DA-NorMin boosts agri support for ancestral land development

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – To expand Northern Mindanao’s agricultural production areas, the Department of Agriculture – Region 10 (DA-NorMin) primed the rollout of agricultural project to eligible Indigenous Cultural Community/Indigenous People (ICC/IP) in the region.

In a consultation meeting Monday, February 10, DA-NorMin Regional Executive Director, Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan and Joel S. Rudinas, DA technical consultant, audienced with leaders of the Kalanawan 2 Indigenous Political Structure (IPS) of San Luis, Malitbog, Bukidnon led by Datu Man-Untolan Rogelio D. Sumonda to tackle agricultural projects for implementation by the DA under its regular programs and the DA-MIADP (Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project), this year.

The consultation provides for bilateral dialogue to lay down the DA policies and procedure for the grant of agricultural projects and the counterpart roles of the of the Kalanawan 2 IPS being the project recipient.

To increase agricultural productivity, the ICC/IP will be provided agri-livelihood projects by the DA-MIADP, a World Bank-funded project, as confined in the Ancestral Domain Agriculture Implementation Framework (ADAIF), a development plan crafted in accordance with the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) of the ICC/IP.

While a comprehensive resource-based agricultural projects will be pipelined under the DA-MIADP, as leadoff, RED Pacamalan initiated for the Kalanawan 2 IPS to receive immediate agricultural interventions from the DA regular programs such as corn and adlay seeds, fertilizer, sprayer, grass cutter, drum, corn sheller and goat.

The community will also be capacitated in soybean production and processing, as well as natural pest control technology using biological control agents (BCA).

Similarly, he urged the Kalanawan 2 clan members to be registered with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) of the DA for appropriate profiling.

The Kalanawan 2 IPS spanned across over 8,000 hectares of ancestral land under Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title-203 (CADT-203), inhabited by not less than 103 families.

Per directive of President Marcos, the DA under the helm of Secretary Francisco P. Tiu-Laurel Jr. eyes in pouring more assistance toward a more prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive future in the country’s agri sector.# (ATT)