CAMIGUIN (PIA)—For an effective and speedy provision of agricultural assistance and implementation of programs and services, 11 irrigators’ associations (IAs) in the four towns of the province are clustered in a joint coordination meeting, July 27, here. “Gihimo ni sa DA (Department of Agriculture) kung duna’y mga benepisyo o ayuda nga ihatag sa DA, so ipaagi na niining clustering nga pagahimuon karon,” said Engineering and Operations Section Head Sofronio Deligero of Lanao del Norte-Misamis Occidental-Misamis Oriental-Camiguin Irrigation Management Office (LAMISCA IMO), National Irrigation Administration (NIA)-10. (This is done by the DA if there are any benefits or aid to be given by the DA, so it will go through this clustering that will be done now) NIA organized the coordination meeting to bring together the key stakeholders involved in IA Clustering for NIA-assisted communal irrigation systems (CIS) and national irrigation systems (NIS), in alignment with the objectives of the DA's Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program. It also targets addressing challenges, leveraging opportunities, and achieving the desired outcomes of enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting food security, and reducing poverty in the region. “Kanang atong mga irrigators' association atong gicluster kay dili man siya pwede nga maisa lang ug di pud sila pwede kung gamay lang so atong gi-cluster ang atong mag-uuma. Isa sa criteria ana nga ang isa ka cluster magbaton og 100 hectares nga service area,” Deligero said. (Our irrigators' associations are clustered because they can't be just one, and they can't be considered if they are few, so we clustered our farmers. One of the criteria is that a cluster must have a service area of 100 hectares) NIA-10 has assigned the IAs in Camiguin into three clusters, where Cluster 1 includes 121 members from Catarman and Sagay, Cluster 2 has 175 members from Mahinog, and Cluster 3 has 226 members from Mambajao. In addition to the minimum area coverage requirement, IAs can be clustered if they are organized and registered for any of the following: 1) local government unit (LGU) as a barangay micro business entity; 2) Cooperative Development Authority (CDA); 3) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); or 4) Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Also, at least 75% of the IA members must also be registered with the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and Municipal Fisherfolk Registration (FISHR). IAs must also be beneficiaries or part of other programs or projects of other government agencies. Clusters that do not meet the requirement may still join the program as a small brother or sub-cluster of a nearby big brother cluster. As of March 2023, 420,219 farmers and fisherfolk are included in the F2C2 national level, with 950 identified clusters, covering 371,288.84 hectares. (RTP/PIA-10/Camiguin)
To more quickly manage aid or assistance from the government for the agricultural sector, the Joint NIA (Operation-IDU) and PLGU/MLGU (DA, DSWD) Coordination Meeting on Irrigators' Associations Clustering is held, July 27, 2023, in Camiguin. (James M. Elaco/PIA-10/Camiguin)
Comments