DSWD funds coffee farm project for 4Ps families in Ilocos Norte

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has funded an initial 3.5 million for the implementation of a coffee production program in Ilocos Norte to provide livelihood to the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps in the province.

In partnership with 16 government agencies, the Piddig Organic Coffee Production Project in Ilocos Norte will be implemented under the Convergence Area Development Project of the Regional Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development (RCI-SRD).

The coffee production project initiated by the local government of Piddig serves as the pilot project of RCI-SRD, a convergence strategy of the government, which aims to effectively utilize untapped land and generate wide-scale employment for the local residents.

Among those who will benefit from this government convergence project are some 700 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya from Piddig town.

The beneficiaries have been tapped to supply the fertilizer requirement of the coffee seedlings.

DSWD through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) provided 3.5 million to the families as a starting capital for their vermicomposting production.

Vermicomposting is the breaking down of organic material through the use of worms, bacteria, and fungi.

DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman said this multi-agency project aims to sustain the economic well-being of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries by providing them an extra source of income.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor families, primarily those with children 18 years old and below.

It provides cash grants to beneficiaries who comply with the conditions of sending their children to school, bringing them to health centers for checkups, and attending the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

Meanwhile, the SLP is a communitybased capacity-building effort that seeks to improve the program participants’ socioeconomic status.

SLP is implemented through two tracks: micro-enterprise development and employment facilitation to support microenterprises in becoming organizationally and economically viable; and employment facilitation track to assist participants to access appropriate employment opportunities.