Roxas Sigma Agriventures
Community Development
2019-2020
Roxas Sigma Agriventures was formed in 2017 with the objective of establishing and operating a integrated coconut processing plant to serve business needs for high-quality coconut products, locally and globally. The company operates out of South Cotabato in the Philippines and has been FairTSA Fair Trade certified since 2019. Their workforce, raw materials, and other needs are all locally sourced from families and businesses. In addition to the job opportunities that the operation generates, they also offer local coconut farmers support and training. Roxas Sigma plans to expand their farmer education initiatives the coming years of their FairTSA Community Development Projects.
"At Roxas Sigma Agriventures, we recognize that running a business in Tupi, South Cotabato is a privilege. We view the community in our immediate vicinity as a prime stakeholder in our growth. Our workforce, raw materials, and other needs are locally sourced from families and businesses in South Cotabato.Guided by our core values, we take it as our responsibility to provide economic, environmental, and social benefits to the community that hosts our enterprise. In addition to the job opportunities that our operation generates, we offer local coconut farmers support and training to optimize their yield, and earning opportunities through more favorable and fair trade arrangements for their produce. At RSAI, we take the matter of uplifting the lives of the community around us very seriously."
2019 - 2020 Project Overview:
IMPROVING SOIL FERTILITY
and crop Yield
The inaugural 2019 CDP project of Roxas Sigma is the introduction of soil inputs to improve soil fertility and increase the yield of coconuts by planting and cultivating mucuna bracteata, a nitrogen fixing cover crop. Replanting this leguminous plant in the coconut farms, while also adding natural soil amendments will greatly benefit the trees productivity. During the planting of mucuna, soil organic amendments will also be introduced to the farms. In the Phillipines, the normal fruit of a coconut tree is 60 nuts per tree. With this project, it is expected that the 15 selected farmers will have a 25% greater yield after the soil amendments. After a year of planting mucuna cover crops, it is expected to get another 25% increase in yield.
Soil Ammendments:
SEB2
The first amendment is the application of SEB2 which contains 14 macro and micronutrients needed by the plants.
SER3
Second, application of SER3, this contains 12 races of fungi that improves absorption of nutrients by plants.
The fungi live just outside the root hairs, when SER 3 is applied, absorbing from its own immediate environment water, P, K, Mg, Cu and other minerals. The fungi can also prevent root infection by pathogens and increase the plant tolerance to drought.
SED4
Lastly, application of coconut husk compost (SED4) which is rich in phosphorus, the nutrient responsible for fruiting
Outcome
These additions are a one-time application with life-long benefits.
Together they replace 60-85% of the recommended inorganic fertilizer that the plant needs to maximize production.
2020 Project Plan
In 2020, Roxas Sigma is planning to identify old, less productive coconut trees, then replant younger hybrid coconut trees in their place to provide a better overall yield and improve the vitality of the farms. FairTSA looks forward to continuing to develop these projects in the coming years to the benefit our fair trade certified farmer communities!