HSBC, Bayan Family, and Mayani: Building Resilient Livelihoods Through Climate-smart Agriculture

In a move to strengthen climate resilience and food security in the Philippines, HSBC Philippines and the Bayan Family of Foundations (BFF) have formalized a partnership to empower Filipino smallholder farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives, with Mayani as BFF’s agri-technology partner.

Through a philanthropic grant, HSBC will support the development of climate-smart agri-fishery cooperatives across the Philippines and their transition to sustainable production practices through joint impact initiatives.

“This important partnership will aim to support local farmers and fishermen to adapt climate-resilient practices and strengthen their businesses, while also striving to contribute towards the improvement of food security in the Philippines,” shared Sandeep Uppal, President and CEO of HSBC Philippines.

Empowering the Grassroots

This collaboration synergizes BFF’s deep expertise in community-building and cooperative development, Mayani’s scalable agri-tech solutions, and HSBC’s strategic support to create a more resilient ecosystem for rural livelihoods.

“The sheer gravity and frequency of these climate hazards would eventually require their own nomenclature. As they evolve, we see them as known constants in agriculture, and it’s high-time we tackle them head on, said Ochie San Juan, Co-Founder and Chief Farmer of Mayani.

Mayani, the country’s fastest-growing agri-technology platform, will enable smallholders to connect with markets, increase their productivity, and boost their rural incomes, while BFF will spearhead community organizing and capacity-building to create empowered grassroots cooperatives for these smallholders.  

Together, the organizations will:

• Organize and strengthen cooperatives led by smallholder farmers and fisherfolk
• Accelerate the adoption of regenerative, climate-smart agricultural practices
• Introduce on-farm infrastructure solutions like smart greenhouses and precision farming systems
• Integrate agri-fishery cooperatives into Mayani’s platform to improve market access, logistics, and income

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Scaling Climate-smart Agriculture

This Climate-smart Agri-Cooperatives Project will begin in vulnerable food corridors in Luzon and the Visayas, with plans to expand to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by 2026.

As the lead implementer of the project, BFF will work closely with Mayani on:

• Training 30 cooperatives in Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and cooperativism;
• Development of CSA demonstration farms;
• Engagement of 500 smallholder farmers; and
• Publication of a Playbook on Climate-smart Cooperative Development

“If agricultural cooperatives – numbering in thousands in the Philippines – are effectively mobilized to serve as agents of climate adaptation, social, economic and even environmental benefits could potentially be delivered to its millions of members,” said Prof. Carlo Sagun, President and CEO of Bayan Family of Foundations.

Through this project, HSBC, BFF, and Mayani are empowering smallholders not just to survive climate change but to lead the way in sustainable food production and climate-smart agriculture. With its partners, BFF is committed to championing lasting multi-sector solutions for a more inclusive and resilient Philippines.