JOSE ABAD SANTOS (September 11) — Discarded coconut husks could soon become a source of income and a tool against flooding and soil erosion in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.
The Department of Science and Technology-Davao has provided P680,000 to the municipal government for the Sustainable Management and Adaptive Resilience Technologies for Bio-based Utilization and Nurturing of Organic Technologies (Smart-Bunot) Project.
Under the project, a community-based facility will process coconut husks, locally known as bunot, into coco coir fiber, coco peat, twine and erosion-control coco logs.
Mayor Jason John A. Joyce said the municipality plans to use the products for both livelihood and disaster risk reduction.
“We intend to value-add this and use the value-added products in our Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Strategies in Jose Abad Santos,” Joyce said during the Kapihan sa PIA on Sept. 1 at the SPAMAST Main Campus in Malita, held as part of the Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Week 2026.
From waste to protection
The project grew from a simple local problem: piles of coconut husks being left as agricultural waste.
DOST-Davao Occidental Provincial Director Maria Victoria I. Dado said the agency and the local government began exploring ways to turn the husks into useful products instead of letting them accumulate.
The processed coconut fiber and logs can be used for soil stabilization and erosion control, while the other products can provide raw materials for small-scale enterprises.
For communities exposed to heavy rains and flooding, Joyce said the project could provide a practical way to combine environmental management, disaster preparedness and livelihood development.
“We are honored to partner with DOST for knowledge-based and science-based interventions, especially to address challenges posed by extreme weather disturbances,” he said.
Jobs from coconut waste
The project will also provide training and other community interventions aimed at women, youth and Indigenous Peoples.
For local residents, the goal is to create opportunities beyond simply collecting or disposing of coconut waste. Processing the husks locally could allow communities to earn from products made from a material that was previously treated as waste.
Dado said the initiative supports a bio-circular-green economy, in which waste is recovered and turned into useful products.
The Smart-Bunot project was among the science and technology initiatives highlighted during the province’s RSTW 2026 celebration, which showcased projects focused on food security, livelihoods, environmental protection and community resilience.
For Jose Abad Santos, the project puts science and technology to work on a problem residents can see every day: turning coconut waste into something that can help families earn and communities better withstand extreme weather.
