Balangayan Kitchen: My Vision of a Social Enterprise

I. Background and Rationale

High unemployment in urban areas remains to be a persisting problem in the Philippines, and this includes Butuan City. The lack of opportunities often leads to intergenerational poverty that has denied many of the poor access to basic needs, such as food. Food insecurity then further breeds a myriad of societal problems such as poor health and malnutrition.

The Balangayan Kitchen, whose name was coined from the historic boats found in Butuan City and which for centuries have served as symbols for the enduring Filipino community spirit, aims to alleviate unemployment among the urban poor in the city as well as contribute to the attainment of food security through an urban farm-cum-restaurant social enterprise.

II. Description of the Product or Service

                                    Photo credit to Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research 

The Balangayan Kitchen shall be situated in a hectare of land within the urban or peri-urban area of Butuan City. It shall feature a community urban farm as well as a restaurant that will both be managed and operated by members of the urban poor residing near the social enterprise.

The urban farm shall employ organic agriculture practices to ensure that its produce will be safe and healthy and that its carbon footprint will be kept to a minimum. Meanwhile, the restaurant shall mainly serve to its customers vegetable dishes in which the ingredients shall come from the urban farm. Excess vegetable and fruit products may be sold or donated to charity organizations. Unsold food in the restaurant will also be donated or distributed to the adjacent communities to avoid food wastage.

III. Benefits to Stakeholders

                                                               Photo credit to delish.com.

The Balangayan Kitchen offers various benefits to its different stakeholders. For the enterprise’s members, they will be provided a substantial share of the profits from the operations. The enterprise will likewise guarantee that its members will be empowered to contribute to its success. They will be trained on organic farming, food preparation, food and beverage servicing, and business management. Towards this end, partnership with the Department of Agriculture and TESDA will be utilized. When the enterprise is already stable, it may eventually offer catering services which has a high-demand in Butuan City being the administrative and business center of Caraga Region. Members will also be trained to become trainers of urban farming for an additional income stream. It is also envisioned that food prepared in the restaurant will always have an allocation for the families of the members to ensure that they are able to eat three meals a day.

The enterprise shall also contribute to the attainment of food security in the city as it shall produce vegetables that are accessible and affordable. For its consumers, they will be able to enjoy reasonably-priced, fresh, and healthy food.  

IV. Value Proposition

                                                        Photo credit to Chris Clemente/ABS-CBN News.

Balangayan Kitchen will become a model social enterprise that shall center on providing decent income opportunities to its urban poor members. It shall also endeavor to promote healthy eating habits among its members and customers.

Moreover, Balangayan Kitchen is expected to play a substantial role for the city’s food security. As mentioned earlier, it is very viable for the enterprise to offer affordable vegetable and fruit products due to its proximity to the market which reduces transportation costs and eliminates middle men. Balangayan Kitchen is also expected to become more relevant during calamities when food distribution systems are disrupted as it may immediately help supply the needs of the city.

Balangayan Kitchen also has a valuable proposition to the environment. Not only will the application of organic agriculture reduce its carbon footprint, but it shall also contribute to waste reduction. Since compost will be heavily used in the urban farm, the enterprise may also become a buying station for compostable waste materials. Being located near the urban center, the greeneries of the urban garden may also help lessen urban heat in the city.

With the foregoing, the Balangayan Kitchen will be a social enterprise that will pursue the attainment of a triple-bottom line. True to the tenets of a social enterprise, its operations will be always be geared towards benefitting the community and the environment.

* A requirement under the course Social Entrepreneurship of the University of the Philippines Open University.