From the perspective of our company, the VG on Gender Empowerment and Equality, may the proponents integrate companies’ current inclusive and sustainable best practices into the guidelines. We also propose that the private sector integrate these in their programs, and have these programs per participating company, scaled and mainstreamed then monitored and evaluated by CFS.
Under Section 3.4. Women’s economic empowerment in the context of sustainable food systems. Our company is a majority women-owned organization and 90% of those involved in our value chains are women. Women have the biggest roles in our agribusiness framework. We see women as a vital component of our value chain and as our partners in achieving our shared corporate and sustainable development goals. For our business model to be effective, our ecosystem needs not only to be functioning but healthy. Like our farms, for it to have a bountiful harvest, this needs to be nurtured, as would the most basic unit of our society- the families. As would our communities. Our values need to be aligned and that the communication lines must be open at all times with our women partners especially during the critical phases in the value chain. Our women partners understand our needs and requirements. Our women partners help us nurture our ecosystem so that we can be more effective in our deliverables. We provided our partners with the tools they need to deliver. As a company, we are not after transactional relationships of buy and sell but more of transformative relationships where our business takes us in providing impact within the value chain and the communities. We are committed to ethical, safe, and fair trade practices where the women growers dictate the prices of their harvests. Moreover, we work with them to grow their trade capabilities either by the direct purchase of their produce, consolidating their crops, or strengthening their organizations. Together, we bring to fruition the stringent requirements of our clients. We lend support to their research and testing capabilities by bringing in effective trade practices while respecting their local traditions and expertise. We rely on women’s local impact enterprises because their innovation, local know-how, and presence are crucial in activating our value chain. Their expertise makes possible goods, interventions, and solutions that could not be generated by Morination alone.
Women have a place in our business model and our company. They easily sync into our business processes as our growers are forward-thinking and entrepreneurial. They find ways to meet our requirements and do not waste opportunities provided to them. They are lifelong learners while confident with their local knowledge and skills. They work on their farms with the end of ensuring that funds will be enough to sustain their families, uplift their quality of lives and ensure that these would be enough to reinvest in their farms and for the next planting cycles. The care that women provide their farms and families also extends to their relationships with our company.
These best practices and from other companies as well need to be reflected in the Voluntary Guidelines for replication, scaling, and mainstreaming.
From Morination, Philippines, we welcome and support the CFS VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES ON GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S AND GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT in the context of food security and nutrition. Thank you, CFS for this initiative. We look forward to its release.
Ms. Sharon Jean Gonzales-Gulmatico