PRDP inFOCUS 1st QTR 2024

Stories inside this issue

PRDP Caraga turns over P4.2M abaca subproject to MUFACO

The ‘Abaca Fiber Processing and Marketing’ subproject was officially turned over to the Muritula Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (MUFACO) on March 21 at Brgy. Muritula, San Luis, Agusan del Sur.

The subproject, totaling P4.2M, aims to address constraints in the postharvest and processing of abaca fibers in the municipality of San Luis. This includes the provision of hauling vehicles, nine units of mobile stripping machines, heavy-duty weighing scales, and additional

buying capital, among others.

MUFACO Chairman Santos

A. Escalicas expressed his gratitude for the culmination of the cooperative’s efforts. He says that the interventions they’ve received from DA PRDP thus far have already resulted in noticeable improvements in the cooperative’s operations, especially in facilitating the consolidation of abaca fibers across six barangays in the municipality.

‘We were able to avail of nine mobile stripping machines from DA-PRDP, which

RPAB

Industry stakeholders collaborate in creation of free-range chicken VCA

SES conducts Training on Bioengineering and Construction Supervision

approves 300M FMR in Dinagat Islands

Capacitating Proponent Groups through Business Plan writeshop

Refining provincial roadmaps through PCIP workshop

Impact of rubber enterprise assessed through RAEB

quarterly newsletter of the DA - Philippine Rural Development Project - Regional Project Coordination Office - Caraga

Refining provincial roadmaps for agriculture through PCIP workshop

As provinces in the Caraga region work to update their Provincial Commodity Investment Plans (PCIPs) for 2024 - 2026, PRDP Caraga’s I-PLAN Component conducted a PCIP Compliance and Review Workshop from March 25 – 27, in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte.

The workshop aims to facilitate and fast-track the updating of commodity investment plans within the region.

The PCIP is a three-year consensus plan that serves as a provincial roadmap for development in the agriculture and fisheries sector. It is a PRDP tool that ensures resources are fully maximized by laying out priority programs and projects for investments in agriculture.

IPLAN Component Head Roberto Hipolao, Jr. underscored the timeliness of the workshop as the

Project moves to a new phase with the implementation of the expanded PRDP Scale-Up.

‘The PCIP is a living document encompassing not only PRDP-funded investments but also the overall direction of agricultural development within each province,’ he adds.

Consultations with the various

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Industry stakeholders collaborate in creation of free-range chicken VCA

In pursuit of crafting the Value Chain Analysis (VCA) for the free-range chicken industry in the Caraga region, PRDP Caraga’s I-PLAN component invited various industry stakeholders for a VCA Writeshop and Consultation from January 23 – 26, in Butuan City.

Inputs from various stakeholders within the value chain will serve to enhance the ongoing creation of a Value Chain Analysis for freerange chicken. A scientific approach

employed by DA-PRDP, the VCA is a framework seeking to analyze specific activities through which interventions can create value and competitive advantage within the various segments of the chain.

While the broiler chicken industry is more established, free-range chicken holds great potential in complementing the supply of poultry within the region. Once approved, the VCA will serve as a basis for the

regional development of this industry.

Core provincial planning teams and staff from veterinary offices and the Department of Agriculture’s Livestock program reviewed strategies and interventions in the development of the free-range chicken industry, as well as opportunities to catalyze public agencies and engage with the private sector.

Capacitating Proponent Groups through Business Plan writeshop

To foster sustainable enterprise subprojects, PRDP Caraga’s I-REAP component held a Business Plan Writeshop for Enterprising Proponent Groups (PGs) on January 22 – 26, at Butuan City.

The writeshop, held in preparation for the implementation of proposed enterprises under DA-PRDP’s Second Additional Financing (AF2), aims to assist PGs in the formulation and refinement of their Business Plan.

‘By capacitating our Proponent Groups, we aim to inculcate a sense of ownership over their proposed subprojects. Through this, members are involved in strategic planning over how to make their subprojects sustainable,’ said Ronald G. Camba, Organizational Development Officer for PRDP Caraga.

I-REAP Component Head Lynn A. Pareñas also emphasized the

importance of a sound and viable Business Plan for smooth and efficient subproject implementation.

Staff from PRDP Caraga’s various components held lectures on the contents of the Business Plan and the Economic and Financial Analysis (EFA), guidelines on upholding Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES), geo mapping tools and technologies, and procurement processes and documents, among others. One-onone coaching sessions were also held to refine the PGs’ outputs.

Four Proponent Groups and their cluster members participated in the writeshop, including the Kipundao Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (KISFAMCO) from Buenavista, Agusan del Norte; the Perlas ng Silangan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PERLASSCOOP) from Surigao City; the Garcia Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (GARBECO) from Sta. Monica, Surigao del Norte; and the Mabog Agricultural and Industrial

Producers Association (MAIPA) from Bislig City.

With their packaged Business Plans in tow, the four PGs and their cluster members also underwent assessments of their enterprises and their training needs, profiling of the members of the Proponent Group, and capacity building activities focused on strategic planning for their proposed enterprises.

