- Collaboration to provide training and support to local farmers, enhancing the market value of their produce
- Partnership to optimize responsible land use by growing suitable crops within ACEN’s renewable energy projects in the Philippines
- Launch of the Agro-Circularity in Renewable Energy (ACRE) program to advance ACEN’s agro-circular economy efforts within host farming communities
21 June 2024 – ACEN, the listed energy platform of the Ayala group, announced its partnership with SariSuki, the Philippines’ largest online platform revolutionizing the agricultural supply chain. The collaboration aims to empower local farmers in ACEN’s host communities by equipping them with the essential agricultural skills to cultivate suitable crops within the company’s renewable energy sites, and streamlining the supply chain to enhance their market reach and profitability.
Through this partnership, ACEN and SariSuki launched the Agro-Circularity in Renewable Energy program (ACRE), which is designed to foster agro-circular economies within the farming communities where ACEN operates, implementing an innovative farm-to-market strategy that aims to increase yields by 50 percent, far exceeding the national average of eight tons per hectare.
The ACRE program will introduce modern farm management practices to local farmers, nurturing the next generation of “agripreneurs.” Training will cover essential skills such as crop selection, basic business practices like costing, and creating value-added products from their produce. The ACRE program also seeks to enhance agricultural infrastructure, ensuring efficient market access from farmers to end-consumers.
Irene Maranan, SVP and head of ACEN’s corporate communication and sustainability, said: “We recognize the numerous challenges facing the agricultural sector in the Philippines, and our partnership with SariSuki transforms these challenges into opportunities. Not only does this showcase responsible land use by combining agriculture and renewable energy, the initiative will also help alleviate the plight of local farmers in our host communities, providing them with access to modern farming tools, training and infrastructure to reach broader markets and improve overall food security.”
Brian Cu, co-founder and CEO of Sarisuki, said: “The country’s path towards food security is mired with many obstacles, and this partnership intends to tackle these challenges by addressing key points: properly and effectively managing farmlands, capacitating farmers and building on their current skills, and providing them access to consumers.”
The pilot program has kicked off within ACEN’s Conservation Estate in Ilocos Norte and is set to expand across the company’s other solar and wind projects in the Philippines. The Conservation Estate employs an integrated approach to sustainability including reforestation, agroforestry, and biodiversity conservation through engagement with the community, farmers, forest rangers, and the local government.
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Under the partnership with SariSuki, ACEN will provide land, starting with its Ilocos Norte wind farms, for SariSuki to cultivate crops and engage farmers within ACEN’s host communities. SariSuki will implement a vertically integrated supply chain process that allows them to collaborate with farmers in effectively managing multiple stages of the production process, from cultivation of crops to distribution and retail.
