As many developing countries, Philippines is making vigorous efforts to attract and facilitate private investment in agriculture with the expectation that such investment will contribute to production growth, poverty reduction and food security. However, recent research has highlighted that investments do not necessarily produce positive results. Several studies have shown that certain types of investment, in particular large-scale land acquisitions, have led to negative effects such as displacing small farmers, undermining or negating existing land and labour rights, reducing food security and increasing livelihood vulnerability. Conversely, investments adopting inclusive business models and respecting rural populations’ rights seem to be more beneficial for small farmers and workers.
The cases analysed in this report show that the investment models and contractual arrangements implemented by Unifrutti -a major private company producer, processor and exporter of pineapple and banana in the Mindanao Region- have had positive implications for the livelihood of the rural communities involved. However, the study also demonstrates that women and men have not equally benefitted from the investment opportunities. An important lesson learned is that gender neutral practices and approaches do not necessarily lead to gender equitable results. Instead, both investment schemes and policy frameworks need to recognize and address the differentiate needs and priorities of women and men to ensure more gender equitable distribution of benefits.
Unifrutti engages with local rural communities through two main agribusiness models: growership arrangements with agrarian reform cooperatives, and a corporate-managed plantation, among others. This report focuses on the analysis of the business relationship between Unifrutti Philippines and three different cooperatives, as well as on the operations of one corporate-managed plantation – MKAVI, a subsidiary of Unifrutti.
