The project entails the utilisation of the ¥251 million donation from the Government of Japan for 4,000 small-scale coconut farmers
The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), and the Government of Japan forge cooperation to restore agri-fishery-based livelihoods and promote climate resiliency among farmers and fisherfolk affected by the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai).
“Back-to-back crises—conflicts, typhoons, flooding, earthquakes—make it difficult for many farmers and fishers in the Philippines to rebound as they struggle to replace what was lost or damaged—by it seeds and tools, livestock, or fishing gear. Getting vulnerable families back to producing food and earning an income and helping them withstand the next disaster is at the heart of FAO’s work in the Philippines,” Lionel Dabaddie, FAO Representative in the Philippines said.
Titled ‘Project for Restoring Livelihoods and Enhancing Resilience of Farmers and Fisherfolk Affected by Typhoon,’ the OSRO/PHI/203/JPN project entails the utilisation of the ¥251 million donation from the Government of Japan for 4,000 small-scale coconut farmers, landless coconut farm workers, coconut farmers’ organisations, fishers, and fisherfolk organisations in 12 municipalities.
According to Project Team Leader Gay Therese M. Bucol, the project takes a bottom-up planning approach and is made up of interventions that are unique per province. This guarantees its relevance and responsiveness to the needs of the beneficiaries, as well as its alignment and complementation to the plans, priorities, and ongoing projects of the local government.
The municipalities of Carlos P. Garcia, Mabini, and Ubay in Bohol will receive assorted seeds and fertilisers for vegetable production, island-born Bohol native chicken strain and feeds for poultry and egg production, water pumps as irrigation support, milkfish fingerlings and fish feeds, drift gill nets.
To complement the agriculture and fishery inputs that will be distributed through the project, Farmer’s Field Schools, Training of Trainers (TOT) for farmer-leaders and agricultural extension workers, and season-long and short-term training on selected and specialised topics will also be conducted at the local level.
“Natural disaster itself is a tragedy, but people have the power to get better. I really hope that this project will contribute to the revitalisation of affected farmers and fishermen,” expressed Tachikawa Junpei, Embassy of Japan in the Philippines First Secretary and Agriculture Attache.
Expressing gratitude to its institutional partners, DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban shared that the partnership with FAO, the Japanese government, and the local municipalities involved in the OSRO/PHI/203/JPN project is necessary to restore agricultural production in vulnerable areas, especially those that were affected by the calamity.
