Child labour
Climate-resilient livelihoods to address child labour in Cotabato dumpsite
Climate-resilient livelihood support in duck raising and floating vegetable gardens open opportunities for community members and parents of child labourers to earn even during floods in Cotabato City.
22 May 2025
COTABATO, Philippines (ILO News) - Community members and parents of child labourers in Cotabato City receive training in duck raising and floating vegetable gardens for climate-resilient income and sustainable livelihoods.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) through its Achieving reduction of child labour in support of education (ARISE) Project spearheads the skills training and livelihood development in flood-prone areas of Cotabato City. The project, funded by the Government of Japan under the ILO/Japan Multi-bilateral Programme, aims to introduce duck farming and floating vegetable gardens as viable income-generating activities.
The livelihood support was implemented in partnership with the Cotabato City Agriculture Office and the Integrated Resource Development for Tri-people Inc. (IRDT). The Cotabato City Agriculture Office played a vital role in facilitating the transfer of technology.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ranks third in the country for the highest number of child labourers, according to a 2022 study, as a rider to the Labor Force Survey in 2022 by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
To address this issue, the ILO-Japan project focuses on improving education, economic empowerment, and social mobilization, alongside enhancing regulatory frameworks and institutional development.
Duck raising and floating gardens offer a climate-resilient income source for communities in flood-prone areas. These innovative solutions thrive in environments like Poblacion 9, where traditional livelihoods are often disrupted by floods.
"We can still earn an income if this continues because the floating garden will not be destroyed even when there are floods. The ducks, when they lay eggs, can be used to make salted eggs and balut," explained 23-year-old Alibai Fatima, a former child labourer in the Poblacion 9 dumpsite.
Parents of child labourers were identified and profiled through the project's pilot test of the Child Labour Monitoring System, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), local governments and key partners in Cotabato City and South Upi. This system enables community members to understand and identify hazardous and worst forms of child labour, such as working in dumpsites.
"We have lived in the dumpsite for 10 years. Three of my children work with me at the dumpsite for our family to survive. We were identified and profiled to be part of this training. Our income from scavenging is not enough, and this will help us," shared 30-year-old Fatima Pantao.
A referral system, including Community-Based Service Outlets (CBSO), will be established to support the livelihoods of parents of child labourers, while also continuing efforts to monitor and address the worst forms of child labour.
A community support organization that brings together floating vegetable gardeners, will foster strong ties with the local government. This will make it easier to link with agricultural organizations and markets through the ICCAFC (Independent Component City of Agriculture and Fishery Council) and Agribusiness Banner Programme.
Further training in financial literacy and organizational management will provide ongoing support and skill development.
"The duck raising and floating garden can help increase our income. We can sell our vegetables in the market and grow our business as a community. This ILO project can also withstand floods. The garden will simply absorb and float. We also build it using resources such as water hyacinths, which are abundant in our area. These water hyacinths will also be used to create handicrafts," stated Misuari Ulama, Vice-President of one of the community organizations in Poblacion 9.
The trainings were held in Cotabato City at the Climate Smart Agriculture Training Center and the Senior Citizen Hall, which provided the training venue for free. The duck raising and floating garden setups were done through hands-on training in Poblacion 9.
This effort is a crucial step in providing communities with sustainable and climate-resilient livelihoods, while supporting child labourers and their families in BARMM. It is aligned with the initiatives of the Cotabato City Council Against Child Labour (CCCACL) which aims to eliminate child labour in the city. The CCCACL was established with support from MOLE and ILO.
