
Background and Rationale
The COVID 19 pandemic has resulted to an unprecedented health, economic, and social crisis affecting the most vulnerable sectors of society. Women and men small scale producers in agricultural value chains, which include farmers, fishers, agricultural workers and indigenous people are among the most vulnerable sectors that have been affected by the pandemic. SMEs, corporate agribusinesses and social enterprises which engage these small producers in their supply chains have also experienced various levels of downturn, some more severely than others. Lockdowns and community quarantines affected production, processing, marketing channels and markets of various agricultural value chains. Seed to table social enterprise systems linking farmers and fishers with urban consumers of organic produce and healthy food were not spared as they experienced logistical nightmares.
The United Nations profoundly articulates the dire impact of the pandemic during the year that was intended to be groundbreaking for gender equality. 2020 is supposed to mark the 25th year of the Beijing Platform for Action[i]. But with the COVID 19 pandemic, even the limited gains made in the past decade are at risk of being rolled back. COVID19 is deepening pre-existing inequalities and exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems, which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic. With women in agriculture and agricultural value chains being largely invisible, unrecognized, underserved, undervalued and overburdened with unpaid care work even before the pandemic, their situation is even more dire today.
The UN concludes that “every COVID-19 response plan, and every recovery package and budgeting of resources, needs to address the gender impacts of this pandemic. This means: (1) including women and women’s organizations at the heart of the COVID-19 response; (2) transforming the inequities of unpaid care work into a new, inclusive care economy that works for everyone; and (3) designing socio-economic plans with an intentional focus on the lives and futures of women and girls”.[ii]
The disruptions in agricultural value chains and global food systems profoundly exposed the vulnerability and overdependence of urban populations and rural communities to global markets. They demonstrated the importance of shorter food miles and local food systems that are founded on the resilience and sustainability of farming, fishing and small producer communities.
In Southeast Asia, governments are deeply concerned with the impacts of COVID-19 on ASEAN cooperation in food, agriculture and forestry and the disruption of the food (and non-food) supply chain in the region. The ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry urged the ASEAN Member States (AMS) to implement necessary measures, projects and programs at the national level to meet the immediate food needs of the ASEAN population, particularly the vulnerable groups in society. Further, they highlighted the need to boost AMS’ social protection programs for smallholder farmers, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.[iii]
The BTP WEE in AVCs as Inspiration to WE LIVE FOOD
