THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental - North is assessing the impact of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic on its agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (Arbos) as it implements the "Reassessing the Covid-19 Environment for the Recovery of Arbos" (Recover Arbo) roadmap.
This "Recover Arbo" assessment plan is a tool designed to capture vital information on the status of different organizations assisted by the DAR during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The plan will also identify the effects of the pandemic on different aspects of the Arbos' operations and the support services they needed to continue their operations under the "new normal" environment.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer I Milagros Flores, in a statement, said they seek to determine the operation status of the farmer-organizations, specifically during pre-pandemic and its onset.
This will enable the DAR to analyze the extent of restrictions affecting their membership, organizational management, business enterprises and gross sales, among others, she added.
Aisha May Ardiente, Social Infrastructure Building Section Chief under the Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD), said the agency will continue to identify the much-needed interventions for farmer-beneficiaries to allay the adverse effects of Covid-19 and for faster recovery of their organizations.
For DAR-Negros Occidental, the initiative is designed to capture their experiences during the pandemic and how community quarantine measures affected the organizations as a whole.
It is also designed to determine the assistance needed by the Arbos in pursuing their operations under the "new normal" condition.
It said the assessment will capture a mix of quantitative and qualitative data on the status of the Arbos particularly their plans and the assistance they will need in order to operate amid the crisis.
"This will then provide rich information that shall provide the basis for the development of appropriate programs and projects for farmer-beneficiaries," it said.
With Negros Occidental still under the modified general community quarantine, the activity has complied with the minimum health protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health.