To increase production and improve economic benefits for Mindanao's farmers, USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program established a techno-demonstration farm in the municipality of Sugbongcogon, Misamis Oriental Province in Mindanao to help area farmers diversify into high-value vegetable farming and augment their incomes.

The USAID-funded techno-demo farm introduced appropriate farming technologies to maximize production of highly marketable crops suited to the area's agro-climatic conditions for the 312 farmer-members of the town's Ampianga-Kidampas-Kaulayanan United Neighborhood Multi-Purpose Cooperative (AKKUNIMCO).

Cabbage, sweet peas and carrots have increased the average income of AKKUNIMCO farmers from about Php400 ($8) per week to over Php4,500 ($90) per week. This enabled the farmers to re-establish their rural community, abandoned at the height of armed conflict between government forces and communist rebels in the late 80's.

GEM guided the farmers to sustainability by demonstrating the proper planting of seeds and by establishing linkages with input suppliers, traders, buyers, and farm-oriented government agencies. After learning how the market works, the farmers are now able to negotiate prices with buyers, and are scheduling the planting of specific crops to coincide with market demand.

Fifteen of the coop members have recently formalized a contract to supply 500 kilos of cabbage weekly to the Northern Mindanao Vegetable Producers Association Inc (NMVPAI) for shipment to institutional buyers in Manila. "Engaging the Sugbongcogon farmers is a big boost to the sustainability of our supply," said NMVPAI president Marcelino Remotigue. These GEM-negotiated linkages will help to achieve USAID's policy objective of peace through development in Mindanao. GEM is implemented in partnership with the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO).