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Several studies in the literature define innovation platform as a space for learning, action, and change where groups of individuals with different backgrounds, expertise, and interests come together to diagnose problems, identify opportunities, and work collectively to achieve their goals. In this paper, the innovation platform refers to the formation of the Samal Island Golden Mango Industry Council (SIGMIC). This paper aims to present the challenges and opportunities in building an innovation platform, highlighting the case of SIGMIC. The formation of the council was facilitated and coordinated by the University of the Philippines Mindanao as part of its project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. SIGMIC is composed of input suppliers, mango growers, contractors, exporters, and processors who aim to work together to identify and prioritize problems to be solved and demonstrate the applicability of proposed solutions to these problems. Despite the varied interests of stakeholders, results showed that effective facilitation in the process of group formation as well as identifying a common goal that would benefit all stakeholders are important in building a sustainable innovation platform. The stakeholders recognize the need to work collectively when the root cause of the problem affecting the industry is identified and an action plan is devised to address the problem. The involvement and support of the local government unit in the development of SIGMIC also improved the group formation process. The lessons learned in building an innovation platform in the form of SIGMIC may be replicated in other industries. However, it is important to note that the approach may vary depending on the needs of the industry.

Cooperatives are envisioned both as a social and economic enterprise. In the Philippine setting, cooperatives were organized to serve as labor provider for various industries, under the scheme of agency hiring, or declaring the hired workers as member/co-owner of the cooperative. The study aims to examine the economic and social gains, as well as the risk taking of the members and business partners. In particular, an assessment of the social gains (e.g., resolving labor issues, vulnerability of workers to exploitation, and workers capacitation) will be analyzed to probe the cooperative as a venue for workers' empowerment. Key informant interviews were conducted with the officers and members of two cooperatives: (1) type A – workers' cooperative organized by an agency (labor provider) and (2) type B – workers' cooperative organized by the workers themselves. The findings revealed that the type B cooperative generated more economic and social gains for both members and business partners, while the type A cooperative delivered less. Type A cooperatives did not resolve the labor issues while type B cooperatives enhanced worker entrepreneurship, capacity building, and participation with increased compensation and benefits. It is recommended that concerned government agencies must strictly monitor the operations of cooperatives. Business partners must also be encouraged to deal with cooperatives who are organized to serve the interest of the workers.

The Philippines is struggling between increasing fishery production and conserving its coastal and marine resources. The problem also extends to protection initiatives suitable to the needs of local resource users. The concern for sustaining production and the environment, however, can be pursued through policy evaluation and stronger community participation in coastal resource management (CRM) programs. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the potential participation of coastal communities in Lupon to local CRM efforts. Policies affecting communities' use of coastal resources were determined as well as the community's awareness of the policies, factors affecting participation in CRM efforts, and strategies to protect coastal resources. The policies were gathered through government agencies, online reports, and journal articles while primary data were gathered through household interviews. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to assess community awareness of the regulations and the factors affecting willingness. Findings revealed community awareness to regulations that have direct impacts to their livelihood and positive views on participating in CRM initiatives. The logit regression further indicated important predictors of participation, which included sex, age, boat ownership, perceived effectivity of regulations, and awareness of CRM efforts. More conservation strategies should be introduced to the communities such as creation of artificial reefs. More government efforts should also be done in the enforcement and dissemination of information and regulations, which may be through increased visibility of authorities, stricter penalties for violators, or seminars. This research also suggested the participation of nongovernment organizations and the academe for the success of CRM programs.

Coastal resources worldwide are at risk due to pollution, illegal fishing practices, weak policy implementation, among others. Degradation of coastal resources does not only negatively impact biodiversity, it impacts coastal communities as well. Coastal resource management (CRM) aims to address these issues in coastal areas. Literature reviews identified community participation in coastal conservation as one of the major factors towards successful CRM. This study aimed to assess the factors that induce the willingness of coastal communities to be involved in CRM efforts in Padada, Davao del Sur, Philippines. Raw data were analyzed through binary logistic regression. The data was collected from 100 households in the coastal areas of Padada. Results showed that coastal communities were willing to participate in CRM efforts. They were also more likely to participate in coastal management efforts if they rely on fishing and had children. In contrast, respondents who were married and older were less likely to participate in coastal restoration efforts. The respondents also perceived a decline in the condition of coastal resources caused by illegal fishing practices, pollution, among others. Local ordinances concerning coastal conservation were present in Padada, and the respondents perceived that the implementation of these ordinances is effective. Policy awareness increased the likelihood of participation, especially if policy information came from national government agencies (NGAs). It was recommended that the local government of Padada, coastal communities, NGAs, the academe, and other stakeholders could also develop strategies that aim to improve policy awareness.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, smallholder farmers in the Philippines are among the sectors with the highest poverty incidence. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research had implemented a project to improve smallholder vegetable farmer's net income and well-being. As part of the intervention, various extension activities were conducted to increase farmers' livelihood capitals—human, social, financial, physical, and natural. These activities include production, postharvest, and market-related and capability-building trainings. Through the project, facilitation on linkages between farmers and microfinance institutions and different government support offices was done. This paper aims to present the outcomes of those extension activities in the livelihoods of small vegetable farmers and to reflect on several challenges encountered. A case study method and the information derived from preproject and postproject household surveys, focus group discussions, farming systems survey, and trip reports were utilized. Results show that extension activities increased farmers' technology appreciation, implying improved human and social capitals. But this does not equate to farmer adoption, considering the costs of technology and its applicability. It has also resulted to farmers establishing and strengthening ties between government service providers andfinancing institution, thus increasing financial assets. However, findings reveal that farmers lack social preparation prior to accessing loans that resulted in difficulty in repayment.

