By Ira Y. Cruz, DA-AFID
To resolve persistent poverty among indigenous peoples (IP) in Mindanao, the Department of Agriculture and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) signed last Monday, July 10, 2023, a Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP).
The project aims to enhance agricultural productivity and improve access to markets and services for farmers and fisherfolk in selected ancestral domains in the region. It has a total cost of P6.6 billion, wherein P5.3B will come from the World Bank loan financing scheme.
“MIADP is designed to build the capabilities of local governments to increase the farm productivity and business opportunities of 120,000 indigenous farmers and fisherfolk in six regions across Mindanao. This is a project that corrects a long history of neglect on the part of our government and society,” DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said.
NCIP Chairperson Allen Capuyan underscored the importance of the indigenous community in the Southern Philippine region.
“Ang katutubong pamayanan ay isang napaka-significant na sektor sa Mindanao. Almost one-half of the Mindanao land area is ancestral domains, and half of the Mindanao population is IP. I am very glad that the MOA signing will formalize everything so that the communities in Mindanao will become resilient, relevant, and responsive,” he emphasized.
Under the agreement, DA will lead the planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and other relevant activities. It will also provide technical support and assistance and ensure all activities follow environmental and social safeguards.
NCIP, for its part, shall select and endorse IPs and Indigenous Cultural Communities and facilitate processes related to the conduct of the program, including the gathering of necessary data such as Ancestral Domain Title, Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim, Certificate of Ancestral Land Title, and other pertinent documents.
The MIADP has a social preparation component that will capacitate IP organizations during the first year of implementation. It will commence by August this year until 2028.
Witnesses of the signing ceremony were Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa and NCIP Executive Director Mervyn Espadero.