Happy Earth Day!
Our team truly values the earth and believes it is our responsibility to be her care takers.
Over the years, large-scale businesses have taken their toll on the environment - clearing forests, depleting precious natural resources, clogging up the air and in the end, polluting our water and soil and producing more waste than our landfills can handle.
We have a responsibility to not only reduce our negative impact, but to make positive changes.
We value empowering our farmers to farm better and smarter. So far, we've trained over 200 local farmers in organic farming techniques. And we're all about sustainable practices, such as intercroping with other crops between coconut trees (to conserve land!) and planting coconut seedlings to prepare for the next generation of coconut trees. Last year, we planted 1,000 coconut seedlings - great job team!!
Did you know that coconut trees are renewable and sustainable resources? They are also classified as organic because they only need salt to grow! (This is why they thrive by the ocean!) But most other trees that produce fruit also require fertilizer or pesticides, which we've learned is not good for us to ingest (via fruit). Another oil commonly used comes from Palm trees (palm oil), but unfortunately, these plants are at fault for deforestation over the years, and therefore, not sustainable. In efforts to not repeat history, we specifically chose to focus on coconuts and producing coconut oil!
Most coconut companies only buy from big plantations, leaving those with small farms at the mercy of middlemen who take a large cut for themselves. On top of that, they trick farmers into taking loans with insane interest rates of 25 - 200%!
With these interest rates, it becomes nearly impossible to pay back the loan before another need arises, leaving the farmer in a cycle of debt. The terms are never written down or explained, so these simple farmers never realize that their “friend” is the very person keeping them in poverty. Even for the few who realize the system (commonly known as “copra slavery”) works against them, they have no other options.
Our goal is to connect these local farmers directly to the global economy, introduce them to you! We are giving farmers an opportunity to get fair prices for their coconuts and be treated with respect. We want to help them recognize their innate dignity after years of oppression.
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Dignity Coconuts 2023 end of year social impact report is here! See the difference Dignity made in this community in the Philippines and how your purchases of Raw Coconut Oil are transforming lives.