SAADTalaan Quarterly Newsletter | Volume 1 Issue I

Volume I

Issue II

April-June 2023

SAADTALÁAN

Official Quarterly Newsletter of the Special Area for Agricultural Development Program Western Visayas

SAAD 6 PARTNERS WITH LGUS FOR FARMERS' LIVELIHOOD PROJECTS

By Christ John Gamarcha and Cedie Bataga

While the program is executing the budget for the current year (FY 2023), the Regional Program Management Support Office (RPMSO) of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) 6 reached out to the local government units (LGUs) and partner agencies to solicit assistance, and initiate meaningful partnership in preparation for the forthcoming FY 2024 implementation through the presentation of livelihood project proposals in each municipality.

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5 EDITORIAL | HOW SAAD HELPS FEATURE | NEGROS 5 FA PUTS UP TRANSFORM PRIMARY CAREGIVERS OWN MEAT SHOP AFTER STEADY INTO ECONOMIC MOVERS

INCOME FROM SAAD HOG PROJECT

6 NEWS | 26 FAS IN ILOILO, ANTIQUE, NEGROS OCC RECEIVE CAPBUILD TRAINING FOR AGRI-PROJECTS

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SAADTALÁAN

April-June 2023

of the recently-conducted Beneficiary Needs Assessment (BNA), and formulate directions appropriate for the next years.

To widen linkages during the program roll-out in the region, the implementers also involved in the activity the various DA Regional Field Office (RFO) 6 divisions such as Planning, Engineering, and Agri-Marketing Assistance.

Also involved were representatives from the Provincial Agriculture Offices of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, and Guimaras.

Mr. Dominador Marquez, Regional Technical Director for Operations and Extension, highlighted the importance of inter-agency collaboration and the whole-of-nation approach in project implementation to ensure project sustainability and success.

He also encouraged LGU partners to implement livelihood projects guided by the program’s ultimate goal of contributing to poverty reduction among marginalized farmers.

Mr. Andrew Palomar, SAAD Alternate Focal Person, presented the program’s implementation guidelines which are vital in the process of creating the workshop outputs.

Further, Regional Report Officer Mr. Michael Deve Perez discussed the program’s logical framework, selection of target beneficiaries, budget projections, and targets.

The RPMSO 6 led the two-day strategic planning workshop in Iloilo City on May 11-12, along with 20 LGU representatives from nine (9) recipient municipalities in the five (5) provinces of Antique, Aklan, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental, as well as their respective Agricultural Program Coordinating Officers (APCOs).

Their objective was to tailor-fit future projects based on beneficiaries’ dynamics on agricultural production such as their local farming practices, planting season, and commodity specialization, utilizing the results

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The LGU counterparts, assisted by the Regional Technical Staff, crafted their program plans aligned to the beneficiary’s needs and formulated directions appropriate for the next implementing years.

The conduct of such activity will further harmonize the FY 2024 project proposals with the farmers’ current situation. This strategy is part of the program’s bottom-up approach involving local leaders to further promote collaboration, foster partnership, and develop a sense of ownership of the livelihood projects received.

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SAADTALÁAN

April-June 2023

The municipal project proposals underwent critiquing from selected panels to ensure compliance with the set guidelines and physical targets of the program. Following this, agreements and ways forward were collated.

WAYS FORWARD

Finally, APCO-Iloilo Gareth Bayate commended all LGU counterparts for their active participation and urged them to consider the quality of the interventions and projects to be provided to the beneficiaries.

“My appeal to our partners in the implementation of the SAAD Program is to give our farmers the best services they deserve. I encourage you not to compromise the quality of our projects as long as they are within our budget,” he emphasized.

Of the 34 targeted farmers associations (FAs) listed as beneficiaries, 13 will be receiving livestock and poultry-related projects, six (6) will be receiving corn-related projects, and 15 will get high-value crops-related projects.

Initial deliveries and distribution of farm inputs and implements have started in the covered municipalities this May and will continue in the remaining months.

For sustained livelihood assistance to the identified FAs, SAAD will cover the same municipalities and farmer groups in FY 2024 with provisions for supplemental projects. ###

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SAADTALÁAN

Volume I | Issue II

April-June 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Angela Grace Mosqueda

BREAKING AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES: HOW SAAD HELP TRANSFORM PRIMARY HOMEMAKERS INTO ECONOMIC MOVERS

By Cedie Bataga

IS THE FACE OF FARMING FEMALE?

