DAR seeks funding for 102 livelihood proposals of ARBs in EV

By JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA
August 16, 2019

TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Eastern Visayas in now waiting for the downloading of funds after it has submitted more than a hundred livelihood proposals from agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) throughout the region for funding under the Convergence on Livelihood Assistance for ARBs Project (CLAAP).

DAR Regional Director Sheila Enciso disclosed that a total of ₱55.450-M is needed to finance the 102 various livelihood or micro enterprise proposals to be benefited by no less than 2,218 ARBs, smallholder farmers and farmworkers from the six provinces of Region 8.

Once the requested fund is downloaded from the Central Project Monitoring Unit, the DAR provincial offices can start with the procurement process and at the same time conduct the identified appropriate capacity development trainings specified in the respective project proposals, she added.

Enciso explained that the fund will be taken from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD’s) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) wherein ₱1-B has been allocated for the successful implementation of the CLAAP.

Early in 2018, the two government agencies entered a partnership agreement to provide livelihood assistance to ARBs through ARB organizations (ARBOs) by clustering them with members of the Pantawid Pamilya recipients of the DSWD who have not availed yet of any assistance under the SLP.

Each cluster member, Enciso clarified, will be provided with a seed capital of P15,000 to start a micro enterprise based on the submitted livelihood proposal by his/her cluster. A separate P10,000 will be provided for the capacity development trainings to prepare the recipients in their livelihood venture.

This project is expected to improve household income of the farmers particularly the agrarian reform beneficiaries by expanding and increasing their access to economic opportunities.

Meanwhile, Assistant Regional Director for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program, Ismael Aya-ay, further disclosed that among the micro-enterprises the 102 clusters would like to engage in are: hog raising, swine production, broiler and layer poultry production, fertilizers and pesticides trading, and rice trading.

He also shared that of the 2,218 who signified interest to avail of the said government assistance, 1,371 ARBO members and pantawid pamilya recipients divided into 63 clusters are from Leyte.