Citicore Power, via its subsidiary Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation, is concretizing food-renewable energy (RE) nexus on its agro-solar ventures, an investment paradigm seen to debunk claims that solar farm developments could be gobbling up farmlands needed for food production.
The company, which is affiliated with engineering and infrastructure firm Megawide Construction Corporation, will be broadening its investment base in the energy sector via its Agro-Solar Social Initiative which is targeted to be providing value-added livelihood opportunities to its host communities.
The introductory agro-solar venture of the company will be carried out in a host community of its solar project in Mexico, Pampanga -- and as designed, this would be done through utilizing the solar project site as a plantation also for suitable vegetation or crops.
“The Citicore Agro-Solar model provides opportunities for farmers to practice non-conventional crop growing methods under solar panels to generate additional income,” the company explained.
As emphasized by Oliver Tan, president and CEO of Citicore, the agro-solar initiative and the formation of cooperatives will “empower farmers, not only in crop production but more importantly in bringing and selling their produce successfully to the market.”
And in the intensifying RE investment race in the country, he stressed that this pioneering undertaking will guarantee that “farmers are not displaced by the race for renewable energy, but rather be nurtured and supported, as they remain integral to the country’s economic growth and development.”
At their Pampanga project site, the company indicated that it assisted the farmers to form the 110-member Buenavista Farmers and Workers Cooperative – comprising mostly of farmers and farm workers, to be its partner in the blueprinted agro-solar projects.
Through that tie-up with the community, Citicore pointed out that such will not only augment the income of the farmers but they will also “serve as conduit to the different government agencies to develop more effective strategies and value-adding programs.”
Additionally, Citicore had partnered with Tarlac State University “to provide technical and capacity-building trainings to the newly formed association to further enhance the quality of turmeric processing as well as branding and marketing campaigns to generate more job opportunities and maximize profits.”
The members of its cooperative-partner had also been provided with advice on how to craft viable business proposals – including those on agro-tourism, turmeric processing as well as livestock rearing program.
Then from enhancing their entrepreneurial skills, Citicore will also be helping the farmers to have a linkage with agri-business enterprise networks as well as urban markets so they can reinforce their value chain – especially in positioning their products to have commercial-scale desirability.
The company expounded that it is trailblazing agro-solar initiative in the country “to maximize the use of the land of the solar facilities and at the same time help increase crop production of small-scale farmers.”
Other than turmeric, other high value crops and vegetable varieties will also be sowed, so the farmers can “maximize yields during the entire planting season,” and at the same time, they can be part of the global effort of abating climate change risks.