Central Visayas, November 15, 2023 – Wrapping up its conduct of FY 2023 social preparation activities, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Central Visayas enlisted 1,200 local farmers or 48 farmers associations (FAs) from the 24 priority municipalities of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor as beneficiaries of SAAD Phase 2.

The process which ran from February to September 2023 included consultations, profiling, geotagging, and the needs assessment. The data gathered were used as baseline in the project planning as well as identification of the suitable or the need-based interventions for the FAs.

Of the 24 priority municipalities, 11 are from Bohol with 22 barangays, 8 for Cebu with 16 barangays, 4 in Siquijor with 8 barangays, and one (1) municipality from Negros Oriental with 2 barangays.

Social preparation process

Prior to the final listing of the qualified SAAD beneficiaries,  in cooperation with local government units (LGUs), the small (marginalized) farmers in the identified barangays underwent  a series of meetings and consultations to come up with a long list of prospective beneficiaries.

The long-listed farmers were individually profiled and geotagged, afterwhich shortlisting of the qualified beneficiaries were identified based on the data gathered to include those falling below the poverty threshold. 

For SAAD Phase 2, a total of 1,200  farmers – 400 farmers in Cebu, 550 in Bohol, 50 in Negros Oriental and 200 in Siquijor, were enlisted to receive projects and interventions. ###

Writers: Jessica R. Alvero and Romeo Ruel M. Paras, DA-SAAD Central Visayas Information Officers