WB: DA-MRDP boosts income of poor in Mindanao The World Bank (W B) has seen 15.5 percent (%) rise in the income of poor families, particularly those who benefited from the Mindanao Rural Development Program phase 2 (MRDP2), a WB-funded program implemented by the Department of Agriculture. WB lead rural development specialist Carolina FigueroaGeron said DA-MRDP2 has contributed to increasing the income of beneficiaries, mostly small farmers and fisherfolk, during a press briefing January 30, 2012, in Davao. Geron said from a baseline of P71,822 income in 2007, the average income of MRDP2 household-beneficiaries has increased by 15.5% to P82,926. The accomplishment is more than twice the 7% target increase. “Despite the 18-month hiatus on the earlier part of implementation, the program is almost on-track, and has exceeded a number of its targets as of midterm,” Geron said. For her part, MRDP2 program director Lealyn Ramos said the
strong partnership of the local government units and the Program’s holistic approach to development has contributed to increasing the beneficiaries’ incomes, along with other positive results in respective communities covered by the Program. “We also owe this feat to the strong support of the local chief executives who are at the forefront of project implementation,” said Ramos, who is also concurrent DA Region 10 director. The MRDP2 has a total fund of $123.57 million to undertake four major components. These include: 1. Rural Infrastructure (RI) - like irrigation, farm-to-market roads (FMRs), bridges, potable water supply (PW S), pre- and postharvest facilities; 2. Community Fund for Agricultural Development (CFAD) – for resource-based livelihood projects; 3. Natural Resources Management (NRM) - environment conservation initiatives; and 4. Investment for Governance Reform – to capacitate LGUs in the delivery of basic services.
Sen. Pangilinan, Sec Alcala launch ‘Sagip Saka.’ Senator
Francis Pangilinan (right) and Secretary Alcala (third from left) hand over a golden shovel to Felix Baguilat, representing the first batch of beneficiaries of ‘Sagip Saka,’ an advocacy aimed at transforming agricultural communities to reach their full potential, improving farmers’ and fishers’ quality of life, and bridging gaps through public-private partnerships. Launched January 27 at Club Filipino in San Juan, Sagip Saka has an initial seed fund of P129 million to implement various projects of the initial batch of 24 farmers’ groups and communities. Of the amount, Senator Pangilinan has allotted P100 from his Priority Assistance Development Fund, while the Department of Agriculture is sharing P20 million to rehabilitate the Ifugao Rice Terraces. The provincial government of Cavite is allocating P5 million for coffee projects, while several LGUs in Bicol region are pitching in a total of P4 million for their respective Sagip Saka projects. Joining them in the photo is Oriental Mindoro Gov. Aurelio Umali. February 2012
DA-NIA to complete P498-M irrigation in Misamis Oriental.
Secretary Alcala (left) inspects the Balingasag River irrigation project along with National Irrigation Administrator Antonio Nangel during a three-day regional visit in Northern Mindanao, Feb 1-3, 2012. Once completed, the P498-million irrigation system will serve 2,500 hectares, benefiting 2,123 farm-families in the towns of Balingasag and Lagonglong, in Misamis Oriental, ensuring yearround palay production. Last year, Misamis Oriental produced close to 26,500 metric tons of palay from 6,400 hectares, of which 5,950 hectares are irrigated. The project will greatly contribute to increasing the province’s palay harvest in succeeding years, and attain selfsufficiency within the next two years, Alcala said. The Program has a total of 499 RI subprojects (under various stages of implementation), amounting to P4.80 billion. Of which, 375 are FMRs, amounting to P3.53 billion; 29 bridges – P293.76 million; 30 communal irrigation systems – P668.1 million; and 48 PWS – P298.12 million. The remaining 27 subprojects consist of other infrastructures has a total amount of P30.86 million. Of the total infrastructure projects, 101 subprojects were completed, amounting to P489.73 million. These include 74 FMRs, with a total length of 236.34 km, amounting to P379.95 million; 7 single-lane bridges with a total length of 102.60 lm – P23.48 million; 1 communal irrigation, servicing 100 hectares – P10.578 million; 14 PWS – P65.94 million; and 5 other infrastructure subproj ects consist mostly of postharvest facilities – P9.77 million. Of the livelihood subprojects under CFAD, 1,150 subprojects were completed, 486 are on-going, and 899 are for implementation. The MRDP has expanded the CFAD coverage by increasing the municipal LGUs’ funding allocation from P2.5 million to P5million.
Further, it has engaged the provincial LGUs as direct implementers of CFAD projects with a maximum fund of P10 million. The increased funding allocation is expected to boost beneficiaries’ capacity to develop their livelihood into agribusiness enterprises. Farm and Non-farm income W ith the infrastructure and livelihood projects now operational, the beneficiaries are earning from both farm and non-farm incomes. The baseline farm income of P40,093 has also increased by almost 27 percent to P50,869 by mid-term, while income from non-farm activities slightly rose by 1% to P32,082 from P31,729. “As roads have become more accessible, farmers are able to bring in more inputs, cultivate more farm lands to expand production which in turn increase their yield and boost income,” Ramos said. She added that farmers also earned from value-adding as well as save in hauling cost. “In addition more sari-sari stores are opening up, more jeepneys and motorcycles are plying the route of these previously inaccessible bara-ngays,” she added.(Sherwin B. Manual, DA-MRDP)
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