THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) hosted the ceremonial exchange of notes among the Japanese government, the World Food Programme (WFP) as well as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on August 31.
Japan donated $6 million (P337.5 million) to support the FAO and the WFP’s new initiatives for farmers and fisherfolk affected by Supertyphoon Odette (international name Rai).
Target recipients are approximately 4,000 small-scale coconut farming and fishing households in Regions 7, 8 and 13, as well as 7,500 smallholder fisher and farmer families in the Bangsamoro Region.
$4 million (P225 million) will go to WFP to support a two-year project that aims to improve the livelihoods, food security and nutrition of farmers and fisherfolk while strengthening their inclusion in the agricultural value chain through improved market linkages and enhanced agricultural productivity.
The organization will also introduce farmers to the use of “Farm2Go,” a digital platform that will connect farmers to markets, allowing them to sell their produce at competitive prices.
The remaining amount of $2 million (P112.5 million) of the contribution will be used by FAO to implement a humanitarian initiative that will support the restoration of the livelihoods and the enhancement of the resilience of 20,000 small-scale coconut farmers and fishers affected by “Odette” in Regions 7, 8 and 13.
“Many Japanese…feel the suffering and pain of Filipinos as their own, since we are both disaster-prone nations,” said Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa. “We strongly hope that this sense of solidarity from [our] people will reach many Filipinos on the ground.”
“The benefits of both projects nourish the country’s long-term socioeconomic well-being and shield the most vulnerable from economic shocks that follow on the heels of both natural and manmade disasters,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Noemi T. Diaz from the Office of the United Nations and International Organizations, who represented Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo.
“Food is a pathway to peace. The linkage between conflict and hunger is undisputed…” remarked WFP Country Representative Brenda Barton. “With the devastating effects of the global food, fuel and fertilizer [crises, which are] pushing millions of people across the world to the edges of hunger and desperation, we see Japan once again step forward to help the UN and governments buffer the impact.”
Japan, WFP and FAO work closely with the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Bangsamoro ministries in implementing both projects.
The Japanese envoy signed both memoranda of understanding with Barton and Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff, country representative (ad interim) of FAO Philippines in the presence of representatives from the Philippine government.
Image credits: DFA-OPCD Philip Adrain Fernandez