Starting off their journey on solid footing, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program trained the newly organized Farmers’ Association (FA) of Nagkahiusa ug Malambuong Mag-uuma sa Sto. Niño Asosasyon (NaMaMaNA) in Brgy. Sto. Niño, Libjo, Province of Dinagat Islands (PDI) on the creation of Vision, Mission, and Goals, and Organizational Planning and Management last June 4-5, 2026.
The said training was part of the Social Preparation (SocPrep) activities of SAAD Caraga to the newly organized association under the program. SocPrep initiatives are important steps in establishing the rapport amongst the farmers to prepare them in understanding organizational flow and processes.
During the first session, the newly organized group was introduced to the importance of crafting the vision, mission, and goals of the organization to lay down the foundational groundwork for the implementation of the project in their area.
The SAAD technical staff in PDI instilled to the farmers that the three concepts will set a clear direction to their organization, especially in making crucial decisions that would greatly affect the production, marketing, and administrative aspect of their agricultural project.
“As an Area Coordinator handling FAs here in PDI for the past three years under the SAAD Program Phase 2, I can tell that mission, vision, and goals are all important factors for an FA to maintain cohesion. As in times of uncertainty and misunderstanding within the group, going back to the words they vowed to achieve would help them get back on track,” shared Rhyan S. Libor, PDI Area Coordinator.
Libor further added that they want the farmers to be intentional and self-aware in managing their agricultural projects for them to appreciate the scale of the interventions provided by the government. Also, for them to build the sense of ownership to the project and embrace it as one of their long-term income sources.
Employing specificity to their mission, vision, and goals to mobilize the human resource of their organization, the farmers also underwent a training-workshop on Organizational Management and Planning wherein they were enlightened about the roles and responsibilities of the officers and members in accomplishing the plans of the group.
Taking the discussion deeper, Assistant Provincial Coordinator (APC) of PDI, Potamio I. Valdehueza II urged NaMaMaNA to give high regard to their by-laws and policies to uphold fairness, dignity, and accountability among the members – especially when issues regarding attendance, participation, and financial records are concerned.
Setting their goal for 2026, the FA was guided by the SAAD personnel in plotting their action plans. Where they set their goals, its timeline, the responsible persons, and the resources needed to accomplish it.
Sharing her impression of the training, Genevieve V. Naraiso, chairwoman of NaMaMaNA shared that, “Nagpasalamat mi ani nga training kay isip mga indibidwal nga mag-uuma sukad, nagiya mi sa mga importanteng kahibalo nga dapat namo makat-unan sa pagdumala sa among grupo.”
(We are thankful for this training because as individual farmers, we were taught the important things to learn to properly manage our group.)
As SAAD Caraga expands its reach to new farming communities, the program will continue to empower its FAs through its provincial counterparts to guide them in reaching their full potential and establish their own Community-Based Enterprises (CBEs) which is the ultimate goal of the program.
