PlantSmart kits distributed to 30 coops in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao
In celebration of National Cooperative Month, PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) ramp up initiatives to empower cooperatives nationwide towards food security and digital literacy.
“We, at PLDT and Smart, recognize the invaluable contribution of cooperatives to the Philippines’ post-pandemic economic recovery. Through our shared value programs on livelihood, we also aim to extend economic opportunities to cooperatives across the country and help improve the quality of life of their members,” said Cathy Yang, First Vice President and Group Head of Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart.
Farmers from Compostela Market Vendors Cooperative in Cebu receive their PlantSmart kits
As part of this initiative, 30 cooperatives from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao received their PlantSmart kits, which aim to encourage them to produce food in their own community gardens and can eventually become an additional source of income. Each kit contains vegetable seeds, loam soil, and fertilizers.
The PLDT and Smart sales teams distributed PlantSmart kits to both urban and rural areas. Some cooperatives paid it forward by sharing their kits with their partner public schools. PlantSmart is a home-based, small-scale agricultural program that aims to encourage communities to start growing their own food, a contribution to help end hunger in their own way.
Coops also shared their PlantSmart kits with elementary schools
“I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to PLDT and Smart for the support provided to our coop farmers who are still recovering from the destruction caused by Typhoon Odette. The distribution of seedlings and organic fertilizer to our farmers will excite our coop members to perform their farming routine,” said Ebonito R. Alivio, General Manager of Compostela Market Vendors Cooperative from Cebu.
PLDT and Smart also rolled out eBiznovation trainings in Mindanao, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur. Around 30 food and agriculture cooperatives joined the sessions on branding and marketing. Highlighting the importance of digital literacy in their livelihood, the trainings touched on the use of smartphones to access the internet, social media and e-wallets, as well as internet safety.
Mindanao coops receive their PlantSmart kits and digital literacy training
Other cooperatives also expressed interest in exploring more business opportunities with PLDT and Smart through the introduction of Maya, an all-in-one online payment app, and the distribution of Smart SIM cards to non-subscribers.
PLDT and Smart play an active role in helping boost the livelihood of cooperatives as part of their commitment to nation-building. This is aligned with UNSDGs #2 Zero Hunger and #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
