Co-op News

Agri-BEST/Coop PROPEL Learning Exchange Visit Strengthens Co-op Partnerships and Innovation

As the Coop-PROPEL Project nears completion, leaders from eight partner co-operatives gathered on July 2–3, 2025, at the Big 8 Corporate Hotel in Digos City for the Agri-BEST/Coop PROPEL: Learning Exchange Visit and Planning. The event was organized by MASS-SPECC Cooperative Development Center, with support from the SPADe Project and funding from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The two-day event served as a platform to reflect on the journey of Coop-PROPEL that has empowered coconut and cacao smallholder farmers through co-op clustering, digital innovation, and inclusive value chain development.

With the project entering its final stages, the activity focused on sustaining its gains and expanding its impact beyond the original scope.

Participants engaged in peer learning, strategic planning, and knowledge-sharing sessions aimed at ensuring the continuity of project achievements.

Key topics included digital transformation, innovative co-operative services, the replication of the clustering model for other high-potential crops such as coffee, abaca, and rubber, and inter-co-operative collaboration.

The event also featured a project site committee planning session, where co-op leaders openly discussed challenges and shared best practices.

These sessions helped align plans with the needs of local farming communities and their co-operatives.

By revisiting the milestones of Coop-PROPEL and exploring new directions for growth, the learning exchange visit emphasized long-term empowerment over short-term results.

Leaders expressed optimism that the project’s model could serve as a blueprint for other agricultural communities seeking to build resilient, digitally enabled, and market-responsive co-operative systems.

As the Coop-PROPEL Project transitions into its final phase, MASS-SPECC remains committed to driving inclusive and sustainable development among agricultural co-operatives through continuous engagement, innovation, and collaboration.