Cover HOPE allows donors to track the trees they donated through its tree registry system
HOPE allows donors to track the trees they donated through its tree registry system
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From constructing classrooms to planting ten million coconut trees, HOPE’s ambitious agricultural initiative is reducing poverty, combating climate change and building a more resilient Philippine nation
Conversing with Nanette Medved-Po, one is immediately struck by the quiet, unwavering passion that drives her vision for the Philippines. When asked about how her foundation’s extensive agricultural expansion started, she offers a notably pragmatic answer. “Sometimes you just need to pay attention to where you might be able to make a difference, regardless of whether you planned it that way or not,” the Tatler’s 2025 Impact Awardee for Humanity shares with a knowing smile. What initially focused solely on education—donating 100 per cent of profits from “Hope in a Bottle” drinking water to build much-needed public school classrooms—has serendipitously grown into a lofty aim to plant ten million coconut trees across Mindanao in the next four years. The realisation struck when Medved-Po and her team spent time on the ground and understood that many of the most marginalised students they sought to help actually belonged to smallholder farming families trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty. Coinciding with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s national challenge to replant 100 million coconut trees nationwide by 2028, the kind-hearted philanthropist, chairperson and founder of HOPE viewed this not simply as an environmental target but as a profound personal calling. To genuinely change lives, it’s essential to secure farmers’ economic futures from the soil upwards.
This strategic move to include initiatives for the agriculture sector is an exercise in vital, systemic nation-building. Medved-Po says that the Philippines has historically been a leading global exporter of coconut products, with the crop accounting for about 25 to 30 per cent of the country’s agricultural exports. Remarkably, one out of every five Filipinos depends on the coconut industry, either directly or indirectly, for their livelihood. Yet, as Medved-Po passionately explains, this foundational pillar is under severe threat from decades of underinvestment. Around 20 per cent of the existing trees are senile and the stocks are largely not high-yielding; furthermore, a heartbreaking 60 per cent of the coconut smallholder subsector lives at or below the poverty level. “This poverty paradox is creating a generational exodus that threatens the long-term sustainability of the coconut industry for the country,” says Medved-Po.
When Medved-Po spoke with Vita Coco, the world’s largest coconut water brand, the realisation became immediately clear. Targeted agricultural support would not only improve the lives of these struggling families but also significantly boost productivity to strengthen global supply chains. This initiative also promotes environmental resilience in a country on the frontline of the climate crisis. The Philippines experiences an accelerated rate of global warming, especially in sea-level rise, which occurs at more than three times the global average. Consistently ranked among the top ten most vulnerable and climate-affected nations, the country urgently needs ecological intervention. Medved-Po recognised the “happy co-benefit” of their large-scale tree-planting programme: restoring the coconut industry provided additional carbon sequestration. Coconuts are highly resilient; their adaptability helps withstand strong winds during typhoons, and their large fronds provide vital shade during severe heatwaves, lowering soil temperatures and protecting other intercropped plants.
Read also: Meet the 2025 Tatler Impact awardees: EJ Obiena, Mahar Lagmay, Nanette Medved-Po
Above So far, HOPE has distributed 2,216,790 coconut seedlings to farmers in Mindanao
So far, HOPE has distributed 2,216,790 coconut seedlings to farmers in Mindanao
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The road to ten million
At the core of this initiative lies the ambitious goal of planting ten million trees in four years. Ilusion Farias, who oversees all of HOPE’s programmes with energetic, sleeves-rolled-up enthusiasm, recalls the initial disbelief when the scale of Medved-Po’s ambition was first announced. Years ago, the organisation was planting a modest 20,000 to 30,000 trees annually. “One day, we were in a meeting, and Nanette and I said, ‘We are planting a million trees,’ and our team was astonished,” HOPE’s managing director laughs, recalling the shock in the room. Nevertheless, that bold dream has quickly become a reality supported by solid data. Today, HOPE has planted over 2.2 million trees and expects to end 2026 with around three million trees firmly in the ground, with further commitments to plant between 4.5 and 5 million.
