QUEZON CITY – “Kuwentong may kuwenta (Stories with worth)”. This is what Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia (AsiaDHRRA) Secretary General Marlene Ramirez emphasized as she complimented the inspiring featured case studies in the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Philippines’ Knowledge Learning Market and Policy Engagement (KLMPE) Conference 2018.

The conference with a trade fair was held on 7 and 8 of November 2018 at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management Building in Quezon City in celebration of the International Year of Family Farming. This year’s theme is “Inclusive Agricultural and Rural Development: No One Left Behind”.

The Special Area of Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program, represented by Director Bernadette San Juan, participated in the conference with Liguac Farmers’ Association’s (LFA) Layer Chicken Egg Production of Salug, Zamboanga del Norte as the featured case study.

Dir. San Juan shared the inspiring story and the progressive enterprise of LFA in presence of various participants, such as leaders and representatives of farmer organizations, non-government organizations, academe and government agencies.

LFA’s story entitled “The SAAD: A Promise Being Fulfilled” fell under KLMPE 2018’s Agri-Governance thematic case, which is the management of rural enterprises and farmer organizations, facilitated by We Effect Program Coordinator Pedro Baclagon.

Salug townspeople’s problem is spoiled table eggs since the majority of the products are being delivered from Cagayan de Oro. With the SAAD Program’s assistance, the town now hopes to be the fresh egg basket of the province.

LFA from Barangay Liguac is just one of the organizations in Salug that was given support on egg production project. Barangays Pacuhan, Bacong, and Ramon Magsaysay with an overall P4.2 million General Appropriation Act budget for FY 2017-2018.

Read The SAAD: A Promise Being Fulfilled to know more about the LFA’s story

Along with DA SAAD’s LFA, other case studies featured and discussed were the Davao Federation of Fishers and Farmers Cooperatives (DACOFARM), Pioneers and Christians and Muslims Alliance Network (PACMAN), PATANOM Credit Cooperative, Goodyear Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GARBEMCO), and Panay Island Upland Sustainable Rural Development Project (PIU-SRDP).

KLMPE 2018 also has four other thematic cases, which are Asset Reforms, Climate Resiliency, Market Power, and Youth & Gender in Agriculture.

AsiaDHRRA Ramirez hopes that special projects like the SAAD would become a regular program of the government. ###

 

Writer: Jhomai Canlas, SAAD PR & Communications Officer