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Equality. Women Empowerment. Gender Development. These are only among the hottest topics on the modern pages, whether print or online, but we are still left with a question: are these altogether succinctly streamlined to the masses to make women in the agriculture sector visible? – to create equal opportunities? – to achieve an inclusive environment?

Before, it cannot be denied that women had been neglected from all sorts of support – in education, in social and political engagements, in technology, or even in one of the most basic industries – agriculture.

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SAADTALÁAN

Women are crucial resources in agriculture but they often serve as subordinates of their husbands, merely playing the role of assistants to their male counterparts. Social structures like this have opened the gender gap in the field of agriculture, not only does this suggest a disparity between the genders but also associates women’s roles as mere homemakers, with subsidiary and inferior roles as men, limiting their involvement in crucial issues and in decision-making.

April-June 2023

BREAKING BARRIERS THE SAAD WAY

However, advocacies and efforts related to amplifying the cause of women’s involvement and participation to achieve an inclusive society, are now all-encompassing. The local agriculture sector, in particular, has deviated from the traditional gender norms – engaging women farmers in the field to achieve the overarching goal of growing economies.

The seemingly never-ending struggle for equality has been turned to opportunities involving women farmers. The Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), if not pioneered, became allies of this movement by creating opportunities and enabling environment for women alongside its priority thrust of empowering the agricultural labor force and promoting agricultural development in general.

When we talk about agriculture, rarely do we approach the issues at hand through the gender lens.

However, in an article published by Oxfam International (2023), barriers such as gender inequality hold back women from accentuating their capacity in farming.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data released in December 2021, women comprised about 15.0% or 2,272,000 of the total workforce employed in the agriculture sector in 2020. Despite their continued participation in an agricultural setting, they are still marginalized in terms of basic services, employment income, access to resources, land ownership, and decision-making as some of their works are not even accurately captured, almost invisible (PCW, n.d.).

Women farmers work more, yet are paid less and this can be traced back to the widening pay gap in agriculture where the wages of men are relatively higher on average than that of women.

The agriculture sector has proved that an inclusive environment leads to a more empowered women workforce. More than producing tangible outputs, empowered women likewise produce intangible returns: camaraderie and harmonious relationships among group members and the local agricultural sector.

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SAADTALÁAN

April-June 2023

WOMEN OF WESTERN VISAYAS Celebrating Women’s Month is celebrating womanhood – forging equality in the playfield, acknowledging the achievements of women, and amplifying awareness of women’s visibility and value.

On October 14, 2022, one hardworking female farmer Mrs. Dolores Ceralbo, the vice-chair of Pandanon Integrated Balangon Farmers’ Association (PIBFA), was awarded as the Outstanding Rural Woman in the region. (Source: DA-RAFIS 6 facebook post, October 15, 2022)

The implementation of the SAAD Program in Western Visayas, for example, is noteworthy because it has seen the potential of allowing women to participate in and lead livelihood projects. Reflected in SAAD’s regional data, the program has served 2,152 women farmers in Antique and 3,831 in Negros Occidental with a recurring total of 5,983 women farmers in Western Visayas alone since its inception in 2019 up to the closure of Phase 1 in 2022.

Mrs. Ceralbo, with her passion for sustainable agriculture, was able to establish her organic integrated farm with crops such as assorted vegetables, bananas, and sugarcane. Likewise she produces organic concoctions and extracts while providing meals not only for her family but also the whole of her community through her dedication to farming.

To recapitulate, the program provided opportunities to 1,168 women members in 2019, benefitted 1,716 women members in 2020, which later doubled to 2,650 in 2021, and further supported 449 women farmers in 2022 as per updated data provided by the Information Technology (IT) Unit of SAAD Western Visayas.

Over the course of the implementation, the number of additional women beneficiaries has increased significantly by half. This can be attributed to the efforts of the program in engaging women farmers in various managerial and entrepreneurial activities.

This month of women and for women, SAAD celebrates the role of women farmers in agriculture who are present in all the stages of the food value chain. In the following paragraphs, we have acknowledged the women leaders of Western Visayas. Thru SAAD way, agri-bida si Juana!

