WWF-Philippines and MUAD Negros: Bringing Wins for the Farmers of the Philippines
September 2020
MUAD Negros Founder and Executive Director Reynic Alo pays a visit to a LIFE food house he helped put up in rural Negros Occidental under the sponsorship of New Pathways to Enterprise, a U.S.-based non-profit. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
Even through pandemic times, WWF-Philippines brings wins for farmers across the country – with the help of a trusted partner.
A long-time partner of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, the Multi-
Reynic Alo and the WWF-Philippines Sustainable Farm to Table team help establish a village bank for a community in Davao Occidental. The two organizations have travelled the country to support the livelihoods of rural communities. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
Founded in the 1990s, MUAD Negros was first organized to provide aid to sugarcane farmers left impoverished by changes in international markets. The scope of their work has since grown to provide business and technical support to all sorts of farming communities all across the country.
“What we look out for are productive partnerships. Sustainable community development is what we’re about, and we’re achieving that together with WWF-Philippines,” says MUAD Negros Executive Director Reynic Alo. A citizen of Negros and among the founding fathers of MUAD Negros, Alo has fought for the livelihoods of farmers in his home province for decades. Through agriculture technologies developed by him and his team, Alo helps farmers put up their own farming business and earn more for each harvest.
Farming communities across the island of Negros have benefited from the work of Alo and MUAD Negros. In 2016, MUAD Negros entered into a partnership with WWF-Philippines. The project? AgriClima. The goal? To help sugarcane farmers become resilient to the effects of climate change.
“It’s about teamwork, what we’re doing with WWF-Philippines,” explains Alo. “Through complementing talents and resources, we get more done. More people benefit when we work together.”
Staff from MUAD Negros check on seedlings growing on Alo’s experimental garden. Much of the technology used by MUAD Negros was developed and enhanced by Alo during his own private farming experiments. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
Moncini Hinay, WWF-Philippines Sustainable Food Systems Project Manager and an enterprising agriculturalist himself, sees the partnership with MUAD Negros as an important step toward supporting rural communities. “Collaboration drives innovation. We always value the importance of working together to strengthen our core advocacies and expand our reach to create lasting impacts,” says Hinay.
Working together, the two organizations have pushed the boundaries of their community work. Themselves technical experts in the field of agriculture, MUAD Negros helped incorporate social and technological innovations to WWF-Philippines’ projects. WWF-Philippines, in turn, helped extend MUAD Negros’s reach from the Visayas, outward across the Philippines. Thousands of farmers now enjoy sustainable livelihoods and healthy communities as a result.
“That’s why our partnership with MUAD Negros has helped us deliver such impactful results. Our efforts combined led to effective social preparation interventions, sustainable production and enterprise developments, climate smart agriculture technologies… It’s about working together for the sake of healthy farmers and a healthy planet,” added Hinay.
A food shed in Pililla, Rizal, built off of agricultural technology developed by MUAD Negros. The partnership between WWF-Philippines and MUAD Negros has helped lift communities across the country up on their feet. Photograph © WWF-Philippines
“We look forward to continue to strengthen our alliances with dynamic and like-minded organizations such as MUAD Negros. Together, we can continue to empower communities to be resilient, independent, and able partners in sustainable development,” concluded Hinay.
Thousands of rural communities continue to face daily struggles, but WWF-Philippines and MUAD Negros are lifting them back up on their feet. Work with them, and help #ChangeTheEnding for farmers all across the country.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Moncini Hinay
Sustainable Food Systems Program Manager
mhinay@wwf.org.ph
For media arrangements, please contact:
Ms. Pam Luber
Integrated Communications Manager
pluber@wwf.org.ph
Ms. Chezka Guevarra
Public Relations, Media, and Events Assistant Manager
cguevarra@wwf.org.ph
