1st HELP) involves the provision of Housing, Employment, and Livelihood Program to target poverty groups. The second level of assistance to be provided ( 2nd HELP) refers to Health, Education, Leisure Program.

The rationale for facilitating the simultaneous delivery of these bundle of services, to the extent possible, is the need for a holistic approach to improving the quality of life of farm and urban families. FPD has began identification of areas where HELP² assistance are mostly needed. As the farm cooperatives continually develop their fund resources to the extent that they can engage in other ventures, such as health and wellness programs, leisure programs, and other activities that improve well-being, FPD will also offer assistance along these areas.

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Serve Project SERVE ( Sharing Experiences of Retired and Volunteer Executives) is a project wherein FPD invites, encourages volunteers and specially-hired professionals to participate in FPD’s programs and projects.

As such, SERVE is, and will be composed mostly of retired and active executives who volunteer time in sharing their experiences to mentor and coach people involved with development projects. SERVE is also open to executives who are still active in business, but are willing to devote part of their time in helping poor communities through livelihood projects, savings mobilization, entrepreneurial and managerial development, and related activities of FPD.

Upcoming Opportunities Apart from its current projects and commitments, FPD has identified numerous project opportunities for future undertaking. Initial studies and preparatory work have been done to pursue initiatives with the following specific entities: • • • • • • • • •

DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform) e-Veritas Trading in Smokey Mountain & TREES Consortium Program Philex Pacdal Project Zambales Chromite Mining Aspiras Family Partnership Family Farm School Associations EIPC-EBESE (Ecop Institute for Productivity and Competitiveness-EIPC Big Enterprise -Small Enterprise) La Union Cooperative Bank Metro South Cooperative Bank

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