BAGUIO CITY– President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the scaling up of the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project for the next two years which will include a P600 million fund under the Philippine Rural Development Plan.
The scaling-up of the project under the Duterte Administration is set to benefit 18 more highland and remote barangays in the region– three in each of the six provinces of Cordillera. The primary criteria for identification of sites are poverty incidence, lack of government programs on infrastructure such as farm-to-market-roads or potable water systems, among others.
Department of Agriculture Cordillera Regional Director Lorenzo Caranguian and CHARMP manager Cameron Odsey announced this good news during the 8th year anniversary of CHARMP implementation and Knowledge and Learning Market Program at Crown Legacy Hotel here, Tuesday (Nov. 22).
This rural development project of DA in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development or IFAD, primarily focuses on social mobilization, participatory investment planning and land tilting; community watershed conservation, forest management and agro-forestry; agriculture, agribusiness and income generating activities; and rural infrastructure development.
The project already reached out to 1,021 people’s organizations including 644 livelihood interest groups within the 170 project barangays all over the Cordillera.
A highlight of the CHARMP2 anniversary program was the launching of the six books on indigenous forest management systems and practices that the DA in partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples crafted. These are on the Lapat of the Vanaw in Malibcong Abra; Lapat/Senned of Conner, Apayao; Kijawon/kaiwon of the Ibaloi and Kankanaey in Atok, Benguet; Pinuchu and Muyung of Mayoyao and Asipulo in Ifugao; Imung of Tanudan in Kalinga and Tayan of Upland Bontoc in Mountain Province.
Caranguian outlined the importance of documenting and sharing the lessons learned, as well as the best practices and experiences encountered during the eight year implementation of the Project especially to the younger generation so that indigenous practices of forest and environmental protection will live on to the next generations.
For the continuing government effort on bringing in rural development programs, he called on all project implementers and local stakeholders to work together to ensure that the programmed projects will remain relevant to the goal of bringing in sustainable development and progress to local communities and people that need it most. **By Carlito C. Dar
