BAGUIO CITY, March 1, 2024 – The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) completed all the FY 2023 social preparation activities as it gears for full implementation of livelihood projects for targeted beneficiaries this year.  In a six-month series of social preparation activities, CAR dedicated the first year of SAAD Phase 2 in empowering 82 potential group beneficiaries within 41 municipalities across the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, and Mountain Province.  Highlighting the importance of social preparation as a starting point for any project, SAAD CAR, together with SocPrep Unit Lead Aida Pagtan, ensured that beneficiaries are prepared through the conduct six (6) provincial orientations, 41 municipal orientations, 82 barangay orientations, 82 batches of Beneficiary Needs Assessments (BNAs) and 33 batches of Organizational Development and Management Training. There were also 2,460 farmer-beneficiaries enrolled to the Program’s registry system, after a series of profiling activities.  SAAD CAR closed 2023 with the submission of project proposals for the 82 farmers’ groups for review and implementation starting the second quarter of 2024. The proposals were crafted from a series of meetings with farmers together with SAAD officers who helped in the completion of the proposals. From the meetings, enterprise goals of the group beneficiaries were defined with needs derived from the BNA sessions.  For this year’s SAAD implementation, CAR has a Php 77.663 million fund for program management and livelihood interventions, the latter of which will be distributed to the identified 82 farmers’ groups by the second quarter of the year.  In Abra, projects ranging from crop to poultry and livestock production were identified while in the province of Apayao, crop and animal-based livelihood interventions will be rolled out this year.  The municipalities of Kibungan, Sablan, and Tublay are the covered areas in Benguet. Crops, livestock, and poultry production are the possible livelihoods to be provided to the identified beneficiaries.  In the province of Kalinga, four (4) group beneficiaries are set to receive projects on Ube Production; Coffee Production; Ginger Production; and Highland Vegetable Production (Bell Pepper and Sayote).   In Mountain Province, farmers’ groups from Barlig, Sagada, Sabangan, Sadanga, Besao, and Paracelis are set to receive Coffee and Vegetable Production; Vegetable Production; Squash Production and Processing; Coffee and Chayote Tops Production; Bell Pepper, Cucumber, and Cabbage Production; Communal Table Egg Production; Swine Fattening; Integrated Swine Fattening; and Fruit Trees Production.  In Ifugao, the municipalities of Asipulo, Tinoc and Hingyon qualified with the program’s eligibility requirements with 180 farmers belonging to six (6) FAs as possible beneficiaries of crop, poultry, and livestock production projects. With the completion of social preparation activities, SAAD CAR will then proceed to the rollout of livelihood projects aimed at farmers’ agricultural activities and further transforming them into successful community-based enterprises. ### Writer: Maria Elena G. Catajan, DA-SAAD CAR Information Officer