The Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) recently held, Journey to Growth Forum, that aims to enhance the strategic mindset of the smallholder farmers so they continue to build their skills and expand their capacities and confidence. JGF is also aware of the ever-changing market that embraces technology vs traditional practices, and the role it plays for agro-entrepreneurs' success.
Attendees at the Forum includes farmers, cooperatives, associations, local government units, and partner organizations. It tackled dynamic agri-innovation learning sessions, latest industry updates, FGDs, and strategic business planning workshops- all designed to equip participants with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in today's changing agricultural landscape.
Through its Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP), JGF continues to empower smallholder farmers to thrive as agro-entrepreneurs and become economically self-sufficient by providing leadership and agro-entrepreneurship training that enhances their knowledge and skills.
"The Journey to Growth Forum not only strengthened our relationship with partner farmers but also provided an ideal avenue for them to learn best practices and discover solutions to existing farming challenges," said Gisela Tiongson, President at JGF. "We hope to aid our farmers in achieving sustainable growth by continuously providing workshops and training on leading edge and innovative approaches."
Experts from Jollibee Group's global divisions- including Procurement, Insurance and Risk Management, Finance, Sustainability and Public Affairs, and the Data Office- spearheaded engaging discussions on key topics like customer service, supply assurance, operational efficiency, financial strength, sustainability, and leadership.
To deepen the impact, the Foundation brought in industry experts to share cutting-edge insights on agri-innovations. How to tackle La Niña was also discussed by Miguel Garcia, Junior Operations Center Supervisor at Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF).
Meanwhile, Dr. Dionisio Bucao of Mariano Marcos State University talked about the critical role of soil health in sustainable farming, and Arjay Aquino shared strategies for health health restoration. He is from Central Luzon State University, a region in the country best known for its farming industry.
To keep farmers motivated and responsive to evolving challenges, JGF conducts an annual Onion Business Planning (OBP) session with FEP farmer groups already supplying the Jollibee Group. These dynamic and hands-on sessions encourage farmers to engage in lively discussions to update their onion business plans, monitor and evaluate progress, while collaborating to refine their production strategies. By making this a regular practice, farmers are not only staying on top of their game but are also building a community that supports innovation and resilience in the onion industry.
FEP was able to supply 24% of Jollibee Group's onion requirement in 2023. Projected growth this year is 33%.
"We're targeting 2,000 tons of onions for 2024. We're only halfway through the year, but we have already reached 90% of our goal. We remain focused and determined to increase FEP's total onion share and empower our smallholder farmers by helping them succeed in their agro-entrepreneurship journey," said William Tan Untiong, Chief Business Support Officer at Jollibee Group Global.
FEP farmer groups were able to deliver 1,367,000kg of vegetables to Jollibee Group in 2023, making a significant recovery during the pandemic. Since 2009, a total of 30 farmer groups or 1,400 smallholder farmers, have collectively delivered 11M kilos of quality vegetables with more than P500M sales to Jollibee Group.
This achievement is not just of Jollibee Group but for the farmers as well. JGF remains steadfast in its commitment to empower agro-entrepreneurs to achieve a sustainable livelihood amid the changing landscape of agriculture.
0 comments:
Post a Comment