1
Better Farming Practices
Farmer experts are trained as trainers in good agricultural practices, so they can teach their neighbors and cooperatives.
Partnership Project
More With Less
A five-year partnership in southern Palawan to raise the incomes of coconut farmers and farm workers by turning coconut flower sap into high-value products, with better planting material and sustainable farming.
About the Project
What Is More With Less?
More with Less in the Philippine Coconut Industry is a partnership between Lionheart Farms, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), BaiAni and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
It is funded by Danida Market Development Partnerships, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and runs from October 2021 to September 2026 across southern Palawan.
The idea is simple: get more value from the coconut land farmers already have. Superior seedlings, better farming practices and sap tapping let the same farm produce more, and pay the people who work it more.
- Coconut farming pays too little.About half of the Philippines' 3.5 million coconut farmers earn less than USD 2 a day, and copra income arrives only a few times a year.
- The palms are getting old.About 60% of the country's coconut trees are past their productive peak, and most were planted in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Sap creates daily income.Coconut flower sap can be tapped every day and processed into high-value food products, creating jobs for tappers and processors close to home.
How It Works
Six Ways the Project Makes a Difference
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Superior Seedlings
Nurseries and demo farms in Brooke's Point, Bataraza and Quezon, Palawan grow high-yielding coconut varieties for farmers to replant ageing farms.
3
Biochar for Healthier Soil
Farmers learn to make and apply biochar, and two cooperatives now earn income from it.
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Jobs in Sap Tapping
Lionheart trains tappers and buys their sap, creating daily income for farm workers and their families.
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Processing Into Products
Lionheart expands its capacity to process coconut flower sap into aminos, syrup, vinegar and drinks for export.
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Sharing What Works
Training modules, case studies and conferences share the inclusive business model with government, industry and farmer groups.
Results So Far
Progress by the Numbers
As of 31 December 2025, from the project's 2025 annual report.
293
farmer experts trained as trainers in good agricultural practices
73,094
superior coconut seedlings distributed to farmers
19
farmer cooperatives and associations supported
862
tappers trained by Lionheart in 2025
2,170
tapper jobs created since the project began
44,938
people and organizations reached by the project in 2025
Lionheart's Role
An Inclusive Business Model
Lionheart is the project's commercial partner. We train tappers, buy the sap they collect and process it into products for markets around the world.
Tappers are paid by the liter, and earn on average around USD 412 a month, about twice the regional minimum wage. About 60% of the tappers trained in 2025 are Indigenous Peoples.
Partners
Who Makes It Happen
Danida Market Development Partnerships
Funds the project through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
Philippine Business for Social Progress
Manages the project, its finances and its communications.
BaiAni
Leads farmer training in good agricultural practices, intercropping and biochar.
Philippine Coconut Authority
Provides superior coconut seedlings and technical expertise.
Sharing the Model
Implementing Inclusive Business Models in Coconut
On 21 November 2025, the partners held the project's midterm conference in Quezon City, with the Embassy of Denmark, the Philippine Coconut Authority, government agencies and farmer partners. Lionheart CEO Christian Eyde Moeller shared how the coconut flower sap model can work for farmers and industry alike.
Work With Us on Coconut
Government agencies, cooperatives and companies interested in the model can reach our team.
More with Less in the Philippine Coconut Industry is supported by Danida Market Development Partnerships, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.