Principles in Action

Ecology, Equity, Sustainability

We are founded on these principles. More than just words to us, they define our identify and guide our work with partners. It defines the nature of our business.

Protecting the environment is our main business. We believe that by doing so, our work and local communities will benefit. By putting the environment first, our business will progress.

Our aim is to promote sustainable teak farming, protect the environment and provide local employment. Our goal is to plant at 3 million teak and local trees and generate profit for the company, our partners and local communities.

Ecology

Our planet's resources are finite. The air we breath, water we use, food we eat, fossil fuels we power our industries with, and the other things we use to make our lives comfortable but take for granted will at some point get exhausted. Unless we adopt a rational use of these resources, we are sacrificing future generations. Embracing an environmentally friendly lifestyle is not going to be easy. It will demand much sacrifices and difficult choices. It can however be also fun and exciting.

We promote the use of lumber from managed plantations. By doing so we help ease pressures on the remaining forests. We promote best farming practices such as use of hedges, micro plantations, inter-cropping, use of organic fertilisers and limited tillage. We construct structure that use local materials such as bamboo to limit our carbon footprint.

Equity

We provide local employment in the Philippines. We treat, train, feed and provide our workers with knowledge and tools to make work less stressful and more efficient. We believe in treating people fairly. These are not new innovations, these are decent and legal requirements. We will do these and more.

We will share the profits of our plantations with our workers. The amount will be based on year of service and nature of work. Our aims are: to give workers a stake in the project and enough resources after 11 years to buy their own farms and work with us as partners. We will put aside a minimum 10% of our profit for sharing with our staff. Joint stake means joint responsibility and hopefully will contribute to a more equitable world.

Sustainability

We are committed to more sustainable development. We ensure that our work enhance food security. We improve the land we buy and develop. Are plans are to enhance water management by the construction of reservoirs and development of water sheds that will benefit our own farmlands and those of our neighbours. Central to our strategy is micro plantation development. We avoid mono cropping and do not cut existing tree. Our micro plantations are inside, beside and surrounded by woodlands.

Farm Fruits

Coconuts from old trees surrounding farm

Teak seedlings

Seeds from a healthy 30 year old tree

Planting tools making work easier and faster

200 year old tree one of many we are protecting

Protecting the Environment

Generation Green

Young people are the future. They have a part to play in caring and protecting the environment. In we worked with local authorities, local leaders and schools on a community and school based project aimed at teaching children about trees and the environment. We will invite them to visit our farms to learn from our work. We will provide planting materials to school.

Endangered Spotted Deer Conservation

We will use our plantations and forests as conservation areas for the Visayan Spotted deer, (Rusa Alfredi), an endangered deer in the islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines. We compared our areas with the current conservation facilities and realised that they are better running in our plantations and forests instead on being caged in very small area. Last year, we communicated with conservation programmes offering to partner with them. We hope to finalise the a partnership.

Indigenous Tree Conservation

We plan to grow indigenous trees in our nurseries for planting in designated reforestation areas. We plan to grow and propagate the Tectona Philippinensis, an endangered teak variety indigenous to the Philippines.

To support these works contact us at info@ecofarmasia.com