File Photo: Officials from MAFAR and FAO conducts its Project Inception Meeting and 1st Project Coordinating Committee (PCC) Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 24, in Koronadal City.
COTABATO CITY—To significantly improve the lives of vulnerable sectors in the agricultural Bangsamoro region, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-UN) forged a partnership on Wednesday, Feb. 24, in Koronadal City.
Officials from MAFAR and FAO conducted its Project Inception Meeting and 1st Project Coordinating Committee (PCC) Meeting under the project “Support to Agriculture-based Livelihoods and Agribusiness Enterprise for Sustainable Peace and Development”.
MAFAR Director for Agriculture Services Engr. Ismail Guiamel, representing Minister Dr. Mohammad S. Yacob, expressed his gratitude to FAO and promised full support for the project’s implementation.
Meanwhile, a resolution, endorsing the Project Implementation Plan (PIP) presented by the FAO project team leader Mr. Cesar Galvan, has been jointly reviewed and confirmed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) USec. for Regulations and Infrastructure Engr. Zamzamin Ampatuan.
Funded by the Government of New Zealand, the project seeks to contribute to the development of agriculture and agribusiness in the priority conflict-stricken areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The project will benefit smallholder farmers, returned Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their households, including Bangsamoro Women Auxiliary Brigade (BWAB).
It shall cover the target areas of Datu Abdullah Sangki, Rajah Buayan, South Upi, Barira, Buldon, Kabuntalan (Mother), North Kabuntalan, and Matanog in Maguindanao province, and the municipalities of Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pigcawayan, and Pikit in North Cotabato.
This project initiative is expected to alleviate poverty and ultimately harmonize inclusive growth in order to achieve the long-sought peace and development in the region.
The activity was virtually attended by Embassy of New Zealand Ambassador Peter Kell, while PCC co-chairperson Engr. Arlan Mangelen and Center Director Mr. Abdul Daya-an attended physically.
FAO will work closely with the DA, MAFAR, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist in Maguindanao and Cotabato, local government units, and other related government agencies in the Bangsamoro region. (Bangsamoro Information Office)
