At 45, Arlene Balneg of Supi-il, San Juan, Abra still wakes early to tend to her family’s crops and animals. Like many lowland farmers, her days are shaped by the land – weathered by seasons of uncertainty, but grounded in persistence.
As president of the Supiil Multi-Crop Farmers Association, she’s long hoped for better tools and support to help her group thrive.
That hope gained traction in 2025. Arlene is one of hundreds of farmers across the Cordillera who received production support from the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program Phase 2 during the first semester of the year.
From January to June, DA-SAAD CAR delivered agricultural interventions to 62 Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) in the provinces of Apayao, Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. These deliveries – spanning from vegetable seeds, fertilizers, farm animals, feeds, supplements, cages, and farm tools – were carefully rolled out based on the needs identified during profiling and consultation activities in 2023 and 2024.
Of the 62 associations, 41 received high-value crops (HVC) production packages, 12 were provided with poultry support, and 9 received inputs for goat and swine production. Every month from January to June, field teams conducted rolling distributions, ensuring that all beneficiary groups were equipped with seeds, fertilizers, animals, housing materials, and other start-up resources.
These efforts were facilitated by SAAD’s regional and provincial teams, with the active involvement of Agricultural Technologists and Area Coordinators (ACs). Prior to delivery, each association underwent preparatory coordination visits. ACs ensured that beneficiaries had ready facilities, basic knowledge, and organizational readiness to absorb the inputs.
For farmers like Arlene, this kind of support is more than just logistic, but more importantly, it’s a lifeline.
“On behalf ti association mi, agyaman kami ti adu kadagitoy naawat mi manen ita nga bulan ta dakkel manen nga tulong kadakami nga member ti SAAD, ket sapay la koma ta haan kayo maum-uma nga mangbayabay ken mangted latta ti tulong kadakami inggana kabaelan minto met ti tumakder. Thank you ti adu adu po,” said Arlene Balneg, the Supiil Multi-Crop Farmers Association president.
(On behalf of our association, we are deeply thankful for these resources we received again this month. These are a great help for us as members of SAAD. We hope that you will continue to support and provide assistance to us until we can fully stand on our own. Thank you very much.)
Each delivery was followed by technical guidance and monitoring support. Community Development Officers and municipal and provincial agricultural staff regularly visited FCA sites to provide coaching on livestock care, planting techniques, and proper use of inputs.
“Constant coordination with our partner FCAs and local agricultural offices plays a vital role in ensuring smooth delivery and effective implementation of projects on the ground,” said Marenil G. Matbagan, SAAD Community Development Officer in Abra.
For his part, Ronan Soriano, Assistant Operations Officer of SAAD-CAR, emphasized the program’s adaptive approach. “We ensure that what we deliver is appropriate, timely, and capable of improving their income and food security. This is based on consultations and field assessments conducted during the program’s social preparation phase.”
With new resources and constant guidance, SAAD CAR’s farmer-partners are gradually moving from seasonal, survival-level farming toward cooperative, market-ready livelihoods. The months ahead will focus on capacity-building and enterprise development – ensuring that these first-semester gains form a solid foundation for long-term impact. ###
