THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed P2.4 million worth of livelihood assistance to five agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (Arbos) in the northern part of Negros Occidental recently.
The Ma-aslob ARB Association in Barangay Ma-aslob in Calatrava; Sitio Calaptan Sta. Ana Ascalon Farmers Association in Barangay San Isidro in E.B. Magalona; and Merian Small Farmers Association Inc. and Barangay San Pablo Farmworkers Association in Barangay San Pablo in Manapla received farm productivity support packages.
The other recipient-Arbo, San Jose United Agrarian Reform Farmers Association at Barangay San Jose in Toboso, received a sugarcane production bundle.
Rizalina Yuguing, officer-in-charge chief agrarian reform program officer of the DAR's Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD), said the agency has enabled the Arbos to plan, setup, start and operate a livelihood business undertaking through the provision of seed capital, business training and technical marketing assistance services.
The distribution of livelihood support will benefit an aggregate of 152 farmer-beneficiaries as well as their respective families and communities.
The projects under the Convergence on Livelihood Assistance for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Project (Claap) were turned over in a series of ceremonies held on February 4, 5, 9, and 16 this year.
Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Ma. Victoria Delgado of DAR-Manapla Municipal Office, in one of the turnover rites, said “our mission is to provide and create income-generating opportunities for you, our ARBs, to help all of you earn a steady and sufficient income through livelihood and micro-enterprises.”
The DAR is also working on enabling farmer-beneficiaries to optimize the use of land awarded to them through Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp), she added.
After the project turnover, simultaneous activities such as technical capacity development including coaching and mentoring on fertilizer trading and management, enterprise-based organizing and market assistance will be conducted by the PBDD.
These are geared towards capacitating the Arbos with the necessary skill sets such as leadership and values formation, formulation of policies, systems and procedures, farm planning, recording and budgeting, crop protection, integrated pest management, record keeping, basic accounting for non-accountants as well as provision of various plant fertilizers as part of the seed capital assistance.
DAR-Negros Occidental, in a statement, said Claap is a collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that aims to expand and increase farmers' access to economic opportunities.
It said a total of P1 billion was allocated for the conduct and provision of social preparation, technical capacity building and capital assistance.
“Its purpose is for the establishment of livelihood and micro-enterprise projects duly identified and chosen by the farmer-beneficiaries themselves,” it added.
The DAR, through the PBDD’s Climate-Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPS), constitutes development and support services interventions through provision of training programs and construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure facilities.
Access to ARB households to basic social services is also included in this sector to ensure holistic support for the farmer-beneficiaries.
“The CRFPS is geared towards the goal of building resiliency for agrarian reform communities with an emphasis on enhancing and sustaining the agricultural productivity of the organizations as adaptation measures towards farming mechanization,” the agency said.
With Negros Occidental still under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the activities complied with the minimum health protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health, it said.