Rice Loans and People’s Organisations in the Rural Philippines

Abstract

This descriptive study introduces community-managed rice loans, as implemented by people’s organisations in the rural Philippines. Projects addressing low income and food shortages are by no means new to the development sector. Development agencies, nonprofit organisations, and local governments have implemented such projects to address immediate food shortages and threats of hunger. Less explored, however, is the potential of rice loans as intermediate solution, not only in terms of food provisioning but also in strengthening communities’ organisational structures and capabilities. This study explores such possibilities by focusing specifically on community-managed rice loans as implemented in the Philippines’ regions of Nueva Ecija and Isabela and supported by a local nonprofit, Outreach Philippines Incorporated (OPI). It discusses how rice loans provide communities with an alternative option for accessing affordable food and how these rice loans operate in the context of community development. The analysis of programme proposals identified three components integral to rice loans’ implementation and ongoing operations. These include specific organisational structures, clear operational processes, and well-defined policies and systems. We argue that these components are the building blocks of not only successful project implementation but also the strengthening of participating organisations’ project implementation and management capacity.