By Gio J. Tanudtanud
THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture, together with the World Bank, aims to strengthen agricultural productivity and bolster access to markets and services through its ongoing Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP), a six-year program covering 26 selected ancestral domains.
MIADP covers selected ancestral domains in Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and BARMM.
Areas are identified by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Approved Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP), and possession of a certificate of ancestral domain title (CADT).
Its goal is to increase the income on agri-fishery of farmers and fisherfolk by 10% who are members of Indigenous Peoples Organizations within the selected ancestral domains.
Development objectives are aimed at a 30% change in average yields for selected crops and a 20% change in average gross value of sales to support the beneficiaries.
During a press conference on Aug 20, Project Support Office (PSO) director Macario Gonzaga said the project is experiencing delays, but for December, they will be disbursing around P1B worth of farm-to-market roads (FMR) and enterprise.
The project’s duration runs from 2023 to 2028 and has a total cost of P6.625B funded by The World Bank. Four components in the funding include P662.5M for AD-Plan, P4.253B for AD-Infrastructure, P1.087B for AD-Enterprise, and P624.81M for AD-Support.
Component 1 (AD-Plan) contains ancestral domain planning and social preparations. Component 2 (AD-Infrastructure) is designed for resilient agri-fishery infrastructures, while Component 3 (AD-Enterprise) is geared towards production and enterprise development.
Component 4 (AD-Support) comprises five units that tackle environmental and social safeguard, planning, monitoring, evaluation, administrative, financial management, and procurement.
Photo from MIADP website
