From Research to Community Action in Palawan, Philippines

Global CFaH

In January 2026, partners from the Global Community Food and Health (CFaH) team at Western Philippines University (WPU) convened a series of community-centred activities in San Rafael, Palawan. These engagements brought together students, educators, local government stakeholders and community members across multiple sites, including San Rafael National High School, Palawan State University’s San Rafael campus, and the Barangay Hall. These engagements spanned multiple sites, including San Rafael National High School, Palawan State University - San Rafael Campus, and the Barangay Hall, ensuring participation across age groups, from school-aged children to elders. At the centre of these activities was a Community Food Day, designed not simply as an event, but as a space for exchange. Participants shared food, knowledge and lived experiences, demonstrating how local practices intersect with broader efforts to improve nutrition, strengthen food systems and respond to climate pressures.

In the Philippines, ongoing activities include post-intervention training on nutrition, food processing, and organic farming, as well as multi-stakeholder policy dialogues and other actions to support long-term uptake and adaptation. The engagements form part of Global CFaH’s wider approach to connecting research with real-world application. Rather than positioning communities as recipients of knowledge, the project prioritises co-creation, ensuring that interventions are shaped by those most directly affected. This ensures that research outputs are integrated into community engagement and advocacy. 

Alongside the Community Food Day, WPU facilitated an academic development workshop within the community. This created a two-way learning environment, where researchers and community members could engage directly, bridging academic insights with everyday realities. The result is a more grounded approach to research, where evidence is continuously informed by practice. These activities also contribute to longer-term outputs, including policy briefs, community-facing materials and future publications. Post-intervention efforts are already underway, with training sessions focused on nutrition, food processing and organic farming. In parallel, multi-stakeholder dialogues are supporting the development of locally relevant policy responses, while the Global CFaH toolkit is being adapted for use within the Philippine context.

What emerges from this work beyond a single intervention, is a process. By combining training, dialogue and participatory engagement, Global CFaH partners are strengthening relationships with communities while supporting practical, locally driven solutions. In San Rafael, this approach is already visible. Knowledge is being shared across generations, local food practices are being reinforced, and research is being translated into action that reflects the realities of the community. 

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