Republic Act 8435 or the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 mandates the creation of a National Information Network (NIN) that shall be set up from the department level down to the regional, provincial and municipal offices.
The NIN shall link the various research institutions for easy access to data on agriculture and fisheries research and technology and that all departments, agencies, bureaus, research institutions and local government units (LGUs) shall consolidate and continuously update all relevant information and data on a periodic basis including basic sectors in agriculture registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) of the Department of Agriculture.
BSA includes all farmers, farm laborer/workers and/or fisherfolk/fishery operators/fishworkers. BSAs must be Filipino citizens and must be at least 18 years old at the time of registration.
The RSBSA refers to the electronic compilation or database of basic information of farmers, farm laborers, fishermen and target beneficiaries of agriculture-related programs and services of the government such as DA-accredited farmer organizations, is the minimum requirement in receiving/availing agri-fishery related government services particularly programs and projects of the DA, its bureaus, attached agencies and corporations.
In 2019, DA created Task Force Juan Magsasaka to fast-track the updating of the RSBSA through the National Farmers and Fisherfolk Information System (NFFIS). The DA provides easy and secured access to the LGUs and various government entities for the NFFIS.
The primary responsibility of the LGU is to maintain the registry of the BSA for the province, municipality or city.
The DA in consultation with farmer’s cooperatives and organizations and LGUs shall validate and update the master list of eligible beneficiaries to ensure that those listed are legitimate farmers, farmworkers and rice cooperatives and associations.
Why enlist in the RSBSA?
The RSBSA registration is the minimum requirement in receiving/availing agri-fishery related government services particularly for programs and projects of the DA, its bureaus, attached agencies and corporations.
The General Appropriations Act (GAA) provides that the national programs of the DA prioritize areas where majority of the small farmers and fisherfolks registered under the RSBSA are located.
The RSBSA serves as a requirement and basis for providing financial assistance, subsidiary funding and insurance services for farmers and fisherfolk such that those registered in the electronic database by government agencies are given priority in the targeting and implementation of their respective programs.
Section 14 of Republic Act 11203 or “An Act Liberalizing the Importation, Exportation and Trading of Rice, Lifting for the Purpose the Quantitative Import Restriction on Rice and for Other Purposes” also provides that the beneficiaries of the “Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund” shall be those farmers and farm workers and their dependents listed in the RSBSA and rice cooperatives and associations accredited by the DA. (JDP/DBC- PIA CAR, Ifugao)
DENR provides projects to 13 NPA-affected barangays in Kalinga
CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga, Jan. 22 (PIA) – – Thirteen New People’s Army- affected barangays in the province will benefit from 14 projects under the Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management Project(INREMP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Under the subproject development for Community-based Protection and Monitoring and Livelihood Enhancement Support component of INREMP, farm machines, equipment, and facilities, and conservation farming projects were provided to the covered barangays.
In Balbalan, three units of threshers with housing were given to barangays Ab-abaan; Coffee processing facility to Balantoy; three dapilan/sugarcane mills with generators to Gawaan; 2 CBPM projects to Mabaca; four units portable rice mills, two units hand tractors and two units threshers to Poswoy.
In Lubuagan, two units threshers and one unit coffee grinder were provided to Tanglag; three units hand tractors with three units warehouses to Upper Uma, and rice grinding machines and one unit tractor to Lower Uma.
Barangay Dupag in this city received a rice mill machine with housing and farm machineries.
For Pinukpuk, rice mill housing and cono rice mill machine were given to Baay; rice and corn thresher with house and conservation farming project to Wagod, and conservation farming to Ammacian.
Provided to Guinaang in Pasil is a conservation farming project.
Under the conservation farming project component, agro-forest trees are planted inside the forest using the sloping agriculture land technology.
Total fund spent for these projects is P11 million.
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Noel Barrientossaid these projects are DENR’s contribution to President Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70 or the whole of nation to end the local communist armed conflict in the country.
He said INREMP’s people’s organization partners in the barangays are managing the livelihood projects that are benefitting them in terms of income generation and employment. **JDP/PAB-PIA CAR, Kalinga
