ILOCOS REGION, November 8, 2023 – In pursuit of community-led agricultural development initiatives for the marginalized sectors, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Ilocos Region identified seven (7) new municipalities for its area expansion in FY 2024 program implementation.

With an aim to contribute to poverty reduction and local food production of 5th-6th income class and top-third poorest municipalities as priority areas, SAAD Ilocos will cater next year to beneficiaries from Sta. Catalina, Sigay, Gregorio del Pilar, Lidlidda, and Nagbukel in Ilocos Sur, and Carasi and Adams in Ilocos Norte. 

Sta. Catalina is a coastal municipality while Lidlidda, Gregorio del Pilar, and Nagbukel are all landlocked municipalities. Farming and fishing are the most common livelihood of rural communities in these towns. Only Nagbukel belongs to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Meanwhile, the town of Carasi is a highland area while Adams is a landlocked town, both having Indigenous People (IP) communities.

“Napili namin ang naturang mga munisipyo sa Ilocos Sur at Ilocos Norte dahil sila ang may highest poverty incidence sa region kumpara sa hindi pa naco-cover ng SAAD. Natutuwa rin kami dahil sa mainit na pagtanggap at pakikipagtulungan ng mga LGUs sa paghahanda natin sa SAAD expansion sa susunod na taon,” said SAAD Ilocos Region Focal Person Ms. Lorena A. Olveña. 

(We selected these towns in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte having the highest poverty incidence in the region compared to those that have not yet been covered by SAAD. We are also happy because of the warm welcome and cooperation of the LGUs in our preparations for the SAAD expansion next year.)  

Mrs. Olveña together with Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer (APCO) for Ilocos Sur Mr. Jomar Dayap, APCO for Ilocos Norte Mr. Medardo Pablo, and SAAD regional implementers led a series of consultative meetings and project orientations for officials of local government units (LGUs) from October 11-18, 2023.  

During the meeting, the LGUs through the Municipal Agriculture Office endorsed potential SAAD beneficiaries based on their existing baseline data. One farmer association from each municipality with members having an income below the poverty threshold were initially targeted.  Pre-selected farmers through the conduct of Beneficiary Needs Assessment (BNA) in November and December will undergo a full-blown Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in February 2024 to ensure accurate selection of beneficiaries and strategize provisions of livelihood projects based on assessed needs of the farmers.   

Carasi Municipal Agriculturist Engr. Alvin D. Bondoc acknowledged the importance of social preparation activities and training that ensure efficient and effective project implementation. 

“Maragsakankami ditoy programa a SAAD gapu ta adda ti social preparation na. Nakasaganan dagiti beneficiaries sakbay pay a maited kadakuada ti intervention,” said Mr. Bondoc. 

(We are glad for SAAD because of its social preparation [component] ensuring that the beneficiaries are well-prepared prior to the distribution of interventions.)

Under its Phase 2 implementation this year, SAAD Ilocos Region covered four (4) priority municipalities including Sto. Tomas in Pangasinan, Bagulin in La Union, Sugpon in Ilocos Sur, and Dumalneg in Ilocos Norte. In these towns, four (4) farmers’ associations with 270 members were selected as beneficiaries of commodity-specific interventions ranging from crops and livestock. Enterprise building remains to be the peak goal of these sustained livelihood projects. ###

Writer: Pearl Lovedyn A. Dacuag, SAAD Region 1 Information Officer

Photos: DA RFO 1 Regional Agriculture and Fishery Information Section