THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) announced it would provide P400,000 worth of support services to an agrarian reform beneficiaries organization (ARBO) in Capiz.
The project, called Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program (EPAHPP), is expected to benefit small farmers who are members of the proponent ARBO, in this case, the Progressive Women Agrarian Reform Cooperative (PWARC) and other farmers in the community.
Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer Lea L. Ubierna said that the P300,000 was allocated for support facilities and equipment while the P100,000 would be for the capacity development services such as the conduct of project technology and other related training.
“The essential goal of the EPAHPP is to strategically reduce hunger in the community while helping the farmer-beneficiaries elevate their living. Through the program, we would help our farmers increase their farm productivity and income through various provisions of support services like technology training, farm machinery and equipment to address the problem of poverty and food security,” Ubierna said.
During the launch, the local government unit (LGU) of Dumarao, the barangay local government of Gibato, the Department of Education and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, affirmed their support to attain the success of the program. The program’s success would eventually create greater synergy and convergence in engaging the urban and rural communities to optimize economic resources through supplementary feeding and other government feeding programs, food production and livelihood programs and essential support services.
Florencio Fariñas Jr., a representative from Dumarao Mayor’s Office under the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said that the LGU is now focusing on the municipality’s infrastructure development to enable the construction of a farm-to-market road for the farmers in the far-flung areas.
‘’Hearing from the program’s advocacy, the countryside and community development would certainly elevate everyone’s lives, especially our farmers,” Farinas said.