WB assessing impact of antipoverty program in
A team from the World Bank (WB) is now reviewing the antipoverty program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in
The WB is assessing the impact of agricultural infrastructure, livelihood, governance reform and environmental projects implemented by the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP APL2).
Jointly funded by the World Bank, the national government and local government units (LGUs), MRDP is a five-year program geared towards uplifting the lives of the poorest of the poor in Mindanao by increasing income of farmers, capacitating women and indigenous peoples, and enhancing local governance and environmental protection.
The three-week review mission started in Davao City last Wednesday, March 24, and regional consultations in the cities of General Santos, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro and Butuan will follow in the weeks ahead.
During a workshop in
Fondevilla also cited the program partners for making use of the workshop to thoroughly review the MRDP with an eye on fine-tuning it to make it a truly sustainable, high-impact program.
Also present during the workshop were DA regional executive directors Carlos Mendoza for the Davao region and Lealyn Ramos for Northern Mindanao, who is concurrent MRDP program director; Carolina Geron, who is the World Bank task team leader for the MRDP; and MRDP deputy program director Arnel de Mesa.
“MRDP is a package of investments which combines the infrastructure project and livelihoods, reforms on local governance and environmental conservation to create impressive impacts on poor rural communities,” said Ramos.
Now on its third year of implementation, MRDP reported to have accomplished P131 million worth of agricultural infrastructure of which over to 66 kilometers of farm-to-market roads have been established, 6 linear meter of bridge and four units of potable water systems erected serving over 600 households.
With the counterpart of beneficiaries, about P87 million worth of various agri-based livelihoods were created benefiting mostly women and Indigenous Peoples and P42 million had been invested for environmental conservation and protection.
Figueroa-Geron heads the evaluating team together with various consultants. Geron is also the WB’s lead rural development specialist for rural development, natural resources and environment sector for
Ramos said the program has successfully overcome major bottlenecks in the past three years of implementation owing to stakeholders’ confidence in the program, particularly the LGUs.
“With the strong dedication of the LGUs as lead implementers of the program, we have created jobs, we’ve opened opportunities and we have seen significant difference in the economic activities of rural
Regional Gawad Saka winners declared
Regional Executive Director Oscar O. Parawan has recently declared eight regional Gawad Saka who will be honored and given awards during the farmers and fisherfolk’s month in May.
According to Parawan the Gawad Saka Award is an annual search of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to showcase agriculture as a competitive economic activity as well as promoting integrated farming with crops, vegetables and livestocks as a profitable venture of the farmer/fisherfolk or organization which will benefit the Filipinos by increasing food supply to sustain national food security.
The DA executive director named the Gawad Saka awardees as Agricultural Achievers for the year 2010 as follows: Two from
Three winners come from Molave municipality - Noel delos Reyes of barangay Maloloy-on as Outstanding Rice Farmer; Dindo delos Santos, 25, of barangay Culo is the Outstanding Young Farmer while Adelberto Baniqued of barangay Makuguihon as Outstanding Farmer for High Value Commercial Crops.
The Farm Family category winner is Mr.& Mrs. Rogelio Maata and family of barangay Maleyo, Dumingag municipality, and Lakewood Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative (LAFAMCO) for the Small Farmers Organization category.
This year’s Outstanding Corn Farmer is Cesar Malinao, Jr. of barangay Venus, Sergio Osmeña, Zamboanga del Norte.
It may be known that Parawan issued Special Order No. 4 dated Jan. 26, 2010 for the conduct of Annual Search along with the creation of the Regional Search and Technical Working committees chaired by Regional Technical Director Constancio Alama.
Adjudged Agricultural Achievers have passed the search and evaluation process set by the Search Committee. They all have complete records of their farm operations and expenses for two years immediately preceding the evaluation period.
At least 15 categories were vied for the Gawad Saka awards. The other seven which the region do not have awardees are: 1) Coconut Farmer, 2) Fisherfolk – fish culture, 3) fisherfolk (fish capture), 4) Rural Improvement Club, 5) Agricultural Entrepreneur, 6) Agricultural and Fishery Council and 7) Young Farmers/Fisherfolk Organization.
If Molave in Zamboanga del Sur has three achievers this year, Labangan for the last three consecutive years has produced National Gawad Saka awardees. Last year, the National winner for Rice Farmer was Bonifacio Corpuz of Dalapang, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur. Corpuz is a living example of the saying: “from rugs to riches” due to farming.
The family of Mr. & Mrs. Reynaldo Montañez of barangay Lantian, Labangan was also adjudged as Farm Family National Gawad Saka awardee.
In 2008, a lady Small Animal Raiser Annie Sitjar, also of barangay Lantian, Labangan won the national distinction nation.
Corpuz and Montanez couple and Sitjar were among lucky farmers who were received Presidential Citation from President Gloria Arroyo, cash awards and Gawad Saka trophy.
In 2004, Constancio Ceniza of Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur was the National Gawad Saka Awardee as Coconut Farmer.
The Gawad Saka is an annual search since the 70s to give honor and recognition to farmers and institutions for advancing and promoting Philippine Agriculture. (Remai S. Alejado/DA9)
