THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental - North has turned over a small-scale mushroom production business to its assisted agrarian reform beneficiary organization (Arbo) at Barangay Malanog in Calatrava town recently.
A total of P210,000 worth of sustainable livelihood project was given to Malanog Agrarian Reform Farmers Association (Macarfa) by the DAR’s Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD) under its Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) unit.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer I Milagros Flores, who led the ceremony, said they hope that the signing of the trust agreement will pave a way for opportunities that will improve the lives of the farmer-beneficiaries.
“The success of this project will not be possible without your efforts in helping us achieve this milestone. May this project enable you to make use of your awarded Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) lands, provide you livelihood, and boost your economy,” she told the ARBs.
Macarfa, managing an aggregate of 108.8791 hectares, is composed of 40 ARBs and 27 farmworkers who are engaged in sugarcane plantation, rice farming, corn production and other root crops.
Included in the support services package is the distribution of 2,000 fruiting mushroom bags, construction of a shade house, and a series of technical capacity and development training.
DAR-Negros Occidental I said the activity is in response to bringing and rebuilding hope to disaster-affected areas in the northern part of the province.
Also, it aims to provide a sustainable and decent source of livelihood to help back the normalcy in their lives.
“Families of this disaster-stricken area will be eventually opened with opportunities in the improvement of their agricultural production, productivity and income, and bring prospects for agribusiness development,” it added.
The CRFPS provides priority support for highly vulnerable areas or rehabilitation for disaster-affected agrarian reform areas.
It is pursued through the provision of support to develop alternate livelihoods or rehabilitation of the existing livelihoods that were affected by the impacts of climate change.
The DAR, through the PBDD, constitutes development and support services interventions by the 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.
With Negros Occidental still under the modified general community quarantine, the activity has complied with the minimum health protocols set by authorities.