ILOILO CITY, March 20, 2023 – Exploring a more participatory approach and giving its beneficiaries a platform for their priorities to be heard, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program utilizes Beneficiary Needs Assessment (BNA) among members of different farmers associations and cooperatives  (FCAs) in covered municipalities of Iloilo, Aklan, and Negros Occidental for Phase 2 implementation.

The first quarter of SAAD Phase 2 in Western Visayas was spent with a series of consultation meetings with the Local Government Units (LGUs), and validation of farm sites in terms of feasibility where the proposed projects will be established. These activities form part of the social preparation component that is fundamental in the conduct of the BNA study. 

Obtaining feedback, creating a more engaging environment, the activities conducted are integral exercises to prepare the FCAs for livelihood projects. Through discussions and conversations or istoryahan with the farmers, the implementers will be able to identify the target beneficiaries’ diverse agricultural and socio-cultural backgrounds. In addition, both their external and internal concerns will be heard and incorporated into project formulation. 

BNA in a nutshell

In a BNA process, implementers will collect and study relevant agricultural and economic information of the farmers as its first phase. Carrying these information, the farmers will then be subjected to a Focused Group Discussion (FGD) to verify the information and gain a perspective on their priorities, social dynamics, and culture. Finally, a site validation will be conducted to match collected data from the desk review and farmers’ interviews. 

The information generally focused on the association’s socio-economic profile, mainly centered on the association’s commodity specialization, crop production, postharvest management practices, and other sources of income.

As a tool for planning, the study will serve as a reference for verifying, approving, and providing livelihood interventions appropriate to the beneficiaries’ immediate environment.

The conduct of such activity is aligned with one of the program’s core components- social preparation- which captures the basic needs and desired outcomes of the beneficiaries.

From February 9 to February 24, the BNA was conducted in 6 municipalities, namely: Moises Padilla (4 FCAs), Bingawan (4 FCAs), San Rafael (3 FCAs), San Lorenzo (4 FCAs), La Castellana (3 FCAs), and in Libertad (4 FCAs) which transpired from March 1-3. A total of 22 FCAs with 660 members underwent the activity. 

Participants were selected and composed of the groups’ key officials and active members. They were interviewed accordingly based on a questionnaire that will squeeze out insights relevant to the program. The final output is an FCA basic comprehensive profile, which contains inputs from interviews and observations of the SAAD implementers.

The remaining municipalities of  Batad in Iloilo, Tangalan, and Buruanga in Aklan are yet to be visited for the BNA study which will take place in the last weeks of March and the second week of April. ###

Writer: Cedie C. Bataga, DA-SAAD 6 Information Officer

Source: Department of Agriculture, SAAD Program. (2023, January 24). Beneficiary Needs Assessment Guidelines: SAAD Phase 2 Social Preparation Implementation. National Program Management Office.