From UN for agri dev’t

reduce poverty incidence in 10 of the country’s poorest provinces.

The initiative, which will receive $25 million from IFAD for the next six years starting in 2016, will benefit over 300,000 agrarian reform farmer-beneficiaries (ARBs) in 11 Agrarian Reform Communities in 10 provinces in Regions 9, 11, and CARAGA.

The CONVERGE shall also provide financing for farm inputs, tools, packaging and capacity-building, and will also link smallholder farmers with the market in partnership with the DAR.

Thierry said the objective of CONVERGE is to enable ARBs and other smallholder farmers to become highly productive and competitive entrepreneurs.

The FishCORAL project, on the other hand, aims to protect the country’s coastal resources by providing livelihood and coastal resource management capabilities to 700,000 inhabitants of 11 bays and gulfs in the Philippines.

In partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), FishCORAL covers 14 provinces in Regions 5, 8, 13, and ARMM.

“On behalf of the President of IFAD, we are very proud of this renewed commitment in the Philippines and participate in Government efforts for poverty alleviation in agriculture and fishery sector,” Thierry said.

This year’s KLM-PE focuses on discussions and activities that highlight the importance of small farm holders in poverty reduction strategies with the theme “IYFF+1 Partnership for Food Security, Nutrition and Climate Resiliency: Increasing Farmers Market Power.”

Department of Agriculture undersecretary Dennis Guerrero stressed the importance of family farming in the country and discussed the current efforts of the government to empower family farmers.

“Family farming will be the basic production units in agriculture,” Guerrero said.