In Mabini, Davao de Oro Province, indigenous communities have increased their abaca fiber production from a few hundred kilograms to several tons after receiving modern stripping machines and equipment. This improvement has led to higher incomes for local farmers. “With the help of stripping machines, I am able to produce more quality abaca fiber each week and deliver it to the cooperative, which buys the fiber at higher prices,” said Lolito Elojen, a farmer and cooperative member.
Farmers in Solana and Amulung, Cagayan Province, now reach markets in two hours instead of eight due to newly constructed 20-kilometer farm-to-market roads. The improved access has allowed residents to transport goods more efficiently and start small businesses. “We can now easily transport our produce to markets. We saw with our own eyes how it benefited the people,” said Leonardo Sotero from Amulung.
In Batangas City, the Soro-Soro Ibaba Development Cooperative, Inc. (SIDC) opened a grains terminal and trading facility supported by the World Bank. The facility is expected to benefit about 600 yellow corn farmers, hog raisers, and poultry farmers—half of whom are women—by improving storage and feed production capacity. SIDC will source corn from regions including Mindoro, Capiz, and Mindanao. “With this project, the storage, processing, and delivery of corn will become more efficient, benefiting the corn and poultry industries in the Calabarzon region. This, in turn, will strengthen the livelihoods of our farmers,” said Bon Ian Dela Rosa, Vice President of SIDC.
These examples are part of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), launched in 2014 by the Department of Agriculture with support from the World Bank. PRDP operates across 81 provinces and aims to improve rural infrastructure as well as provide funding for small business projects for farmers and fisherfolk.
The project has reached about 1.553 million beneficiaries nationwide—39% of whom are women—and has built or rehabilitated over 2,362 kilometers of farm-to-market roads. These improvements have reduced travel time by over 60% during both dry and wet seasons while cutting transport costs by half; household incomes among participants have risen by nearly a quarter since joining PRDP.
In 2023, additional funding was approved by the World Bank for PRDP Scale-Up to expand market access for almost half a million farmers and fisherfolk throughout the Philippines. The new phase supports micro- to medium-scale agricultural enterprises with resources for production through marketing as well as enterprise management activities.
PRDP Scale-Up also invests in climate-smart value chain infrastructure such as roads, bridges, irrigation systems, warehouses, drying facilities, and cold storage units while introducing technology aimed at reducing post-harvest losses.
To further support rural development efforts through digital transformation initiatives led by PRDP Scale-Up alongside agricultural technology companies like Mayani.ph—a platform connecting farmers directly with institutional buyers—farmers can use mobile dashboards for planning sales at prevailing market prices rather than relying on lower offers from middlemen.
“It’s easier to sell our produce at fair prices using the dashboard,” said Angelo Villafania from Batangas’ Malaruhatan Family Farm Association. He noted that selling directly via Mayani allows them access to higher Metro Manila prices compared with those offered locally: "Just as an example: if the prevailing price for papaya in Metro Manila is P40 per kilogram, we only get around P25 per kilogram if we sell them to middlemen at the farmgate," Villafania explained.
Mayani currently connects over 144,000 farmers and fisherfolk across seven regions with more than 300 buyers nationwide—including major supermarkets—using digital tools designed to empower producers within supply chains. “We are providing the ‘info-structure’ that underpins the agricultural supply chain. Our goal is empowering farmers and fisherfolks through a digital supply chain,” said JT Solis, chief executive officer of Mayani Solis.