Aquaculture

Balangay’s Best
Driven by adversity, Balangay’s Best started when a group of fishermen were greatly affected by a typhoon in Bantayan Island, Cebu. To restore what the fishermen have lost in the typhoon, Balangay’s Best was created. Now, Balangay’s Best has not only helped get these fishermen back on their feet but has expanded to a number of nearby finishing communities in various parts of the Philippines such as Mindoro, Negros Occidental, and Surigao del Sur. 

Balangay’s Best continues to cast their net of change among Filipino fishermen and reel them in towards sustainable fishing and social-driven livelihood. By promoting fair trade and advocating for dignified fishing, Balangay’s Best catches then produces classic Filipino products such as dried squid and danggit. In return, families of fishermen are supported by their livelihood without having to turn to other means. By creating sustainable fishing communities, Balangay’s Best actively engages and provides transformative means to support Filipino fishermen and even advocate for conservation and environment.


Boboy Crap Meat Picking Station
Given the diverse natural resources that are rich in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), one social barrier to properly unlock these potentials are the tense conflict areas that block off communities from these resources, especially in places like Tawi-Tawi. Surrounded by the vast and rich sea, Tawi-Tawi is blessed with natural resources like shellfish. However, Tawi-Tawi is also one of the most conflict-stricken areas in BARMM.

One of the many and more recent creative solutions to this problem are the social enterprises who are committed to not only do business but also bring steady job security, sustainable livelihood practices, and properly utilizing the rich natural resources they are surrounded by. One of these social enterprises is the Boboy Crab Meat Picking Station. This Tawi-Tawi based social enterprise harvest and process fresh crabs from their local shores to better empower locals with both job and food security. To better grow their social enterprise, CSO-SEED in partnership with Villgro and British Council helped grow their enterprise through their Business Investment Readiness Program. Thanks to the program, Boboy Crab Meat Picking Station is expanding in 4 island municipalities: Sitangkai, Panglima Sugala, Bongao and Tandu Bas with 183 individuals. Having now years of experience and engagement with Tawi-Tawi, Boboy Crab Meat Picking Station continues to bring livelihood and change within their shores.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/IRDTPhilippines/posts/1341521509336035?__tn__=C-R