Since 2015, the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), in partnership with Oxfam and the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok have been implementing a project entitled Gender transformative and Responsible Agricultural Investments in Southeast Asia (GRAISEA). From 2015-2017, and under the GRAISEA Project, ISEA led a study of best practices and inclusive businesses that had made a significant impact on the lives of women and men small scale producers in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.[iv] The agricultural value chains covered by the study were muscovado sugar and coffee in the Philippines; organic coconut sap sugar and green mussel in Indonesia; tea, ginger and gac in Vietnam; and organic fish and formalin-free sea food in Thailand. The study was conducted in partnership with the Center for Social Initiatives Promotion (CSIP) in Vietnam, Trubus Bina Swadaya and Yayasan Dompet Dhuafa in Indonesia and Change Fusion in Thailand. The study resulted to a set of Benchmarks for Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains or BTP WEE in AVCs[v]
These benchmarks are aspirational standards related to 8 elements shown in Figure 1. These 8 elements were synthesized as the critical success factors of agricultural value chain interventions that have created substantial impact on the lives and position of women and men small scale producers. Hence, these benchmarks raise the bar on how enterprises and other stakeholders in agricultural value chains (AVCs) could sustainably impact on the lives of small-scale producers, especially women, their households and their communities. They are, collectively, a pathway to sustainability as these benchmarks are meant to provide guideposts among enterprises and other stakeholders in AVCs who aspire to make a meaningful contribution to the achievement of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.[vi]
From 2018-2019, under the GRAISEA Project and with additional assistance from the Japan Foundation Asia Center (JFAC), ISEA and its partners developed Scorecards that could be used by Agricultural Value Chain Interventions, SMEs and Social Enterprises as well as Corporate Agribusinesses as learning, evaluation and planning tools to improve their practice in relation to the 8 elements of the benchmarks.
In 2019, ISEA also used the benchmarks as framework for assisting the subsector action research and strategic planning process of stakeholders for scaling up the impact of a selected biodiversity-friendly enterprise (BDFE) initiative in the abaca subsector in Eastern Samar, Philippines[vii] with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environment Facility (GEF) SGP5 and the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This collaborative project also resulted to a Handbook on Strategic Planning for Scaling Up Biodiversity Friendly Enterprise (BDFE) Initiatives that is in the process of being published by the UNDP GEF.
[i] Policy Brief on the Impact of COVID-19 on Women (United Nations, 2020)
[ii] Policy Brief on the Impact of COVID-19 on Women (United Nations, 2020)
[iii] https://asean.org/asean-pledges-ensure-food-security-covid-19-outbreak/
[iv] The 8 cases studied were Alter Trade Foundation Inc/Negros Organic Fair Trade Association and Bote Central/Philippine Coffee Alliance in the Philippines; KSU Jatirogo and P.T. Karya Masyarakat Mandiri or KMM/ISM Sinar Abadi Cooperative in Indonesia; HITEACO and Dragon Vietnam Investment Company or DVIC in Vietnam; and Lemon Farm Cooperative/Fisherfolk Enterprise and GreenNet Cooperative/Earth Net Foundation in Thailand.
[v] A Pathway to Sustainability: Benchmarks for Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains (ISEA, 2019); Social Enterprises and Agricultural Value Chains in Southeast Asia (Dacanay, 2019)
[vi] The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015)
[vii] The biodiversity friendly enterprise (BDFE) initiative was led by the Eastern Visayas Partnership for Rural Development and the Central Farmers’ Association, a federation of women and men abaca producer in Eastern Samar.
What’s New? [Platform Updates]

