Photo: Shane Stagner | Unsplash
A predominantly women-run seaweed business in Balintang, Philippines, is thriving and helping to transform their community. In 2017, a group of women, with Mardy Montaño as president, created The Cherish Fisherfolk Cooperative in the Palawan village. Today, the female seaweed farmers celebrate their growing independence by helping pay for their children's education and by playing a larger role within their community. According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippines is the fourth largest producer of seaweed. Working together, the Cherish women gather in the huts each day, attaching seaweed cuttings to nylon ropes. The men bring the ropes offshore to the farms, and six weeks later the seaweed is harvested by The Cherish Fisherfolk Cooperative. Montaño believes the social aspect is just as important as the work itself. Through collaboration, the women support one another, developing a strong bond while financially supporting their village at the same time.
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