‘Capacitating our PGs is important as this ensures the sustainability of their subprojects. We want to accurately address their needs in organizational and enterprise management,’ adds Camba.

All four Proponent Groups are eligible for funding under the Second Additional Financing.

Impact of Rubber enterprise assessed through RAEB

To capture the socioeconomic benefits gained from a completed rubber subproject, DA-PRDP Caraga’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit spearheaded a Rapid Appraisal of Emerging Benefits (RAEB) at the KM7 Farmers Producer Cooperative (KFPC) in Barangay Tungao, Butuan City.

Developed and rolled out since 2016, the RAEB is a PRDP evaluation tool used to monitor completed infrastructure and enterprise subprojects under PRDP’s I-BUILD and I-REAP components, respectively.

‘In the conduct of the RAEB, we are focused on determining the success of individual subprojects and how these achievements align with the project development objectives of DA-PRDP’, says M&E Unit Head Menchie A. Samorano.

To gauge the subproject’s impact on its beneficiaries, PRDP Caraga’s RAEB team, with assistance from the Project Support Office (PSO)

Mindanao, conducted household surveys, focus group discussions with farmer-beneficiaries and LGU partners, farm profiling and geotagging, and on-the-spot interviews from January 29 to February 2.

Boosting the rubber industry of Butuan

Completed in June 2020, the Integrated Rubber Production and Marketing subproject was implemented to address constraints in the production, input supply, and processing of rubber crumb in Butuan City.

The subproject, which totals to P22,184,350.13, includes the turn-over of a newly-constructed warehouse for rubber cup lump consolidation, a seedling production facility building, a hauling truck, and various planting materials.

‘The subproject was created to respond to the different problems of rubber farmers in Butuan City,

especially low productivity, lack of organization, and insufficient access to infrastructure. This is in line with the primary goal of the enterprise component: to strengthen agri-fisheries enterprises by raising their incomes and generating more jobs,’ says Ameroche Caba, PSO Mindanao Organizational Development Specialist.

Jesus Ojario, a member of KFPC’s board of directors, illustrates the contrast in production before and after DA-PRDP’s interventions: ‘Before, our old clones were not as productive and only yielded about ¼ of a kilo every 15 days. Today, with the new clones provided by DA-PRDP, we can produce 1 kilo per tree for every 15 days.’

Apart from increased production, the cooperative has also seen a transformation in the quality of their rubber. ‘We used to gather our yield using only coconut husks. The problem was, we would place these directly on the ground and dirt would get mixed into our latex. Buyers would reduce the price from P25 to P20 per kilo because of the contamination,’ shares Jerico Ayuban, a rubber farmer and member of KFPC.

‘DA-PRDP has trained us on Good Agricultural Practices in rubber production, and we’ve taught our members good practices in tapping management. Because of these interventions, the cooperative can produce 15 tons every 15 days,’ adds Samuel Calawigan Jr., KFPC Chairman.

Interestingly, the cooperative attributes their success to a strategic intersection of DA-PRDP interventions. While livelihoods have been improved with the completed enterprise subproject, it was the DA-PRDP farm-to-market road that facilitated the expansion of their markets.

The Lauan – Tud-ol FMR is a 9.82-kilometer farm-to-market road that traverses the barangays of Tungao and San Mateo. Completed in 2022, it aims to complement the enterprise subproject in connecting the enterprise to wider markets.

‘In making our deliveries to Butuan before, vegetables that would weigh 20 kilos would be reduced to 8 kilos. Buyers refused to purchase damaged

crops. Hauling our products used to take us three days to finish. Today we can finish it within a day,’ shares Jerico.

Thriving through the holistic support of DA-PRDP, today the cooperative has begun venturing into diversified farming.

‘We have expanded to different commodities through diversified farming. We intercrop our rubber plantations with various crops –some cultivate pineapples, bananas, a variety of vegetables, coffee, and more,’ says Samuel.

Mainstreaming the RAEB tool

The rapid appraisal of the rubber enterprise marks the first RAEB conducted by the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) Caraga in 2024. In line with DA’s directive to institutionalize the tools and processes of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), it also capacitated and actively involved technical staff from DA’s regular

programs and special projects.

Deputy Project Director Jodel A. Tabada cites the RAEB as one of PRDP’s best practices, expressing her hope that it will be institutionalized into DA’s regular programs as this will aid in the evaluation of its completed projects.

‘PRDP has invested considerably into the crafting of the RAEB tool. It is a ready tool that can be adopted by DA’s regular programs to improve postproject assessment and even improve its pre-implementation,’ adds M&E unit head Menchie Samorano.

Technical staff from the Planning and Monitoring Evaluation Division (PMED), Field Operations Division (FOD), Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), and the newly-launched Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) actively participated in the conduct of the RAEB.

RPAB approves 300M FMR in Dinagat Islands

Caraga’s Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) approved a 9.4-kilometer farm-to-market road in the Province of Dinagat Islands, estimated to cost P341,471,771, in a deliberation and special meeting held last January 22, in Butuan City.

