The coffee industry of BARMM is a perfect example where women lead the charge and propagate its growth just like a mother plant would do for coffee. Coffee’s history in the Bangsamoro has been closely intertwined with its rich tapestry as a staple in either conflict resolutions or festive celebrations. One cannot speak about coffee in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) without coming across the name of “Babu Jalika”, or formally known as Dr. Jalika D. Mangacop, proprietor of YJM Farms & Nursery, and one of the pillars of the coffee Industry in the Bangsamoro.

Located at the heart of Brgy. Saniag of the Municipality of Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, YJM Farms nestles beside a beautiful stream that nurtures the wonderful soil for coffee seedlings to bud and grow. Doc Jal’s enterprise is engaged into nursery development with coffee seedlings as its primary product – although sometimes she processes her coffee into a roasted powder to showcase in trade fairs.

Doc Jal’s humble beginnings have been well documented as a public servant who worked under the Department of Agriculture during the ARMM period. Her role was to work on the establishment of coffee nurseries across then five ARMM provinces. Upon her retirement, she took it upon herself to establish the first and only accredited coffee nursery in the entire region after she witnessed the failures of many coffee cooperatives in the region.

Dr. Jalika Mangacop, along with her ever-supportive husband, Mr. Yamashita Mangacop, is a beneficiary of the European Union (EU) BAEP-CRESCENT Project which is being implemented by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP). Funded under the larger “Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Programme” (Php 1.23 billion), this project is part of the EU’s long-term support to building lasting peace and promoting inclusive development in the BARMM.

“Masasabi ko na very supportive itong EU BAEP-CRESCENT Project ng ECCP sa akin bilang babae at bilang negosyante sa `industriya ng kape” according to Dr. Jalika Mangacop (Translation: I can say that the EU BAEP-CRESCENT Project of ECCP is very supportive to me as a woman and as an entrepreneur in the coffee industry). “When you (Jake) approached me and MTIT partnered with you, I was convinced that we can make more progress for coffee.”

YJM Plant Nursery has benefitted from the project’s various training and promotion activities under the agribusiness enterprise and export development programs like the ILO’s Start & Improve Your Business, Islamic Financing, and even branding and marketing short courses. To address challenges related to access to finance, YJM also participated in the MTIT’s PESO program. Ms. Jalika, despite her age, even aced the Q-Processing (Robusta) Certification Training, which enables her to increase the quality of post-harvest processes for coffee.

Just like coffee, Doc Jal’s perseverance to train more farmers to plant more coffee, and to take the necessary actions to increase productivity. As a woman, it is truly inspiring how the seeds of tomorrow for coffee is being championed by Doc Jal for the past few decades.

Furthermore, she is convinced that though the industry has yet to unlock its true and full potential, the role of women in the value chain has steadily improved, while enablers like EU & ECCP have assured of a safer space for women even in the agri-fishery sector where there is a lot to learn and there is a lot lead.

Dr Mangacop feels that ECCP can guide the private sector of BARMM particularly the coffee industry to adopt a market-driven strategy that empowers women. She emphasizes the importance women play leading the charge in the industry where the success of quality coffee comes from an enabling environment, and that environment should support women with equal opportunities for growth and greatness.

Article contributed by Cyril Jerome “Jake” B. Almanzor, Senior Project Officer of the EU Bangsamoro Agri Enterprise Program (BAEP) funded Creating REsponsible Sustainable and Competitive ENTerprises (CRESCENT) in the BARMM agribusiness sector project)