AYOS TOL – Tree Of Life
Coconut is the sixth most cultivated fruit in the world. The nuts are available all year round and can be used in many ways for food, cosmetics, buildings and pharmaceutical. This is why the coconut tree is often called the “tree of life”. Copra oil, obtained from dried coconuts, represent more than 90% of the coconut trade. The demand for fresh nuts, mainly with the craze for coconut water and coconut milk, is constantly growing.
Although coconut accounts for 70% of the people’s income in the project zone, ageing farmers do not see it as a business but as a side activity. Farms are not adequately managed and, as a matter of fact, coconut yields in the Philippines are 2 to 3 times lower than in Brazil or in India. With no appropriate training, Filipino coconut farmers are not able to optimize their production to make a decent living and invest in coconut replanting, maintaining them in a poverty trap. (https://www.franklinbaker.com/whos-behind-your-coconut/)