TACLOBAN CITY – The Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) reported that 5.6 million people in the Visayas regions affected by supertyphoon Yolanda are in need of life-saving food aid and support to prevent hunger in the future, while waiting for the full recovery of farming and fishing activities. The FSAC disclosed that about 250,000 small coconut farmers should be prioritized in alternative livelihood such as intercropping, crop diversification, and livestock or poultry-raising activities.

“Major gaps in funding for food and agricultural livelihood recovery activities targeting coconut farmers stand in the way of meaningful recovery. Small scale coconut farmers are among the most severely affected are poorest communities in the Philippines and need urgent support,” It said. Also classified in the most vulnerable groups are rice and corn farmers in cultivating in rain-fed and upland areas, where provision of seeds and fertilizers are badly needed. “In terms of food assistance, the emergency relief phase has phased out and operations have transitioned into targeted and conditional assistance to reach the most vulnerable groups,” the report said. Nearly 759,000 people have been targeted for unconditional cash transfer,” the FSAC said. As of end of June, the government and international relief organizations have already reached 3.65 million displaced people through the distribution of immediate food assistance.

The cluster, led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and World Food Programme, claimed that there had been a positive impact of well-coordinated response. Sufficient household food consumption increased from 68 percent in December to 77 percent in the second quarter of 2014. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY- The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) spearheaded a briefing on the implementation of the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) here in the region held at Hotel Alejandro on July 22, this year.

PRDP is designed to establish an inclusive and market-oriented agri-fishery sector through strategic investments in priority commodity value chains. The program will collaborate with local government units and private sector in providing key infrastructures, facilities, technology, and information that will help increase incomes, productivity, and competitiveness in the rural areas, said Jenny Lyn Almeria, regional focal person of the PRDP.

According to Almeria, the main objectives of the program are as follows: to have at least 5 percent increase in annual real farm incomes of PRDP household beneficiaries; make a 7 percent increase in value of annual marketed output and increase of 20 percent in number of farmers and fisheries with improved access to DA services.
There are also program components under PRDP and these are I-PLAN (Investments in AFMP Planning at the Local and National Levels); I-BUILD (Intensive Building up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development); I-REAP (Investments in Rural Enterprises and Fisheries Productivity) and I-SUPPORT (Implementation Support to PRDP).
The implementation of the six-year program is to start next year and is funded by the World Bank at a cost of P27 billion.

Among present during the briefing on the program were Director Bernadette San Juan, regional executive director of the DA; Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and representatives of member agencies of the Regional Program Advisory Board. (VALERIE COLE C. LIBARIOS, LNU-Intern)