The goal to increase farm productivity, attain food security and safety, and alleviate poverty among smallholder farmers has urged government and nongovernment organizations in the Philippines to develop and promote organic and safe vegetables. While these products are healthier and safer, previous studies have proven that these are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. A mall intercept using a structured questionnaire was conducted to survey 240 respondents in Davao City and 110 respondents in Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) in Southern Philippines. This is a qualitative research that aims to provide information about the current vegetable purchase patterns of consumers in both study areas and to identify its implications and opportunities for organic and safe vegetable producers. Results show that more than 50% of the respondents in both cities purchase vegetables in wet markets and supermarkets on a weekly basis. In terms of expenditure on vegetables, 85% of the respondents in CDO and 74% of the respondents in Davao City have expenditure on vegetables of at most PhP500 per week. The majority of consumers in both cities buy vegetables mostly from wet markets because vegetables are sold at a lower price, are fresher, and there is wider product assortment. Consumers in Davao City and CDO buy vegetables from supermarkets because of convenience and cleanliness, respectively. They purchase mostly tomatoes, eggplants, and cabbages. Based on previous studies, these vegetable purchase patterns of consumers have not changed for over ten years. Thus, this challenges organic and safe vegetable producers, as well as other vegetable industry stakeholders, to produce cheap but high-quality vegetables.

Only few farmers in the municipality of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, continue to produce rice through organic farming. Although the price of organic rice is relatively higher compared to the conventional one, the majority of the organic rice farmers reverted back to conventional farming. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the influences that affect the decisions of organic rice farmers in Magsaysay to remain in organic farming through logistic regression analysis. Moreover, this study employed cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to evaluate the benefits and costs associated with organic and conventional rice production. Sixty farmers participated in the survey; 20 were organic farmers (out of 21 members of MOFARMCO) and 40 (out of 124) were previously organic farmers who reverted back to conventional farming methods. The result of the logit model showed that family labor size, perception on organic farming, and age significantly influence the decisions of rice farmers to remain in organic farming. Meanwhile, the cost-benefit analysis revealed that although the yield per hectare obtained in organic farming was less, it was still more profitable due to higher selling price and lower cost of production. In order to expand the use of organic farming in Magsaysay, it is important for the local government units and nongovernment organizations to formulate an organic farming promotion policy taking into consideration the results of this study. Moreover, this study recommends policy formulation and regulation to strengthen market development as well as the conduct of research and development programs to increase yield from organic farming.

In the Philippines, majority of the vegetable farmers are categorized as small and are often disconnected from markets, which lessen their opportunities to sell at a profit. This study focused on the feasibility assessment of direct marketing strategies, specifically the farmers' market and direct sales to institutional users. A random survey was conducted on 110 residents of the first district of Davao City where consumers' willingness to shop at farmers' markets was analyzed using Probit regression. On the other hand, case study analyses were conducted to assess the farmers' market event in a university and the direct sales strategy to institutional user, the food service provider of a government agency. Costs and benefits of each direct marketing channel were also determined. The farmer groups PAFA and SAFE are the producers and sellers of vegetables for this research. The study revealed that majority of the respondents are willing to participate in a farmers' market if one exists and they perceived it as a source of fresh yet affordable vegetables. Moreover, most of them believed that participating in a farmers' market is a form of social responsibility. The institutional buyer mainly benefited through significant reduction in marketing costs. Alternatively, the farmers perceived direct marketing as opportunities for learning and maximizing economic gains through diversifying its market portfolio and securing a market for their produce. The results of the study indicate the feasibility of direct marketing strategies to be carried out by the vegetable farmer clusters, which are PAFA and SAFE.