By PR | 9:33 AM June 13,2025
Loon, Bohol – Partners, farmers, and stakeholders of the RISE Coco Project will gather on Friday, June13, at the Loon Municipal Activity Center for a Multi-Stakeholders Meeting to mark the culmination of a three-year initiative that supported coconut farming communities in Bohol severely affected by Super Typhoon Odette.
The RISE Coco Project-short for Recovery Intervention for SEverely Affected Coconut Farming Communities of Bohol by ST Odette)-is a joint effort of Cargill, CARE Philippines, and the Cebu-Bohol Relief and Rehabilitation Center (CRRC) to implement programs that would rehabilitate livelihoods impacted by disasters, support recovery, and promote food security of affected farming communities. It was launched in response to the devastation brought by Typhoon Odette to small coconut farmers in December 2021.
Implemented across the municipalities of Calape, Catigbian, Loon, and San Isidro, the project aimed to rehabilitate coconut farms, restore livelihoods, and promote sustainable agriculture. Over the course of the project, a total of 113,489 coconut seedlings were transplanted across 799 hectares, surpassing the original goal of 100,000 trees over 700 hectares. A total of 1,247 farmers, including 529 women, received farming inputs and incentives, livelihood support, and practical training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), climate-resilient farming, and gender and child rights awareness.
The upcoming Multi-Stakeholders Meeting will present the project’s key accomplishments and lessons learned, while creating space for dialogue on remaining challenges and sustainability pathways. The event will also feature updates from implementing organizations, testimonies from farmers, and a commitment-signing ceremony with local and national partners.
Local government units, national agencies, farmer leaders, civil society organizations, private sector representatives, and project implementers are expected to attend. The event aims to reinforce shared responsibility and explore opportunities for continued support to the affected communities.
Media representatives are invited to cover this culminating event and hear directly from coconut farmers and stakeholders about the impact of the project and the road ahead for coconut farming in Bohol.
