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Hope is in the horizon for future farmers in Mindanao as leading beverage brand NESCAFÉ turned over Php 10 million worth of educational assistance to the children of farmers who have been selected as the beneficiaries of the Kape’t Bisig Sa Pagbangon program, an initiative that aims to mitigate a potential shortage of coffee farmers by supporting the education of youth in agricultural communities.
The dwindling number of coffee farmers and the steadily declining domestic output have consistently made coffee supply fall farther behind local demand. In response to these serious challenges to the coffee subsector, NESCAFÉ launched Kape’t Bisig to spark interest among young people to take on the reins of agriculture from aging farmers in the future.
The overwhelming support from Filipinos who went online and joined the Kape’t Bisig Music Challenge suggests that the public recognizes the growing need to revitalize our local coffee farming industry, and engage the youth as agriculture advocates.
Thousands of netizens across the country posted their song and dance videos on TikTok and Facebook through the Kape’t Bisig Music Challenge – the program’s social media campaign – as a show of unity to rally behind coffee growers and promote enthusiasm for coffee farming. As a result, NESCAFÉ awarded Php 25,000 each to 400 students from Sultan Kudarat State University, Central Mindanao University, and the University of Southern Mindanao to fund their academic requirements.
“We are deeply grateful for the tremendous response from Filipinos who heeded our call to help realize coffee farmers’ dream of higher education for their children,” said Dennis Austriaco, Business Executive Officer, Coffee and Creamers, Nestlé Philippines.
“The Kape’t Bisig campaign provided a platform for Filipinos to showcase the true meaning of ‘pagbangon’, as they honored farmers for the important work that they do. By supporting this program, Filipinos are also contributing to the ongoing efforts of NESCAFÉ to uplift the lives of coffee farmers and their families,” Austriaco added.
Today, the average age of Filipino farmers is 57 years old. Without anyone to assume their place when farmers retire, the sector could face a critical shortage of coffee farmers in the next 10 to 15 years. Kape’t Bisig Sa Pagbangon Program was borne from the urgent need to nurture future generations of coffee farmers, and to change the perception of farming as a lowly and unprofitable profession.
NESCAFÉ Plan, the long-term coffee acceleration and farmer advancement initiative of Nestlé Philippines, has been working with government and industry partners to transform coffee farming as a lucrative enterprise through training and technical assistance. By 2022, the initiative has helped its beneficiary coffee farmers increase their yield and profit by 300 percent – a development that raises confidence in the sector as a high-value industry.
The Next Generation of Agriculture Champions
But hope is not lost for these future agriculturalists who have been chosen as the beneficiaries of the program. Driven by their aspirations and dreams to uplift their families’ lives, they now have a renewed motivation to complete their education and keep the agriculture industry alive.
“Nakita ko po kasi ang potential ng agriculture kasi ito po ang bumubuhay sa lahat ng tao. Doon po galing ang lahat ng pagkain,” said Reia Mie Añana, a fourth-year college student from Central Mindanao University.
Farming has been a big source of income for Reia’s family, who grows mainly corn and coffee. The 22-year-old, who is at the homestretch of her academic studies, intends to use the funds for her thesis. “Malaking tulong po ito lalo na magsisimula na po ang second semester. Magagamit ko po ito sa pang araw-araw tulad ng mga supplies and printing para magawa po ang aking thesis, kaya’t laking pasasalamat po sa lahat ng netizens na naki-isa. Kayo po ang naging tulay para matanggap ko ang tulong na ito,” she shared.
Meanwhile, Queenie Subasco, who hails from Sultan Kudarat State University, wishes to expand their family’s coffee farm after she graduates. “Marami po ako natutunan sa kurso na po ito na pwede ko i-apply sa aming coffee farm. Balak ko po ito palaguin pa,” she shared.
As she soon enters her fourth year in college, Queenie shared that the financial assistance will be of great help to her family. “Makakatulong po ang pera na ito kasi po mababawasan na po ang pag-alala ng mga magulang ko sa pagbili ng school supplies at dagdag allowance rin po. Masaya po ako nung nalaman ko na ako po yung isa sa napili. Marami po salamat sa lahat ng sumali sa programa na ito. Dahil po sa kanila, magkakaroon na po ako ng maayos na kinabukasan para sa aking pamilya.”
Rica May Baloyo, a student leader from University of Southern Mindanao, shared that life is truly not easy for farmers. “As a farmer’s daughter, hindi po talaga madali ang life namin. Lahat po ng gastusin namin naka depende po talaga sa income na nakukuha sa farm namin. But because of the opportunity po na binigay ng NESCAFÉ naging malaking tulong po ito, especially na papasok na po ako for OJT.
In the future, Rica plans to pursue a graduate degree once she steps out into the workforce and hopes to contribute to the local agriculture industry. “Sa long term naman po kasi meron po opportunities sa Pilipinas, tulad ng pag-address ng food supply and food security sa country. Kung papalarin man po ako, gusto ko po mag-manage ng farm and tumulong na mag-build ng farm.”
Expressing her delight about the support, Rica said: “Hindi ko po akalain na milyun-milyon po ang sumuporta po sa amin. Nakakataba po ng puso dahil mayroon pa po mga taong gustong makatulong para mapaunlad ang aming farming community.”
Farmers are the backbone of a healthy and progressive nation. If the Philippines aims to be food secure and resilient, we will need a new generation of farmers and rural development champions who are profitable, productive, and sustainable through regenerative practices in agriculture. With the conclusion of the Kape’t Bisig program, NESCAFÉ hopes that young Filipinos are now ready to embrace farming as an economically viable profession and a source of pride for an entire nation.
Follow the inspiring stories of our beneficiaries from the NESCAFÉ Philippines pages on Facebook (/nescafe.ph) and Tiktok (@nescafephilippines).