The board, chaired by the Department of Agriculture Caraga, held a special meeting to fast-track the implementation of subprojects under the PRDP Scale-Up. This included discussions on strategies to resolve bottlenecks and issues in subproject implementation.

The RPAB, an interagency multidisciplinary team, is not only responsible for the review and approval of PRDP subprojects, it also provides advisory and

guidance to improve Project performance.

As preparations continue for the implementation of the Scale-Up, RPAB Caraga also approved the Sering – Plaridel Farm-to-Market Road, a 9.4-kilometer FMR that will traverse the municipalities of Libjo and Basilisa.

Set to benefit 3,659 households, the FMR is seen to connect cassava farmers to wider markets, boosting the cassava industry of the island.

Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo Demerey expressed his excitement over the subproject’s progress as this will not only spur economic development within the province, it will also aid the local government’s disaster response.

components under DA-PRDP were conducted to refine the updated commodity investment plans.

Under the PRDP Scale-Up, climate risk and resiliency factors will be integrated into the crafting of the PCIP.

Moving forward, the component aims to strengthen its existing partnerships with local government units in the region. It also looks to solidify its convergence efforts with various stakeholders and partners in agricultural development by institutionalizing investment-leveraging within the whole Department of Agriculture.

IN PHOTOS: Core provincial planning teams gathered to fast-track the updating of their Provincial Commodity Investment Plans.

The PCIP serves as a provincial roadmap for agriculture.

SES conducts Bioengineering and Construction Supervision Training

The Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Unit continues to equip themselves to carry out their roles effectively and ensure that subprojects are not only economically and financially viable, but also environmentally and socially sound and sustainable.

With this, the Caraga Region hosted the Training on Bioengineering and Training on Construction Supervision and Management from January 30 - February 1, in Butuan City.

SES Focal Persons and Rural Infrastructure Engineers from all the PRDP Regional Coordination Offices and clusters nationwide were in attendance.

National SES Unit Head and recently designated as OIC National Deputy Project Director Angelita D. Martir led the group’s capability-building activity.

Director Martir commended the SES Team from the Region to the National Office for their commitment to making sure that compliance guidelines are met before the start of every project and urged everyone to continue to set the bar high in safeguarding the people and environment within the subproject sites under DA-PRDP.

On the last day of the training, the

group visited the Amparitas farm of Engr. Ramon Barbosa in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, where they were exposed to the Coco Coir Processing Site and the use of Coconet as a Bioengineering solution for slope protection and slope stabilization.

SES Focal Persons visited the Amparitas Farm, where they were exposed to Coconet as a Bioengineering solution.

RPCO 13 Project Director Engr. Ricardo Oñate, Jr. with Tribal Chief Rolito Peñaloga, Sr.

we used to establish buying stations in the barangays assisting associations that have had difficulties operating. We distributed stripping machines to six cluster associations in six barangays. We hope that this will encourage them as having these machines will also improve the quality of their fibers,’ adds Escalicas.

IREAP Component Head Lynn A. Pareñas congratulated MUFACO for reaching a significant milestone in their journey, emphasizing that while the turn-over signifies the completion of their subproject, it marks only the beginning for the cooperative.

MUFACO Manager Antonino Real takes this challenge head-on, expressing the cooperative’s vision for their enterprise moving forward.

‘This is just the beginning for us. Of course, we will work hard to expand the enterprise and sustain it so that our children can also benefit from this subproject. Future generations will no longer have to face the struggles we faced in marketing our products,’ said Real.

CARAGA

PRDP InFOCUS is the quarterly newsletter of the Department of Agriculture (DA) — Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) Caraga

Technical review of PRDP infra subprojects

With preparations underway for the implementation of the PRDP Scale-Up, DA-PRDP Caraga conducted a joint technical review of three proposed infrastructure subprojects in Surigao del Norte from February 22 – 23, 2024.

The technical review aims to conduct a thorough review of each subproject’s technical documents and requirements, ensuring that PRDP guidelines are strictly followed in subproject preparation.

The proposed infrastructure subprojects aim to support the coconut industry in Surigao del Norte, particularly in providing unhampered access to wider markets and expanded opportunities.

These include a 6.7-kilometer farmto-market road with bridge traversing the barangays of Trinidad and Mabini in Surigao City; a 3.49-kilometer FMR with bridge traversing the barangays of Cantugas and Gacepan in the municipality of Sison; and a 5.19-kilometer FMR with bridge traversing barangays Tagbayani to Mayag.

The I-BUILD or infrastructure component under the PRDP Scale-Up will focus on delivering climate-resilient access and value chain infrastructure support to build up distribution hubs and logistics systems.

MUFACO Chairman Santos A. Escalicas saw the turn-over as a culmination of the cooperative’s hard work and efforts.

(From right) IREAP Component Head Lynn A. Pareñas, Municipal Agriculturist Caesar G. Burdeos, MUFACO Chairman Santos A. Escalicas, MUFACO Manager Antonino Real, and Agricultural Technologist Joan S. Burdeos.