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Also added to the limelight is the woman leader of the Lalong Integrated Upland Farmers’ Association (LIUFA) in Calatrava, Negros Occidental. Hailed as one of the Outstanding Negrense Women in Negros Occidental and an awardee for the Women Engaged in Agriculture and Fishery category, Mrs. Luisa Manayon, excelled in agriculture and whose exceptional achievements have a positive impact on the community.

“I am very thankful to the DA-SAAD for the prompt implementation of agricultural projects in Barangay Lalong. On behalf of the members of our association, we vow to take good care of these SAAD livelihood projects so our community could attain a sustainable economy,” Mrs. Manayon expressed.

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April-June 2023

WOMEN OF WESTERN VISAYAS On the other hand, the Ratanila Cluster Level Association (RCLA) from the municipality of Laua-an, Antique aims for great strides in agriculture through the various livelihood projects granted by the program including rice, goat, corn, and native chicken production. RCLA being an all-woman group from 2019-2020 led the production and management of the given projects.

In addition, one relatively small but thriving allwomen farmers’ group is making rounds in the playfield. The Purok Langka Kalipi Association in Don Salvador Benedicto, or PULKA, comprises 40 registered members who are housewives actively engaged in growing rice and corn crops.

Maribeth Cabanes, Chairwoman of PULKA, attested to the unyielding courage of her fellow women farmers: “We formed this organization in a bid to empower rural women farmers. We know that women have vital roles in ensuring a sustainable rural economy and hunger-free community. It was through the training provided by SAAD that we realized that women are not just housewives, we have bigger roles to fill in our community in order to achieve sustainable growth.”

In the province of Antique, however, one female leader is making a change in her community. Fely Roquero, 59, President of Lublub Fresh Vegetable Noodle Makers Association (LFVNMA) from the municipality of Valderrama in Antique, is guiding her association with might and humility. With 25 registered members, LFVNMA became a recipient of the Peanut Production Project of SAAD in 2020.

With the promising venture on production and value-adding, the group is now banking on squash noodle production as an additional livelihood.

“Our barangay is one of the poverty-stricken areas in the province with lack of access to government services and projects. Our way of living here was very hard but it started to improve when SAAD rolled out interventions in our community,” said Marsalina Labanon, President of RCLA, when asked about her sentiment with regard to the SAAD projects.

Truly, one project can only be deemed successful when there is a noticeable change in the members’ lives, yet one cannot be without a leader who manages and looks after her fellows, more especially since this leader is a woman.

In this light, SAAD women farmers equipped with a necessary set of qualities and skills do not only stay as farmers; they go way beyond feeding their families to making sustained profits out of their yield. To wrap, surfacing women’s contributions in agriculture is also valuing what women can do. Empowering them is empowering a community, a nation, and ultimately, the world.

Mrs. Roquero remarked, “We always say that SAAD serves as the backbone of small-scale farmers, like us. We should not only receive interventions from SAAD but must utilize these to the utmost so we can be independent on our own.”

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Volume I | Issue II

SAADTALÁAN

April-June 2023

TOWARD ACHIEVING A GENDER-EQUAL ENVIRONMENT The DA-SAAD Program joins the nation in celebrating National Women’s Month as part of our commitment to reinforce action and echo the cause.

For we believe in the change forged by women, the DA continues in its journey to seek more innovative and proactive approaches in broadening its scope of interventions and activities to boost the morale of the productive members of the economy, more especially, women.

In a nutshell, out of the 90,888 women working in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sectors in Western Visayas (PSA, 2020), at least 6.58 percent of the population were SAAD beneficiaries. If the numbers suggest a small yet significant fraction served out of the total population in the region, how much growth and social transformation can we expect if concerned agencies/units would steer and renew their commitment towards the advancement of women’s rights?

Indeed, there is no better way to develop a community than to partner with the women sector side-by-side and become one on a journey with the men workforce in pursuit of creating a more pronounced gender-equal environment. ###

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SAADTALÁAN

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April-June 2023

Swine-tastic:

NEGROS FA PUTS UP OWN MEATSHOP AFTER STEADY INCOME FROM SAAD HOG PROJECT

By Christ John Gamarcha

The Toboso Paravet Hog Raisers and Farmers’ Association (TOPAHARFA) in Toboso, Negros Occidental opened up its own meat shop business after accumulating Php 890,140 gross income from their swine production venture.

