Information and news about the USAID Growth with Equity in Mindanao III (GEM 3) Project

Members of the Kawas Fisherfolk Association and Farmers’ Association, comprised of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) former combatants living in Kawas, Sarangani Province, show off the bangus they cultured in Sarangani Bay. USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, through its Targeted Commodity Expansion Project (TCEP), trained the members of the cooperative in the fundamentals of prawn and milkfish production. GEM also provided the group with inputs and materials to expand their production area and establish relationships with buyers in neighboring markets. The association’s success in aquaculture has allowed its members to send their children to school, improve their homes and enjoy modern-day comforts—a turn-around from the lives they once led as former combatants. Since 2002, more than 11,000 ex-fighters and family members have been assisted by GEM to produce higher-value fruits, vegetables and aquaculture products such as grouper and abalone.