The founding leaders of Kapeyapaan Farmers Association in Barangay Alegre (KFA-Alegre), Bansalan, Davao del Sur started their six-month training. This program happens from January to June 2021. The participants are among the strategically qualified group of farmers. We have secured proper coordination with government authorities and the provincial tribal leadership regarding our purposes, objectives, and operational procedures, especially our compliance with public health safety protocols.
Promising First Month
We’re excited for the 12 farming households represented in this first month of a 6-month training program.
During the opening session of the first day, Joji Pantoja and Sonny Bautista shared the microbiology and chemical dynamics involving quality coffee processing in simple, hands-on, story-telling style of communication. In the afternoon, Sihaya Ansibod and Aldren Banal shared the Inclusive Development and Social Entrepreneurial aspects of coffee business.
The next morning, Aldren Banal shared the necessity of ethical social values in genuine inclusive development and social entrepreneurial initiatives. Then, Marivic Dubria (a national coffee farming champion), along with Sonny Bautista and Sihaya Ansibod, led the farmers in hands-on post-harvest processing techniques during the early afternoon. Finally, Daniel Byron Pantoja led in concluding the 2-day training by sharing how we, at the PBCI-CFP Team, will market coffee through eCommerce.
Kapeyapaan Farmers Association
The Kapeyapaan Farmers Association (KFA) is the formal organization of coffee and vegetable farmers throughout the Philippines who have been trained by the Inclusive Development Consulting Team of PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. and Coffee for Peace, otherwise known as PBCI-CFP IncluDev Team. These farming communities have explicitly invited the PBCI-CFP IncluDev Team to train them and to partner with them. Farming communities who are interested to join KFA would go through the following process:
- Letter of Intent. Please write a letter or send an email addressed to —
Ms. Sihaya Ansibod
Director of Field Operations
PeaceBuilders Community, Inc.
721-A Loreto Street, Juna Subdivision,
Davao City 8000
Email: sihaya@peacebuilderscommunity.org - Exploratory Partnership Meeting (EPM). This is our initial interaction with individuals and organizations who are interested in partnering with us in inclusive development initiatives. In this way, both parties can assess what they can offer in such activities or programs. As early at this stage, we’ll clarify that PBCI-CFP IncluDevTeam is not a funding organization. On one hand, PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) is an Inclusive Development Consulting Team who works with other organizations — civil society, religious, government, business — who would employ our team. Our professional fees are reasonable. Since we’re teaching social entrepreneurship, we practice entrepreneurial principles to sustain our work. On the other hand, Coffee For Peace (CFP) is a social business corporation who would buy and market the coffee products that our partners have produced and processed based on our training standards. We buy and market our partners’ products at fair trade prices.
- Community Orientation and Confirmation. Both organizations will share the partnership concepts, strategies, objectives, and goals to their respective stakeholders.
- Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This would help us identify each organization’s role to harmonize each other’s organizational strengths and best practices. This would also avoid miscommunication, misunderstanding, and duplication of tasks.
The 6-month training program includes the following topics:
- Basic Coffee and Vegetable Plantation Management;
- Household Financial Planning;
- Entrepreneurial Management Skills;
- ECommerce; and,
- Peace and Reconciliation Principles and Practices.
Barangay Alegre, Bansalan, Davao del Sur
Barangay Alegre is a neighboring village of Managa where PBCI-CFP IncluDev Team worked in partnership with the Balutakay farmers starting in 2013. Last year, the Tagabawa Tribal Council of Barangay Alegre welcomed the Inclusive Development Team of PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI) and Coffee For Peace (CFP) to establish a model coffee farm in their area. We went through the process of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as required by law. The municipal, provincial, and national authorities protecting the Indigenous Peoples’ rights gave their respective affirmations and blessings to this project.
Last month, we had conversations with Madam Querina Sarte, Mayor of Bansalan Municipality; and, with Datu Rogelio Manapol, Provincial Tribal Chief of Bagobo-Tagabawa. Both of them gave their blessings and a documented certification allowing us to conduct these training programs in their area of responsibility.
Amplifying the Voice of our Farming Partners
This training program is part of our inner conviction on how we can help our farming farmers’ voices to be heard.
- We have to lead with empathy and amplify the voices of our partner farmers.
- We have to cultivate teamwork and collaboration with the different coffee and vegetable players to avoid duplication of projects. With collaboration with different government agencies, we can align our efforts towards one direction and manage resources well.
- We have to learn how to delegate and mentor others, so we can create new leaders that can pass on knowledge to others. This is how PeaceBuilders Community and Coffee for Peace grows. We mentor leaders in the community, so that when we leave, they can continue on the work.
- We have to produce more change makers by diving into the root cause of the problem, and raise the level of conscientization, so that they will continue to work, not because we say so, but because they wanted to be change makers themselves.
- We want to see a new ecosystem that is not just for profit, but also the advancement of balance in the ecology and equal opportunity for all. When we do business, we have to consider our partner supplier if they are happy with our payment; we have to see that our distributors also makes money from selling our coffee; we have to make sure that we are treating our employees right, giving them all the required benefits as advised by DOLE; we have to treat our financier and investors, that our work has a mission and not just for profit.
- We have to make sure that the consumer gets their money’s worth, when they pay for the products.