The decision to base this extensive operation in Mindanao was highly strategic, demonstrating HOPE’s commitment to scalable, long-term success. Mindanao has the necessary infrastructure and key market access, which ensures the programme’s long-term sustainability. The region is home to all major players in coconut production and features excellent agricultural universities, making it much easier to find knowledgeable staff. “It’s a hub for coconuts, and so everything was there that we needed to create a programme thinking about the future,” Farias notes.
Above As of 2025, HOPE was able to build 167 classrooms across the Philippines
As of 2025, HOPE was able to build 167 classrooms across the Philippines
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The seedling
But how exactly does a marginalised farmer—someone earning around PHP 25,000 a year—receive these life-changing seedlings? The process exemplifies community collaboration, strict oversight and mutual respect. It begins in HOPE’s network of nurseries, where high-yielding, quality coconut varieties are cultivated. After about three to four months, they sprout into sturdy, foot-tall seedlings ready to be planted and withstand the elements.
Instead of waiting for applications, HOPE collaborates closely with local government units (LGUs) to identify prospective farmers, establishing and verifying a pre-approved list of candidates. On the day of distribution, participating farmers are required to bring essential documents: their IDs and land deeds. This confirms land ownership and helps prevent the unnecessary, environmentally harmful clearing of existing lands. Each farmer signs a Memorandum of Agreement with HOPE to specify their responsibilities and grants the organisation permission to monitor and document the trees for years to come.
Replacing ageing trees is managed carefully, strictly adhering to guidelines issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Philippine Coconut Authority. Farmers plant the new seedling beside the old tree; only when the new tree reaches a specific height and the old one completely stops producing, is the farmer allowed to cut down the senile tree. Once planted, a coconut tree takes about four to five years to start bearing fruit, with farmers eventually enjoying two to three harvests annually. HOPE’s commitment goes far beyond the chaos of distribution day; they manually count every single tree once a year.
The community’s desperate need for this agricultural lifeline is clear, a reality that profoundly impacts both Medved-Po and her team. Farias remembers a distribution day from a few years ago that left a lasting, sobering impression: “It was after a typhoon. There was so much need that in the community, people hadn’t had water to drink and were trying to get to the front of the line to receive our seedlings,” she shares, the memory vividly clear. The people were then engulfed by the desperate fear that if they didn’t receive one, they wouldn’t have a livelihood and, consequently, no food on the table in the coming days. For the HOPE team, witnessing this proved beyond doubt that they were exactly where they needed to be.
Above With this initiative, farmers get market access for their harvest
With this initiative, farmers get market access for their harvest
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Women and the multiplier effect
What truly elevates HOPE’s programme is its deep understanding of rural dynamics, specifically its unwavering focus on female micro-entrepreneurs. While Medved-Po is fiercely clear-eyed, stating, “Let me be clear, I don’t think there is any silver bullet when it comes to economic issues. Progress requires solution sets,” she deliberately and passionately believes in the power of women.
“Multiplier effect,” Medved-Po explains, her tone ringing with conviction. “Women are the primary drivers of community resilience and household stability, reinvesting a higher proportion of their income back into their families.” Citing the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, she notes that investing in women funds the education, nutrition and healthcare of the next generation, with women acting as the vital “social safety net” of the Philippine economy. She adds that addressing the systemic gap in paid work and improving women’s economic equality could unlock untapped potential, adding a staggering US$40 billion to the Philippine economy each year.
In the country’s agricultural sector, only about 30 per cent of farmers are women, and HOPE intentionally goes out of its way to reach them. Because men in these farming communities often pass away younger, many women are suddenly widowed, left alone, not knowing what to do with their farms. Coconuts are a godsend: they require very little water; do not strictly need expensive fertilisers; and are far less labour-intensive than other crops, allowing women to tend to their homes and children simultaneously.
