The Farmvocate Program

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For many decades, the Filipino rice farmer has lived knowing two familiar cycles: the first is of planting and harvest; the other, a cycle of poverty.

While the first is necessary for his living, we, at FARMVOCACY, believe the other is not.

However, current farming systems continuously conspire to keep the farmer entrenched in a cycle of poverty. Among them:

• High interest rates for farming loans (up to 5%-8% per month; usually through “loan sharks”)

• Low yield on harvest time due to outdated farming practices

• Opportunistic traders who buy the yield below market value

• Influx of imported rice from neighboring Asian countries

• No access to markets where they can sell their produce for profit

With the farmer already living on an average daily wage of just $3, we at FARMVOCACY would like to step up to the plate on the farmer’s behalf; and we invite you to join us by becoming a Farmvocate.

Our intent is to uplift the lives of farmers by improving their means of living. We will make this possible by disrupting the current system and removing the unprincipled middlemen (loan sharks/traders) from the farming cycle. Furthermore, we will make this agricultural reboot sustainable by involving the community.

In this model of Farmvocate - rice subscription and grower sponsorship program – which counts you, rice consumers, and other concerned individuals – directly participate in the FUNDING and PURCHASE of the farmers’ produce through a system of subscription. This guarantees that farmers are fairly funded and their produce bought at a fair price.

In exchange for a Php1,000 cash donation, a Farmvocate will receive 2/kg. discount from our sustainably-grown, high-quality rice for 6 months. 

Through implementing a fairer farming system, FARMVOCACY will offer farmers:

• provision of sustainable, certified-organic farm inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) that increase yield by 40%

• training growers climate-smart, environment-friendly and sustainable system of growing rice. 

• assist them in securing a guaranteed market for their produce by connecting them directly to consumers. 

Our initial beneficiaries will be the rice farmers of Mindoro – an island known for growing the Dinorado rice variant, regarded for its aroma and delicacy. It is also the island where the poorest rice farmers are. Because Mindoro is an island, most of the farmers there pay more for farm inputs and get less for their farm produce. This is because the inputs and harvested rice need to be shipped to and from the main island of Luzon, where the highly urbanized cities are located. 

We are promoting rice subscription! By choosing to subscribe for a minimum of 3-months, it's like buying your family's monthly rice requirement directly from our grower partners, all while uplifting the lives of farmers and their family! This can be the new way of buying your monthly rice for your family.

Your sponsorship of PHP1,000 to a grower partner will allow you to enjoy a 6-months PHP2.0 discount for each kg. you buy during the period. This will guarantee the market for their harvest of our grower partners before they even plant a single seed. This is the essence of Farmvocate Community-Supported Sustainable Agriculture (FCSSA).

Sponsor a farmer and become a Farmvocate today!