The Alliance of Cooperatives Against Hunger and Poverty (ACAHP), in partnership with the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program under the DSWD, successfully conducted a two-day seminar/workshop titled “Building Inclusive and Sustainable Cooperative Business Model for NP-CP Implementation under the EPAHP–ACAHP Partnership” on March 9–10, 2026, at New Dawn Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City.

Background and Rationale

The workshop was anchored on the government’s commitment to inclusive and community-driven procurement through Republic Act No. 12009, or the New Government Procurement Reform Act, and Republic Act No. 11321, or the Sagip Saka Act. These landmark laws institutionalize mechanisms that allow direct procurement from accredited farmers, fisherfolk, and cooperatives, and recognize the role of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in public procurement through the Negotiated Procurement–Community Participation (NP-CP) modality.

For too long, smallholder farmers and fisherfolk have faced systemic barriers including limited market access, low farmgate prices, and exclusion from the government supply chain due to bureaucratic complexities. These reforms seek to address those gaps by simplifying procurement processes, reducing dependency on middlemen, and building more resilient and localized food supply chains.

To operationalize these reforms, EPAHP was established through a Joint Memorandum Circular signed by the President, mandating the convergence of 34 government agencies under a whole-of-nation approach. ACAHP, formally launched in February 2024 by a consortium of national cooperative federations and NGOs, serves as a collaborative platform committed to scaling community-based procurement in partnership with EPAHP. Their partnership was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on October 10, 2025, to pilot NP-CP in Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, with plans to expand to areas in the Visayas and Luzon.

This workshop was made possible through support from the CSA/MinPAD-SPADE Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by GIZ, and was implemented in alignment with the Letter of Agreement (LoA) between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Collectif Stratégies Alimentaires (CSA) on “Strengthening Sustainable Public Food Procurement through Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and Capacity Development in the Philippines.”

Workshop Goals and Outcomes

The workshop aimed to co-create a viable and scalable cooperative business model aligned with the NP-CP modality, guided by the principles of transparency, accountability, inclusivity, food security, farmers’ welfare, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience.

Key objectives included defining the cooperative’s role and business processes in NP-CP implementation, ensuring that business plans meet the standards of partner procuring entities such as DepEd, DSWD, BJMP, and local government units (LGUs), and co-creating a business plan template that can serve as both a project proposal and a partnership formalization tool with government agencies.

The workshop also aimed to establish a transparent pricing information system that reflects the share of the public procurement price received by producers and the share allocated to cooperative services, highlighting the value-added role of cooperatives in the supply chain and ensuring fair compensation for smallholder farmers.

By the end of the two-day activity, participants were expected to develop a replicable and scalable business plan template, as well as purchase policy resolutions that position cooperatives as trustworthy and capable partners in public procurement.

Contributions to National Food Procurement Policy

Beyond the cooperative level, the workshop contributed directly to the development of the Philippine Sustainable Public Food Procurement (SPFP) Roadmap through structured multi-stakeholder consultation aligned with FAO’s Global Framework for Action methodology. It also supported the assessment of capacity needs of smallholder farmers and cooperatives to supply nutritious and sustainable food to public markets, with findings set to inform the development of tailored SPFP training materials.

Participants

The workshop brought together representatives from cooperatives and CBOs across Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, along with active participation from development partners including FAO and various non-government organizations (NGOs).

Looking Forward

This initiative reflects ACAHP’s continuing commitment to train, strengthen, and empower cooperatives and CBOs, equipping them to meaningfully participate in government feeding programs and to contribute to the growth of sustainable, food-secure local communities. Together with EPAHP, ACAHP presses forward in its mission to reduce hunger and poverty through inclusive, community-driven solutions.