The Developing Land Management Options for Diverse Cacao-Based System in Mindanao project conducted field studies and experiments to help smallholder farms identify site-specific technologies and build their capacity for producing high-quality cacao beans. Photos courtesy of the University of Southern Mindanao.
In Mindanao, smallholder farmers are applying nature-based solutions to make cacao farming a sustainable livelihood.
Mindanao, particularly the Davao Region, is the Philippines’ top cacao producer. However, cacao production is on the decline despite growing global demand. The lower yields are due to crop and soil mismanagement and the impacts of climate change.
Global warming poses a serious threat since cacao is sensitive to changes in temperature and unpredictable weather, such as excessive rainfall and flooding or prolonged dry periods. Cacao agroforestry systems, on the other hand, has potential for climate mitigation through soil carbon storage.
In 2022, the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), a state university in Cotabato province, conducted field studies and experiments to help smallholder farms become climate-resilient and sustainable by providing site-specific technologies and building capacity for producing high-quality cacao beans. It looked at nature-based solutions and ways to improve water and soil management using locally available resources to keep costs low. Farm inputs used include coconut and durian husks, which were used as mulch to suppress weed growth, retain soil moisture, moderate soil temperature, and prevent erosion.
The Developing Land Management Options for Diverse Cacao-Based System in Mindanao project was supported by a $136,310.24 grant from the BIMP-EAGA and Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (BKCF). It was one of two projects approved during the first BKCF grant cycle in 2022. Fund manager Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization in Seoul, provided technical guidance to the project team and training on project management, monitoring, and evaluation.
The Korean government established the BKCF in 2021 to help promote inclusive and balanced growth in Southeast Asia and contribute to ASEAN Connectivity. The cooperation fund supports BIMP-EAGA’s Vision 2025, particularly in four priority areas: agriculture and fisheries, connectivity, environment, and tourism. It provides grants for programs or projects of BIMP-EAGA or its member countries.
Locally available resources, such as coconut and durian husks as mulch, were used to improve soil health and increase cacao yields.
Field experiments
In an interview, USM professor and project leader Mel Chrisel A. Sales, who specializes in soil science and land use management, said the project was conducted at a time when the price of cacao was low at 30 pesos ($0.51) per kilogram of wet bean. Farmers hesitated to join the project with some opting to cut down their cacao trees and convert the land to other crops.
“However, with the intervention of the project, farmers were convinced to take care of their cacao trees and pursue farming,” Sales said.
The project had two objectives. The first was to identify effective, regenerative, and climate-resilient soil management options for a safe and sustainable cacao-based cropping system in Davao City and North Cotabato. The second is to showcase the advantages of different soil management technologies to cacao farmers and other industry players.
The university partnered with two farmer organizations, the UNORKA Mindanao group of cooperatives and Sta. Catalina Multipurpose Cooperative. Cooperative members served as project cooperators and provided their farms as experiment sites. The project team also mentored the farmers in cacao management and techniques to increase productivity.
To achieve the second objective, the project team conducted benchmarking activities in major cacao-producing areas in Mindanao to identify soil-related constraints and land management practices. The team developed the best soil management options based on studies and presented them to cacao stakeholders through knowledge-sharing activities and an information campaign. The farmers were taught how to use organic much and apply soil amendments to improve the soil and enhance plant growth and climate resilience. Targeted recommendations were given based on the specific problems for each location. A policy brief, Adapting Cacao Farming in Mindanao to Soil and Climate Challenges, was also published on the Mindanao Development Authority website.
Farmer cooperators were able to increase cacao yields using the techniques developed by the project. The recommended methods proved effective even during the El Niño weather phenomenon in 2023. The cacao crops produced were also pest- and disease-resistant.
Increased yield and income
“In the last quarter of 2023, the price of cacao increased due to lower global supply,” said Sales. Increased productivity coupled with higher prices of cacao beans resulted in higher incomes for smallholder farmers. Today, wet cacao beans sell at an average of 100 pesos ($1.72) per kilogram.
“Through the projects’ intervention, farmer cooperators were documented to generate an estimated annual profit of PhP232,752 to PhP551,499 per hectare from cacao farming,” said Sales. Before the project, their net income from cacao farming ranged from PhP23,000 to PhP37,200 annually.
In addition, the soil management techniques developed from the project are expected to not only improve soil health but also result in climate mitigation through increased carbon sequestration. The project was estimated to contribute to emission reduction of between 61.53 tons and 80.22 tons of carbon per hectare (ha) in 2024, said Sales, compared with only 50.29 tons/ha through conventional cacao farming where cacao litter (e.g., fallen leaves) contributed to soil carbon sequestration. With continuous improvements in soil management, the amount of carbon stored may further increase over time.
The project team mentored the farmers in cacao management and techniques to improve productivity.
Promoting sustainable practices
Through knowledge-sharing activities, Sales said cacao stakeholders in Mindanao have become more aware of the importance of investing in soil health and organic agriculture as a strategy to improve productivity and quality.
Sales said a follow-on project is being planned in response to growing requests from cacao stakeholders to access the outputs of the BKCF-supported project.
“The USM team is currently working with GGGI Philippines in packaging a project proposal that will scale up the existing gains of the project and promote the potential of the cacao industry of the Philippines in terms of value-adding and carbon trading programs,” she said. “A similar initiative is being pursued with the Department of Agriculture (Bureau of Agricultural Research and the National Organic Agriculture Program) in promoting an organic farming system for cacao production using biofertilizers and other nature-based solutions.”