On October 8, ISEA President, Marie Lisa Dacanay was one of the esteemed speakers of the first Women Food Producers Association Summit 2024 organized by the Netherlands Embassy, AY Foundation, and AGREA Foundation. Dr. Dacanay shared a 15-minute presentation on Social Entrepreneurship for Development during the face-to-face event held at Yuchengco Museum in Makati City.

EmpowerHer Project: Embedding Gender Equality in MSME Business Praxis in the Philippines [with Oxfam Pilipinas, Investing Women]

Oxfam Pilipinas will be implementing the EmpowerHer Project: Embedding Gender Equality in MSME Business Praxis in the Philippines supported by Investing In Women together with ISEA and OCI Group Manila. This project focuses on challenging traditional gender norms related to caregiving and economic roles. We aim to encourage the MSME sector to adopt diverse, inclusive, gender-equal, and socially accountable business and workplace practices that support the care economy.
SPACES Project Activities (Strengthening Participation and Accountability Through Civil Society Organisation Engagement with Subnational and National Government) related to WE LIVE FOOD

Knowledge Hub on Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Philippines (KWEEN-PH) Multi-stakeholder Validation and Planning Workshop [Video Highlights]
Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Talk Series – Learning Exchange on the BTP WEE in AVCs w/ Practitioners from the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia [July to August 2023]
Session 1: Towards Nurturing Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains during the 4th SEAL Asia Conference 2023 [March 2023]
This plenary is co-organized by the Women’s Empowerment, Livelihoods and Food in Agricultural Value Chains (WE LIVE FOOD) Platform co-convened by Bina Swadaya (Indonesia) and Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion (Vietnam) which was launched during the 3rd SEAL Conference. The Platform promotes a set of Benchmarks and Guidelines for Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains as part of Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South-East Asia (GRAISEA) implemented by Oxfam and supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok.
Panel of Speakers: Ms. Charlene Tan, Founder and CEO, Good Food Community (Philippines) Mr. Paulus Sigit, Supervisor, Toko Trubus (Indonesia) Ms. Ho Thu Phuong Anh, Director, Vien Minh Company (Vietnam); Moderator: Ms. Pham Oanh Kieu, Founder and CEO, CSIP and Co-Convener; WE LIVE FOOD Platform Reactors: Ms. Maria Katrina Bayog-Mercado, CSR Manager, PILMICO & Gold Coin Group (Philippines) Ms. Maria Pamela Castro, Manager, Pilipinas Shell (Philippines) Mr. Miguel Musngi, Asst Director, Poverty Eradication and Gender Division, ASEAN Ms. Sudha Gooty, Program Manager, Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship, Social Development Division, UNESCAP; Moderator: Mr. Sohail Aziz, Programme Management Lead, Oxfam GB
A Dialogue and Planning Workshop on Co-Creating an Enabling Environment for Women in Agricultural Value Chains: Towards Promoting Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) [October 2022]
Roundtable Discussion on Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains [March 31, 2022]
The Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), UNESCAP Subregional Office for South-East Asia, Catalyst 2030; UN Women WeEmpowerAsia; Oxfam; Embassy of Sweden; Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism-Social and Community Enterprise Constituency organized this round table discussion on Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains last March 31, 2022 from 8:30AM to 9:45AM (GMT+7, Bangkok, Thailand).
This event also launched the Guidelines for Transformational Partnerships and WEE in Agricultural Value Chains developed by ISEA and Oxfam supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok through the Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South-East Asia (GRAISEA). This roundtable cum launch was an accredited side event at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2022.
BTP WEE in AVCs Learning Exchange among Practitioners and Enablers [March 22, 2022]
Webinar on Empowering ASEAN Women in Agriculture [April 7, 2021]
The ASEAN Secretariat, the United Nations ESCAP through its sub-regional office for Southeast Asia, Grow Asia, the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) and Oxfam conducted an roundtable discussion on Empowering ASEAN Women in Agriculture last April 7, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (GMT+8) via Zoom.
#APFSD2021 Side Event: “SE-SDG Platforms: Towards Building Back Fairer in Asia and the Pacific” [March 25, 2021]
Social Entrepreneurship-SDG Platforms: Towards Building Back Fairer in Asia and the Pacific [November 28, 2020]
SEAL Asia 2020 Conference Day 2 – Plenary VI [September 2020]
Promoting Cross-Sectoral Collaboration Supportive of the Platforms: Co-creating Financing Mechanisms and Mobilizing Resources for Assisting the Recovery of Social Enterprises towards Leaving No One Behind in Building Back Better
Sub-Plenary Session: MSP on WE LIVE FOOD
Initiatives and Activities
EmpowerHer Project: Embedding Gender Equality in MSME Business Praxis in the Philippines [with Oxfam Pilipinas, Investing Women]

Oxfam Pilipinas will be implementing the EmpowerHer Project: Embedding Gender Equality in MSME Business Praxis in the Philippines supported by Investing In Women together with ISEA and OCI Group Manila. This project focuses on challenging traditional gender norms related to caregiving and economic roles. We aim to encourage the MSME sector to adopt diverse, inclusive, gender-equal, and socially accountable business and workplace practices that support the care economy.
SPACES Project Activities (Strengthening Participation and Accountability Through Civil Society Organisation Engagement with Subnational and National Government) related to WE LIVE FOOD

