LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – To apprise partner-implementers on the pipelined programs and projects in agriculture, the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) held a Provincial Implementers Meeting with the Benguet provincial and municipal agriculture officers yesterday, February 27, in Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet.
The DA-CAR divisions, banner programs and local special projects presented updates of their continuing projects and programs along with their major pipelined targets for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. They also tackled arising issues and concerns in the implementation process through an open forum to further improve on the quality delivery of committed agricultural services in Benguet province. Among these were the direction for clustering and consolidation, hiring of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers, incentives of agricultural extension workers, and harmonization of farmer’s profiling.
Before the presentations, Dr. Susan Balanza, Chief of the Planning Monitoring Evaluation Division (PMED) discussed the strategic frameworks where the Department’s thrusts are anchored. These frameworks are primarily the Philippine Development Plan and the DA’s Sector Plan para sa Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas (2024-2028).
The Sector Plan underscores the five strategic agenda to attaining food security and developing agri-fishery sector as a profitable industry. Specifically, these agenda are the expansion and improvement of available agri-fishery areas for increased production; mechanization and modernization of agri-fishery production systems; development and improvement of post-harvest systems and infrastructure; development of efficient logistics system for both input and production outputs, and improvement and expansion of local and international market access. Thus, specific programs, activities and projects or PAPs being implemented are all attuned with the strategic agenda.
Aside from the strategic frameworks, the DA also has an existing Gender and Development (GAD) Agenda that provides direction for the gender-responsive implementation of PAPs. The Agenda, presented by Cecil Capegsan of PMED, underscores the department’s vision for a gender inclusive and sustainable agriculture and fisheries sector with empowered farmers and fisherfolk. With that, it aims to ensure that both women and men have equitable access and control of agricultural and fisheries resources and support access.
The local government unit (LGU) partners were requested to continuously promote the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) among farmers in their areas. Roselyn Ranille of APCO-Benguet reported that as of February 1, 2025there 73,737 farmers were already registered in the RSBSA. Buguias municipality recorded the highest registration with 10,046 registrants, followed by La Trinidad with 6,736, and Kibungan with 5,909 registrants.
“The DA determines through the registration who are really the farmers in need,” Dr. Balanza said adding that RSBSA is one of the basic requirements in availing of agricultural interventions.
Balanza added that the DA-CAR is currently on the updating stage of the RSBSA. They are also set to partner with municipal LGUs who have capabilities to update the farmer’s profile. A training is slated this coming March for the municipal LGUs who submitted their letter of intent to become partners of the DA-CAR on RSBSA updating.
Similarly for civil society organizations (CSOs), the partner LGUs are also requested to further assist in the promotion of CSO accreditation with the agency among the farmer groups. As CSO accredited, the farmer groups will be recognized and authorized as eligible partners or beneficiaries of the DA’s programs and projects as embodied in the Administrative Circular no. 03, series of 2022.
The implementers meeting is conducted simultaneously in the six provinces and Baguio City through the agricultural programs coordination offices. By JBAgrifino
