LIPA CITY, Batangas – The Department of Agriculture in Calabarzon (DA-4A) has joined the initiative to strengthen the leadership skills and organizational know-how of farmers from indigenous communities in the region to enable them to work more productively with the government.
In an interview on Saturday, Antonio Zara, DA's regional focal person for the “Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo” (4K), said the program aims to develop the ancestral domains of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) that will lead to improved productivity and increased income but still taking into consideration customs, traditions, values, beliefs and interests.
“Even if they are a community with a recognized political structure, there is still a need for leadership [training] because we are in a modern era,” Zara said. “It is necessary to frame their leadership so that they know the dynamics of an organization.”
Zara said the most recent 4K training was attended by 52 farmers from the Samahang may Pagkakaisa ng Katutubong Aeta Indigenous Peoples Organization in Catanauan, Quezon, held Aug. 9 to 11.
Previous trainings were held in Tanay, Montalban and Antipolo in Rizal province, and General Nakar, Quezon.
The 4K is a special program of the DA following the directives of former president Rodrigo Duterte for an enhanced provision of assistance in the form of agricultural and fisheries related livelihood opportunities, investments through the provision of production and post-harvest machineries and equipment and various support services for ICCs/IPs all over the country through targeted community needs-assessments.
The program links ICCs/IPs to credit facilities and crop insurance to ensure sustainability of the interventions.
“Next year, we are opening (this project) in Polillo Island (in Quezon) because the certificate of ancestral domain has just been released from NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples). We have already conducted an initial assessment of the area. However, we will experience a difficulty on how to carry the interventions to the mountain,” Zara said.
“With the 4K program, our IPs have hope because there is a program which is focused on them especially in the food production sector because we know that the ancestral domain is a very vast land that can be utilized,” he added. (PNA)