TOPAHARFA with 30 members is a beneficiary of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DASAAD) Program Phase 1 FY 2022 Swine Production Project worth Php 791,200.

Chairperson Mr. Jubert Gabo, said their group started their first cycle of livestock project in May 2022

and they were able to sustain their production for the third cycle until April 2023.

Most of TOPAHARFA’s members are volunteer paravets hailing from different barangay units in Toboso. Paravets are barangay-based volunteers trained and mobilized as animal vaccinators to assist technical personnel of the local government in conducting various veterinary extension services. Some of the members, meanwhile, are small-scale backyard hog raisers and backyard vegetable growers.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT Thirty (30) first-in-line members with hog-raising experience were selected as recipients of SAAD’s swine production project. Hogs grow and reproduce 8 to 12 piglets per farrowing even under adverse conditions.

From May to June 2022, inputs under the FY 2022 Swine Production Project were provided to the group. TOPAHORFA received 30 piglets, 10 upgraded gilts, 1 boar, 60 bags of hog feeds, water drums, water hoses and drugs and biologics. Further, SAAD also provided the group with meat shop materials such as chest freezer, weighing scale, water drum, butcher knife, chopping board, among others to start transforming the project into an enterprise.

Mr. Joemarie Bersales, FA’s Vice-Chairperson, shared the group’s

scheme

to

let

the

whole group benefit from the project. They agreed that the animals will be raised in three (3) sitios for sufficient space, shelter, and access to food and water.

The 30 first-in-line grantees are to give back (roll-over) three (3) piglets to the association should

the

mother

stock

reproduce. In addition, each member also remits Php 200 to the association for each live weight sale which will serve as a revolving fund for expenses in slaughter and hauling fees.

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KEY RESULTS From May to August, 30 hogs that reached their marketable size were sold within the community and meat shops in the town’s public market mostly as liveweight worth Php 12,350 per head, giving them a total gross earning worth Php 370,500.

After accumulating sufficient funds, TOPAHARFA allotted 60% of their income from their first production cycle to buy 30 additional piglets for the second cycle.

Within five (5) months, (August-December 2022), the group’s swine venture earned a gross income of Php 422,400 after trading 30 live-weight pigs sold at Php 14,300 per head.

This January 2023, the group again utilized their savings to procure a third batch of 30 piglets for the 3rd cycle of production.

As of the first week of May, the group was able to trade eight (8) hogs mainly as pork cuts at their meat shop in the town’s public market. After eight days of operation, the group earned Php 97,240. This time, they again set aside 40 percent of their total earnings to procure another batch of piglets for the next production cycle and would be intended for

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April-June 2023

next-in-line beneficiaries, while 60 percent will be divided among the members who raised the hogs.

As of writing, the group rears a total of 22 pigs in their three communal areas.

MEAT SHOP ENTERPRISE TOPAHARFA’s direction is toward establishing capacity and credibility to supply fresh pork meat in their area, so an FA-owned meat shop business was opened on April 28 at the town’s wet market.

Chairperson Gabo ensured they have sufficient funds to start the FA business; with the help of the Municipal Agriculture Office, they also secured a business license and sanitation permit.

He also added the meat shop business is not only very profitable but also immune to the recession.

Meat is consumed daily, which means that there are no lean times for the business, except during lent. The profit margins from meat products are also higher compared to other commodities.

SAADTALÁAN

Volume I | Issue II “Kami adunay makanunayon nga suplay sa mga baboy gikan sa among mga miyembro nga nagpadako sa ilang kaugalingon nga mga baboy mao nga mahimo namon nga i-adjust ang presyo sa baboy aron makigkompetensya sa mas taas nga presyo sa ubang mga tindera sa karne sa merkado alang sa kaayohan sa publiko nga mokaon” (We have a steady supply of pigs from our members raising their own hogs, that’s why we can adjust the price of pork to compete against the higher prices of other meat vendors in the market to the benefit of the consuming public), Mr. Gabo said.

WAYS FORWARD Toboso Municipal Agriculturist Armando Abano said the local government of Toboso has already pipelined projects included in their municipal planning development plan for the SAAD beneficiaries given the program’s Phase 1 closure in the town. He also shared that the MAO is proposing entrepreneurial training for farmers who would like to engage in value-adding and food processing which would scale up their operations.

