By Jocelyn P. Alvarez
ZAMBOANGA CITY - In consonance with the rural
poverty reduction in agrarian reform communities, the Department of Agrarian
Reform (DAR) recently inked an agreement that involved a P4.9M project for the
provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay
beneficiaries.
DAR Regional Director (RD) Julita A. Ragandang and Executive
Director Antonio Peralta of the Foundation for Rural Enterprise and Ecology
Development in Mindanao, Inc. (FREEDOM, Inc.) signed the contract in Zamboanga
City.
The contract involved three projects for the
market-oriented agri-technology and agri-extension services of the Agrarian
Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS).
ARCCESS is a support service delivery mechanism of
the DAR created to contribute to the overall goal of rural poverty reduction
especially in agrarian reform communities through capacity development of
agrarian reform organizations (ARBOs). Its main objective is to improve the
productivity of ARBs for them to have resources for consumption and surplus.
“Ragandang challenged the ARBOs to be cooperative
and supportive of all the activities and services that will be provided by FREEDOM,
Inc. She hopes that the partnership will be successful in making the lands of
the beneficiaries productive,” DAR Information Officer Suzette Lota said.
Peralta for his part, “expressed concerned on the
sustainability of the project “because successful organizations are those who
depend less on the government and much on their own,” Lota added. (PIA9)
