Water Filling Station

Project Description: Farmers voted to use Fair Trade Community Development Funds to build a water treatment and filling site where community members could purchase clean drinking water at affordable prices.
Reason for the Project: In 2015, fair trade coconut farmers in the Philippines identified an opportunity to increase their income: their region had no water treatment infrastructure, so they decided to start a potable drinking water business.
Project Outcome: The water treatment and filling station opened in 2015, and provided clean drinking water at low prices to community members while generating income for the farmers. In 2022, increased competition from several newer water facilities in the area made it no longer profitable to operate the filling station. As a result, the farmers decided to rent the station out to one of the co-op members, continuing to generate income for the co-op that can be invested in future projects.