The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have launched a new partnership to revitalize fisheries and aquaculture across the region. Backed by the government of Japan, the initiative builds on years of collaboration to transform agriculture and fisheries into drivers of peace, productivity and resilience.
From emergency response and disaster risk reduction to empowering women, youth, internally displaced persons and former combatants, FAO has long worked with the Bangsamoro government and Mafar to make recovery more inclusive and sustainable. These efforts have been supported by partnerships with the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the governments of Australia and New Zealand, the European Union and others. Japan has also long supported peacebuilding and development initiatives in the region, providing valuable capacity-building projects with FAO.
The new project, Development of Sustainable Fishery Value Chains in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, draws on the lessons of past initiatives and is grounded in the belief that peace grows when people have the means — and the dignity — to sustain their livelihoods.
Barmm livelihoods recognized at N4G Summit in Paris
In March, the region's success in transforming the lives of women and youth IDPs was recognized during the Nutrition for Growth Summit in France. Then-Mafar Minister and now Barmm Senior Minister Mohammad S. Yacob highlighted how the United Nations Population Fund and FAO joint program, Resilient Livelihoods Development for Women and Youth IDPs in Maguindanao, supports food security, economic resilience and gender-just nutrition in the region.
The "Bai the Best!" brand of the joint program, composed of 27 community-based organizations, is led by displaced women and youth who process local produce into nutritious snacks and delicacies sold locally and internationally.
Yacob said the project, supported by the government of Australia, aligns interventions with community priorities and enables local ownership.
“Empowerment must go hand in hand with protection. When we strengthen local systems and invest in women, we strengthen the entire community,” he said.
The N4G Summit is an international conference hosted by the government of France that aims to set nutrition as a priority in the global development agenda and secure political and financial commitments in support of it.
New minister, new chapter for Mafar
With a new minister at the helm, the ceremonial signing of the $4.7 million Japan-funded project, held April 24, marked a major milestone for the region’s blue economy.
New Mafar Minister Abunawas Maslamama said, “Our partnership with FAO and the government of Japan is a demonstration of how collaborative efforts can drive transformative change at the grassroots level.”
More than 4,000 small-scale aquaculture farmers and fisherfolk across Barmm’s six provinces are expected to benefit from the project.
As the region embraces a new chapter of autonomy and recovery, FAO Representative in the Philippines Lionel Dabbadie reaffirmed the agency's commitment to deepening collaboration.
“Together, we aim to set a global example of how agrifood system transformation can be both inclusive and lasting,” he said. PR