DAVAO DE ORO, September 27, 2022 – Organizational management and leadership training were provided to the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program Region 11 group beneficiaries to jumpstart their community-based enterprising efforts.

The training benefitted 46 farmers’ associations (FAs) with 920 farmers from Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) and End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) areas in Davao de Oro. For 2022, SAAD 11 provided 6 production projects, consisting of both crop- and animal-based livelihood interventions.

“Ang SAAD naningkamot nga mapadayon ang atong dugang panginabuhian. Aron mapaniguro nato nga mapadayon nato, mapalahutay nato mga proyekto nga naa sa ato karon, kinahanglan nato ning” (SAAD strives to continue our additional income generators. To make sure that it will carry on and sustain our projects that we have, we need this capacity enhancement), Ms. Naomi Lamata, Regional Focal Person for SAAD 11, said.

The event, entitled “Capacity Enhancement Entrepreneurial Development Training” cost RPMSO 11 Php 1.47 million (Batch 1- Php 473,600, Batch 2 – Php 454,400, Batch 3 – Php 550,400) for food, venue and accommodation of the farmer trainees. The farmers were trained for 3 days, in 3 successive batches done in a 3-week schedule.

“Bansayon nato kung unsa ang naa na mo para madugangan atoang katakus ug ang atong mga asosasyon mulungtad” (We will enhance the skills you already have so that your associations will prosper), she added.

The province of Davao de Oro is the sole province covered for SAAD 11 in its Phase 1 of implementation. For the next six years, the program will focus on four provinces of the region excluding Davao de Oro.  These provinces include Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, and Davao Occidental.

Leadership Training

Led and facilitated by SAAD 11’s Livestock Officer, McKevin Mosquesa, the leadership training cultivated the participants’ values in correct leadership, its merits, and how it affects an organization.

“Dako kaayo ang ika-apply sa amoang asosasyon, nga diin…makapalambo ni sa amoa kay dili lang ni sa mga lider, apil pud sa mga myembro” (The application will be great to our association, so that…we could prosper not just as leaders, but considering our members as well), Mr. William de los Reyes, Nuevo Iloco Farmers Association’s chairperson, one of the trainees, enthused.

“Diri jud nasuta namo nga ang desisyon, dili lang sa lider, kay atoang mga miembro, dapat apil perme” (Here [in this training] we determined that decisions are not the leader’s responsibility alone, members should be consulted as well), added Mr. de los Reyes.

The farmers association has already received their allotted projects this year – mallard ducks and OPV corn – alongside other 9 FAs in the province.

Organizational Management

Fundamentals in Organizational Management was also a topic of training and discussion, with the participants heavily encouraged to explore forming a cooperative by Davao de Oro’s Provincial Agriculturist’s Office Cooperative Development Division Head, Mr. Manuel Buladaco.

Asked about how the training impacted an FA organization, Simeon Buñag, chairperson for Libudon United Farmers Association, said, “Dako akong nakita nga tabang sa amoang asosasyon kabahin sa pagdumala aning training. Kay ang organisasyon dili mahimong organisasyon kung walay mga tawo nga nangusog ug padayon nga mangusog para sa ikalambo sa mga ginagmay nga asosasyon” (I see this training as great help and insight for our FA in terms of organization. Organizations don’t become one without people who spearhead and continue to work on the development of small associations).

SAAD Region 11

SAAD 11 saw the importance of basic organization and leadership training to strengthen the foundations of the FAs. In far-flung areas, disorganization is a common pitfall resulting from miscommunication because of personal politics, physical and geographical distances between houses, and differing principles.

In 2021, Lawaan Kingking Farmers’ Association, one of SAAD 11’s beneficiaries, experienced struggles in their egg production from native chicken mainly through disorganization. After undergoing SAAD’s capacity development training last year, the FA prospered in turning their subsequent mallard duck project into a small egg production. So much so that for this year’s training, the association sponsored balut for their batch’s social night.

With intensified training before and after distribution of production inputs, the RPMSO trusts that the FAs will sustain the projects given to them.

In July, SAAD Region 11 finished distributing the bulk of its crop- and animal-based livelihood projects for 2022 to these FAs. ###

Writer: James Brian R. Flaga, DA-SAAD Region 11 Information Officer
Source: DA-SAAD Davao de Oro