The Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI) organized six SICAP training workshops for its second run between October and November 2023.
SICAP or the Sustainable, Integrated, and Climate Adaptive Practices is one of the capacity building activities of MCPI’s Green Inclusive Finance (GIF) initiative for the farmer and fisherfolk clients of GIF microfinance institution partners Bangko Kabayan and Rangtay sa Pagrang-ay Microfinance, Inc. (RPMI). The training workshops aim to raise greater awareness on climate change and its effects on agriculture. The workshops also introduced appropriate climate smart agriculture practices and green technologies to help farmers become more resilient, and tools to help them scale up their agri-enterprises. These activities were held on October 6, 2023, in Candelaria, Quezon; October 9 in Buguias, Benguet; October 11 in Dingras, Ilocos Norte; October 13 in San Juan, Batangas; November 13 in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya; and November 15 in Alaminos, Pangasinan.
During the training workshops, Bangko Kabayan launched the green loans that the bank designed for their clients who want to adopt climate adaptive practices and technologies – the Sustainable Ani Loan for farming inputs and the Sustainable Agri Business Builder Loan for agricultural machinery, equipment, and infrastructure. RPMI’s Agricultural Development Program Green Loans were also presented to the participants. The loans are intended to be used in farming activities that contribute to the mitigation of the impact of climate change. More than 100 participants took part in the training workshops.
The GIF initiative is a partnership of MCPI, Appui au developpement autonome, and the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development of Luxembourg.