Read also: Nanette Medved-Po Shares Generation HOPE's Progress and Impact to Education and Beyond
Above Planting coconut trees help in carbon offsetting
Planting coconut trees help in carbon offsetting
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Daring dream
To further protect these vulnerable farming families from unpredictable market fluctuations and severe climate shocks, HOPE actively promotes the science of intercropping. In the carefully measured 10-by-10 spacing between the coconut trees, farmers are taught to maximise the use of their land and gain as much value as possible. They are encouraged to grow cash crops such as bananas, which can be harvested every three months, or higher-yielding crops like cacao and coffee in the highlands. This diversification proved its worth brilliantly during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when isolated barangays relied entirely on the varied produce from their intercropped farms to barter and sustain critical local food security.
Most excitingly, HOPE is daring to dream bigger by introducing vanilla into the ecosystem. An aggressively expanding pilot programme is currently testing the cultivation of this highly valued crop. Since the Philippines sits at nearly the same latitude as Madagascar—one of the world’s largest vanilla producers—the potential is huge. “Suddenly, our coconut farmers turn into these high-yielding crops like vanilla, which is making a lot of money,” says Farias, capturing the boundless hope of the project.
These micro-entrepreneurship opportunities are also quietly resolving the generational crisis in farming, where young people leave the provinces for city dreams. By teaching farmers to manage their own seedling nurseries—where HOPE purchases the seedlings—the farmers can suddenly earn a significant annual income. “If the kids suddenly see that there’s an opportunity to make money and help their families with these micro-entrepreneurship programmes... then we can encourage young people to continue farming and stay with their families,” Farias explains. “The truth is, people don’t want to leave their parents. But they have to leave to earn money and then support their families.”
Above HOPE educates farmers on techniques to produce high-yield hybrid offspring
HOPE educates farmers on techniques to produce high-yield hybrid offspring
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Invest in the future
The real strength of HOPE’s model is in its remarkable accessibility, enabling both international corporations and everyday individuals to actively participate in this transformative nation-building. Just as buying a bottle of water can help build classrooms, purchasing a tree directly supports a farmer’s future.
For just PHP 80, anyone can purchase a tree through the HOPE website as a gift or personal contribution. This very modest fee is wonderfully comprehensive, covering the growth of the seed, distribution, labour, transportation and four full years of rigorous monitoring and evaluation. Upon purchase, donors receive a digital certificate featuring a QR code. Scanning this code opens HOPE’s transparently maintained registry, revealing the exact farmer who received the tree, its planting location, the seedling variety, and the most recent monitoring date. “You can even visit your tree if you wish,” says Farias. Companies are also stepping up by buying trees in large quantities—hundreds or thousands—with bulk prices decreasing accordingly—effortlessly merging their sustainability ambitions with genuine, grassroots impact.
As our conversation concludes, Medved-Po’s message to corporate leaders who still see sustainable supply chains as a mere philanthropic expense is both sharp and brilliantly pragmatic. “It’s important to know your audience. I would ask them to do the math,” she challenges. She urges them to consider whether they are in business for a few fleeting cycles or for the long term. “If it’s for the long term, then sustainability is not about charity. It’s risk insurance, operational stability and supply security,” she asserts, warning that if poverty drives farmers out of the industry, the essential supply of raw materials simply disappears.
HOPE’s aim to plant ten million trees is more than just an agricultural goal. It is a carefully planned, urgently needed initiative for a prosperous, equitable Philippines, guided by unwavering transparency and a belief in human potential. It provides clear evidence that when we choose to invest deeply in the land and in the diligent hands that tend to it, we nurture a resilient future where everyone has the chance to flourish.
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Whether on assignment or not, Maritess is always on the lookout for off-the-beaten-path destinations as well as the yummiest finds in the Philippines and abroad. In 2020, she plunged into the black hole of Korean la la land. Follow her escapades at @matetreyes.
