BUTUAN CITY — A decade of farming taught Susana Tabamo that giving up was never an option, even when climate change battered her crops. On July 30, 2026, the 46‑year‑old from Barangay San Mateo stood among 116 fellow farmers receiving a fresh wave of support from the City Government of Butuan, proof that their resilience was being rewarded.
Performance‑Based Support for Climate‑Resilient Farming
The City Agriculture and Veterinary Department turned over greenhouses, knapsack sprayers, plastic drums, HDPE pipes, foliar fertilizers, fungicides, organic pesticides, plastic mulch, twine, and high‑yield seedlings to the farmers. These inputs are not one‑time giveaways. They are tied to a performance‑based system where farmers who meet their commitments and show strong results receive additional support.
CAVD staff continuously monitor each farmer’s progress, ensuring the program rewards hard work and accountability. This approach has turned subsistence growers into commercial producers. The goal is simple: help farmers adapt to a changing climate while increasing their harvests and incomes.
AgriBOOST: A Globally Recognized Innovation
The AgriBOOST Program, led by Mayor Ronnie Vicente C. Lagnada and City Agriculturist Engr. Pierre Anthony D. Joven, was born out of a pressing need. Butuan historically produced only 18 percent of its vegetable supply, relying heavily on imports that drove up prices for its 400,000 residents. The program flipped that script.
AgriBOOST’s impact has been dramatic. Weekly vegetable deliveries through the city’s AgriHub and AgriMart platforms skyrocketed from 1,000 kilograms at pilot launch to over 9,000 kilograms. Average farmer earnings surged from around ₱12,000 per month to upwards of ₱25,000 per week for active participants. In 2021, the initiative earned global acclaim as a Grand Winner of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge.
Seeds of Knowledge for the Next Generation
The program’s vision extends beyond today’s harvest. Starter kits were also distributed to 28 barangays for the AgriBOOST Daycare Program, designed to teach young children how to plant vegetables and understand the importance of eating healthy. The city is cultivating a generation that values farming and nutrition from an early age.
A Model for Sustainable Local Economies
Butuan’s experience proves that local governments can transform food systems with the right combination of technology, incentives, and market access. By directly linking farmers to consumers through digital platforms and cutting out middlemen, AgriBOOST has created a self‑reinforcing cycle of productivity and profit. The city is now a blueprint for other communities facing similar food security and climate challenges.
