PH-Australia partnership assists farmers in conflict-vulnerable communities

A partnership between Philippines and Australia is empowering farmers to improve their livelihood in conflict-vulnerable areas in Mindanao.

This was realized through the “Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension” approach developed through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Mindanao Agricultural Extension Project (AMAEP). The project is a collaboration among RMIT University in Melbourne; the Landcare Foundation of the Philippines Inc (LFPI), University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPM), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).

The project started in 2013 in three sites (Zamboanga Sibugay, Maguindanao, and South Cotabato) and later expanded to 10 sites with the Php 30-million funding from DOST-PCAARRD in 2017. With the Council’s funding, it has established the three-year PCAARRD-UP Mindanao-Landcare-LIFE (PULL) Program, which works closely with AMAEP.

The accomplishments of the LIFE model and the partnership between Philippines and Australia are demonstrated in the webinar, “Celebrating LIFE,” which is held today, June 22, 2021, to commemorate DOST-PCAARRD’s 10^th year.

“As an extension model, LIFE focuses on communities experiencing conflict, either socio-cultural or political in nature. The results were very encouraging as positive changes in the economic, social, human, and political aspects of famer’s livelihood were recorded,” said Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director.

The LIFE model

Mindanao’s fertile land has been producing various food commodities that are consumed locally or exported internationally. However, various conflicts in the island have been hampering production, local community farming activities, as well as government-led extension activities.

The LIFE model aims to bring hope to people living in conflict-vulnerable areas in Mindanao through a 15-step extension approach that starts with an appointment of a facilitator or community extension workers who is part of the community and have existing rapport with members of the community.

The facilitator, who is trusted by community members, leads and enables better farming practices and systems to be adopted by the community.

As of December 2020, the LIFE model has organized six farmer groups with a total of 246 members in Zamboanga Sibugay, South Cotabato, and Maguindanao. It has also increased farmers’ income by 31%, 50%, and 90% for Zamboanga, South Cotabato, and Maguindanao, respectively, which was attained through vegetable farming, seaweed farming, and livelihood diversification.

Addressing conflict and improving livelihood

“When UP had not arrived yet in our community, our livelihood was difficult. There was land conflict, people are fighting because of boundaries. Whenever the indigenous peoples planted bananas for example, they were told that they could not do so because it was not their land,” said Mambai Mahin, farmer community leader in Maguindanao.

Land dispossession from the Moros were one of the historical injustices experienced by the Bangsamoro, according to Mohamad Nor of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Societies (CBCS). The discrimination against the Moro communities had resulted in losing their lands and in turn causing communal violence and “rido” or clan feuds. In the end, farmers’ livelihoods were greatly affected.

“When LIFE program was introduced in the community, the knowledge of the people was increased, not only in building peace in their community but also in building their livelihood,” said Nor.

Aurora Rosal, a farmer-cooperator in one of the sites in South Cotabato said that the LIFE project significantly helped their association become established and professionalized. Through the project, Rosal said that their association was registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and that they already had access to government assistance and services. Furthermore, they were able to establish an agro-forestry nursery themselves. “My wish for our association and for our members to supply vegetables so that hopefully, we will be the market to buy their produce,” Rosal said.

The spirit of “bayanihan” or the act of helping each other out in a community is one of the benefits of LIFE, according to Jaidy Cadag, one of the farmer cooperators in South Cotabato. She said that the project helped them strengthen their group and enabled them to continue to help each other.

“The thing we learned from LIFE that I can never forget was the group strengthening. We were really strengthened by LIFE. Our dream now is for our group to  continue and not lose strength. My wish is for the LIFE project to continue and so that there will be more people that will be helped, not just in Koronadal in South Cotabato, but also in other places,” said Cadag.

 

For more information about the LIFE project, visit the AMAEP website: https://sites.google.com/site/improvedextensionproject/ and the PULL program website: https://sites.google.com/view/pull-upmindanao/the-program.

You may also address questions to the PULL program via e-mail pull.upmindanao@up.edu.ph or ttpd@pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph and landline +63 (082) 293 1839 and mobile 09398433228. You may also like the LIFE UP Mindanao Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LIFEUPMindanao. (Rose Anne M. Aya, DOST-PCAARRD S&T Media Services).