Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Forum set to examine rural development initiatives
A TWO-day development forum is slated on November 27-28 at Regency Inn in Davao City amid the widening perception of Mindanao's depressed economic situation.
The forum is expected to be attended by some 75 civil society leaders, executives of local governments and national agencies, and officials of aid organizations.
Dubbed as "Hope Amid Adversities," the forum examines concrete grassroots initiatives for rural development and understand the factors hindering and facilitating achievement of its desired results, said Salvador Feranil, chair of Philippine Network of Rural Development Institutes-Mindanao (Philnet-Mindanao) which hosts the gathering, along with Oxfam Great Britain Philippines Office.
This is vital in identifying what needs to be enhanced or what needs to change in the current policy setting in support of these initiatives, Feranil added.
The forum will also tackle ways by which civil society organizations, both the local and national governments, and funding donors broaden cooperation to respond to the challenge of sustaining and improving the grassroots initiatives.
"Sustainable community development is the strong foundation for enduring peace, the overarching goal we like achieved for Mindanao," Feranil said.
"It is important to note the force of a community acting in unity to achieve economic progress. But we must not negate the also important ingredient of an enabling government policy, which is external to the grassroots people's capacity, in making such progress really thrive," said Feranil.
Among the issues that will serve as backdrop of the forum are the unsatisfactory government record in pursuing agrarian reform, which is hindering the full enjoyment by farmers and farm workers of the fruits of their farm labor.
Another is the grant of entitlements to indigenous peoples over their ancestral domains, and the poor delivery of basic services such as water especially in the rural areas.
