Chicken production in many parts of rural areas in the country, specifically in Sulu has contributed significantly as a source of protein, food security, employment, and income in resource-constrained communities, especially the displaced individuals who are now re-occupying their lands. Said project is among the rapid response mechanisms and interventions from the government agencies to recover from the crisis and to prevent outbreaks of hostilities that may occur again between armed combatants. 

In 2020, the newly-restored peace between communities allowed the people to return home safely with promised livelihood assistance from various government agencies. Investing in preventive solutions to ensure inclusive and sustainable development, livelihoods, health, education, household and infrastructure, security, the environment, and social life dimensions of these once-displaced people are being considered.

Chicken production as an easy venture to contribute to poverty reduction is among the major livelihood projects provided in the municipalities. Having assessed the suitability of these areas, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 9 through its Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program poured a total budget of Php 65.9 million exclusively for livelihood projects from 2018 to 2022, assisting 1,620 individual farmers and 34 groups from the Tausug ethnic group and land-based Samal communities, as well as barangay units classified as End Local Armed Conflict (ELAC) areas. Talipao, Panamao, Parang, Maimbung, Luuk, Indanan, and Patikul are the municipalities that were given livelihood assistance in the province. 

Maimbung, Sulu

Composed of 30 members, Tanduh Patong Mudjahada Farmers Association (TPMFA) was organized through the recommendation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) to DA-SAAD 9 management in 2019. 

In September 2019, the group received the Layer Chicken-Egg Production Project which includes 10 modules of poultry stocks, fabricated cages, and layer feeds. For the first 18 months of managing the project, the group accumulated Php 300,000 net income from selling eggs and Php 45,000 from the culled chicken. They used Php 223,000 from their revenue to buy 10 modules of new stocks as replenishment. The remaining Php 122,000 were equally shared by the 16 active members of the group, each with Php 7,725. 

In September 2021, SAAD provided an additional 10 modules to further support the FA. Continuous project operation allowed some group members to buy cattle and build sari-sari stores. 

During the national office team’s visit, the poultry stocks were 18 months old but still laying eggs abundantly. The group agreed to cull the chickens next year and replenish them; by then, they would have had enough time to save money for stock replacement. They have Php 70,000 in bank savings and Php 20,000 cash on hand as of May 20, 2023. 

The members agreed with their leader to continue the poultry project even if SAAD did not cover the province in Phase 2. They intend to maintain and carry on with the livelihood provided by SAAD by replenishing the poultry stocks at the end of each cycle.

Because of their excellent project management, this FA in Tanduh Patong has inspired farmer organizations in other barangays. Because of their community status – no gambling, no drugs, and no open defecation – this barangay serves as a model for all barangays in Maimbung. 

Talipao, Sulu

Four (4) farmer groups namely, Sahaya Sin Kawman Farmer’s Association (SSKFA), Kasanyangan Sin Samak Agricultural Association (KSSAA), Tiis Kasanyangan Farmers Association (TKFA), and Kasambuhan Sin Barangay Tubod Association (KSBTA), were all recipients of the poultry project (ready-to-layer). 

They made encouraging progress, allowing them to put food on the table, invest in a small sari-sari business, buy cattle, build a house, and pay for their children’s education expenses, among other things. Over time, most of the farmers were able to sufficiently sustain their homes because of regular incomes from poultry farming.

The success of this project hinged on farmers having enough knowledge of poultry farming which was provided by SAAD before the distribution of chicken, fabricated cages, and good for three months supply of layer feeds. SAAD, in its mission to contribute to poverty reduction in the country’s marginalized sectors, provided a free entry point for long-term economic investment and assisted in transforming that livelihood into a diverse range of marketable products based on market demand in the farmers’ areas of operation.

Underdevelopment in Sulu

For twenty (20) decades, the underdevelopment in Sulu was deeply rooted in political rivalries, clan-related hostilities, the presence of splinter groups bringing its ideology on egalitarianism, and the violent extremists or the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) that claims to promote an independent Islamic state in Western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. Violence as a frequent, unpredictable, and highly-localized phenomenon in the area has displaced thousands of families for twenty (20) decades. Because of these, residents on the island suffered from limited economic opportunities, socio-economic instability, and inadequate social services – Sulu was declared later on as the poorest province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Writer: Jennifer A. Valcobero, DA-SAAD NPMO Information Officer
Photos by: Jennifer A. Valcobero, DA-SAAD NPMO Information Officer