THE MENNONITE Economic Development Associates (MEDA) aims to support Davao’s cacao industry through its RIISA (Resilience and Inclusion through Investment for Sustainable Agrikultura) project as part of the Kasadya sa Kulturang Kakaw’s flagship events.
In partnership with Cacao City and the Davao Cacao Council, the two major events involved, namely “Kakaw Talks” and “Kakaw Farmers’ Day,” offer participants a platform to adopt sustainable practices for the cacao sector, as well as connecting market actors and government support services.
The six-year RIISA project is also funded by Global Affairs Canada, with its goal of supporting cacao farmers in Davao Region and climate-smart agri-food enterprises in the Philippines.
It currently works with 14 MSMEs, 15 cooperatives, one financial institution, and 5,130 smallholder farmers.
Reine Rala, manager of MEDA-RIISA, said that production sustainability is at the core of the project as it poses a problem in the industry.
“We are geared towards working with 5,400 smallholder farmers, and in our fourth year, we have reached around 5,000 farmers already,” she said on June 4.
Kakaw Talks, an event to be held at Ayala Malls Abreeza on June 13, is a business networking session bringing in cacao enterprises along with government regulators such as BIR, DTI, SSS, Pag-Ibig, and other agencies to clarify requirements and identify solutions.
Kakaw Farmers’ Day is a full-day celebration in recognizing cacao farmers as the backbone of the industry, featuring breakout sessions on regenerative farming, farm tourism, and business matching with suppliers, processors, and service providers. This will be held at Malagos Garden Resort on June 18, 2025.
