During the COVID-19 pandemic, AGREA offers a new and innovative way of “moving” food: straight from farmers to dinner tables in homes. Given the Enhanced Community Quarantine arranagements in the Philippines, food producers are having a hard time bringing their harvest to markets that are now limited or closed. And even though food producers have exemptions from the ban on movement, farmers are still finding it difficult to get their products to market. With a great risk that significant volumes of food go to waste. Tens of thousans of tons of fresh farm produce such as pineapples, eggplants, sigarilyas, green and red chili peppers and more. Farmers have tried to reach individual consumers directly or have tried to sell some produce outside their homes or they have simply given away their produce to avoid it wasting.
AGREA International received several requests from farmers for help and decided to take action to facilitate bulk movements of food produce. AGREA noticed that at the same time that this was happening, consumers were also face challenges to ensure fresh food supply for their families. And so AGREA powered the “Move Food Initiative”, mobilising food producers and ensuring that their harvest gets to homes safely, despite the logistical challenges. #movefoodinitiative.