April-June 2023 MAO Abano acknowledged TOPAHARFA as a group that strives to be financially-stable entrepreneurial livestock traders and they are important drivers of the rural economy.

The group is looking forward to sustaining their hog venture to reach the fourth or fifth cycle of production this year so they could have a steady supply of pork for their meat shop business. They also plan to expand in membership since many locals have expressed interest to join. Finally, the group also plans to engage in valueadding such as pork tocino and longanisa to maximize their market space and supply. ###

26 FAs in Iloilo, Antique, Negros Occ, Guimaras receive CapBuild training for agri-projects

By Christ John Gamarcha and Cedie Bataga

The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DASAAD) Program Phase 2 kicked off its Capability Building Training (CBT) on leadership, organizational management, and values formation so beneficiaries identified after needs assessment can effectively manage livelihood projects to be implemented in priority areas across Western Visayas.

Antique, and Negros Occidental identified under SAAD Phase 2 implementation.

Held in 26 batches, 780 members from 26 identified farmers’ associations (FAs) attended the on-site training from March 23 to April 3, 2023 in seven (7) municipalities across Iloilo, Guimaras,

As for the CBT process in Iloilo and Guimaras, teams formed were composed of one (1) resource person and two (2) SAAD personnel serving as documenter and facilitator for

Community extension specialists tapped to lead each batch of CBT used organizational management tools which covered theoretical concepts and actual application of learnings through varied group exercises.

each simultaneous batch.

These teams were deployed in venues accessible to farmers such as barangay halls, covered courts/gyms, civic centers, and community chapel.

In Negros Occidental and Antique, only one team was deployed with the same team composition as Iloilo, however, the setup was one batch per day considering the remoteness of venues and the availability of resource person.

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ABOUT SAADTALÁAN SAADTALÁAN is a quarterly newsletter produced by the SAAD program to provide an overview and information on the program’s important activities and events toward realizing its goals and fisherfolk groups in the covered by SAAD. The SAADTALÁAN Editorial board reserves the right to edit and finalize all stories prior to publication For comments and suggestions, reach us at 3273460 or via email address at dawvsaad@gmail.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Engr. Jose Albert A. Barrogo Dominador A. Marquez

Advisers

James Earl Ogatis

Editor-in-Chief Andrew T. Palomar Sheryl Mae T. Gaylan

Managing Editors Christ John Gamarcha Cedie C. Bataga

Writers/Layout Artists Denmark C. Prayco

Photographer

Field Operations Division, Regional Field Office 6, BPI Compound, Parola, Iloilo City Telephone: 337-4775 Email: dawvsaad@gmail.com

SAAD Western Visayas

www.saad.da.gov.ph

BNA AS SAAD’S RESEARCH TOOL After the conduct of Beneficiary Needs Assessment (BNA) and profiling which determined the different agricultural and sociocultural backgrounds of each FA, farmers can now begin their SAAD journey towards agri-enterprising.

Results from the BNA studies show that the most common problem that the farmers face in all stages of production is the lack of capital. This can be attributed to the limited sources of income, high cost of production necessities, and hauling expenses which cut off a huge chunk from their income.

The farmers further cited their need for knowledge-acquisition and capacity-building training to prepare them before the delivery of the livelihood interventions. This leads to the conduct of CBT that aims to expand their knowledge on leadership, hone their organizational management skills, and help them achieve the parameters of one’s values that would strengthen their bond as a group.

With the help of the local government units, identified FAs relatively matched the SAAD’s initially proposed projects with a few tweaking.

“I am hoping we can strengthen these rural groups that are set to receive SAAD interventions in establishing their respective policy directions through their community leaders. We encouraged them to have common goals and guiding principles.

With the SAAD’s livelihood projects, planning must be first on the list of things to do so they could ensure the success and sustainability of these interventions.”

Mary Eloise Bagonoc CBT Resource Person Project Development Officer F2C2 Program This year, SAAD Region 6 received Php 39.7 million allocation from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023 which will be used to procure livelihood inputs under each pipelined project for target beneficiaries. Of the 34 targeted livelihood interventions, 13 are livestock and poultry-related, 6 are corn-related and 15 are highvalue crops-related projects.

Enterprise building remains to be the peak goal of sustained livelihood projects provided to identified farmers’ associations (FAs) from 2023 to 2028. ###