Knowledge Hub on Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Philippines (KWEEN-PH) Multi-stakeholder Validation and Planning Workshop [Video Highlights]
Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Talk Series – Learning Exchange on the BTP WEE in AVCs w/ Practitioners from the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia [July to August 2023]
Session 1: Towards Nurturing Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains during the 4th SEAL Asia Conference 2023 [March 2023]
This plenary is co-organized by the Women’s Empowerment, Livelihoods and Food in Agricultural Value Chains (WE LIVE FOOD) Platform co-convened by Bina Swadaya (Indonesia) and Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion (Vietnam) which was launched during the 3rd SEAL Conference. The Platform promotes a set of Benchmarks and Guidelines for Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains as part of Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South-East Asia (GRAISEA) implemented by Oxfam and supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok.
Panel of Speakers: Ms. Charlene Tan, Founder and CEO, Good Food Community (Philippines) Mr. Paulus Sigit, Supervisor, Toko Trubus (Indonesia) Ms. Ho Thu Phuong Anh, Director, Vien Minh Company (Vietnam); Moderator: Ms. Pham Oanh Kieu, Founder and CEO, CSIP and Co-Convener; WE LIVE FOOD Platform Reactors: Ms. Maria Katrina Bayog-Mercado, CSR Manager, PILMICO & Gold Coin Group (Philippines) Ms. Maria Pamela Castro, Manager, Pilipinas Shell (Philippines) Mr. Miguel Musngi, Asst Director, Poverty Eradication and Gender Division, ASEAN Ms. Sudha Gooty, Program Manager, Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship, Social Development Division, UNESCAP; Moderator: Mr. Sohail Aziz, Programme Management Lead, Oxfam GB
A Dialogue and Planning Workshop on Co-Creating an Enabling Environment for Women in Agricultural Value Chains: Towards Promoting Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) [October 2022]
Roundtable Discussion on Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains [March 31, 2022]
The Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), UNESCAP Subregional Office for South-East Asia, Catalyst 2030; UN Women WeEmpowerAsia; Oxfam; Embassy of Sweden; Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism-Social and Community Enterprise Constituency organized this round table discussion on Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains last March 31, 2022 from 8:30AM to 9:45AM (GMT+7, Bangkok, Thailand).
This event also launched the Guidelines for Transformational Partnerships and WEE in Agricultural Value Chains developed by ISEA and Oxfam supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok through the Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South-East Asia (GRAISEA). This roundtable cum launch was an accredited side event at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2022.
BTP WEE in AVCs Learning Exchange among Practitioners and Enablers [March 22, 2022]
Webinar on Empowering ASEAN Women in Agriculture [April 7, 2021]
The ASEAN Secretariat, the United Nations ESCAP through its sub-regional office for Southeast Asia, Grow Asia, the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) and Oxfam conducted an roundtable discussion on Empowering ASEAN Women in Agriculture last April 7, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (GMT+8) via Zoom.
Convenor
![]() | Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) www.isea-group.net Regional |
Co-Convenors
![]() | Center for Social Initiatives Promotion (CSIP) www.csip.vn Vietnam |
![]() | Bina Swadaya Foundation www.binaswadaya.org Indonesia |
Key Stakeholders
![]() | Yayasan Dompet Dhuafa www.dompetdhuafa.org Indonesia |
![]() | Oxfam www.oxfam.org International |
![]() | Oxfam Pilipinas https://philippines.oxfam.org Philippines |
![]() | Alter Trade Foundation, Inc. (ATFI) Philippines |
![]() | Bote Central, Inc. / Philippine Coffee Alliance https://botecentral.com https://www.phcoffeealliance.com Philippines |
![]() | Change Fusion Institute www.changefusion.org Thailand |
![]() | Development of Humane Action Foundation (DHAN Foundation) www.dhan.org India |
![]() | Gandang Kalikasan, Inc./ Human Nature www.humanheartnature.com Philippines |
![]() | Green Net https://www.greennet.or.th Thailand |
![]() | Negros Organic and Fair Trade Association (NOFTA) Philippines |
![]() | Philippines Business for Social Progress www.pbsp.org.ph Philippines |
Want to join the Women’s Empowerment, Livelihoods, and Food in Agricultural Value Chains (WE LIVE FOOD) Platform?
Scan the QR Code or go to this link and download the Registration Form:
https://tinyurl.com/SE-SDG-PlatformREGFORM

Send your registration at secretariat@isea-group.net
Presentation on “Social Enterprises as Innovators towards Building Back Fairer amid COVID-19”
ISEA President, Dr Marie Lisa Dacanay’s Presentation on “Social Enterprises as Innovators towards Building Back Fairer amid COVID-19” during the 4th South-East Asia Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) organized by United Nations ESCAP last October 29, 2020 (Day 2). This is part of the Session 5 of the said forum, which is about “The Socio-Cultural Aspects of a South-East Asian Recovery Framework.” See Full Session 5 at this link: https://youtu.be/SPKc6GQiHwM
Transformational AVC Guidelines Paper
The Guidelines for Transformational Partnerships and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agricultural Value Chains (Transformational AVC Guidelines) are a set of policies and incentives being proposed for adoption by the ASEAN and its member states. The proponents are part of a multi-stakeholder platform who conducted research on practices and policies affecting agricultural value chains (AVCs) in the region. Their study showed how AVC stakeholders and policymakers could contribute to inclusive recovery, building back fairer, and accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Transformational AVC Guidelines AVP
Scorecards on TRANSFORMATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS and
WOMEN’s ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT in AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINs



Empowering Grassroots Women Through Transformational Partnerships in Agricultural Value Chains
Together with the Institute for Social Enterprise for Asia and its partners, the Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South East Asia (GRAISEA) documented the stories of women who have been empowered by partnerships in the Philippines and Thailand. This case study tells their stories and presents a set of benchmarks for how transformational partnerships can be implemented in agricultural value chains.
