The Philippine government is currently facing several challenges in relation to poverty reduction, hunger mitigation, and food security in the urban and rural communities.

This is a huge task which requires multi-sectoral efforts involving the national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), non-government,  and civil society organizations (NGOs/CSOs).

Addressing these challenges require a holistic approach to bring together the programs of government that are focused on the provision of essential services, directly benefiting the poorer sector in the rural areas.

The national government’s strategy demands a concerted effort to build social capital among the poorer sector of the society and provide the enabling mechanism for informed participation.

Towards this end, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and the Department of Agriculture (DA) collaborated to undertake the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP) Project, intended to create essential social infrastructure aimed at improving access to basic services and facilitating investment into the rural economy.

To assess the initial gains of the PAHP in the pilot and roll-out areas, the officials and representatives from the three NGAs, together with the Food Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Food Program (WFP), and the LGUs of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, and Municipality of Castilla, Sorsogon, will meet on November 11-12 in Cebu City.

The Ambassador of Brazil,  George Ney de Souza Fernandez, will likewise attend the two-day National Workshop since the PAHP framework builds on the success of the Brazilian Government on its Zero-Hunger Plan and the Food Purchase Program.

In Brazil, the provision of agricultural extension services is linked to the nutrition needs of the feeding program and logistics management related to production, delivery and storage of required food items.

According to DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, the implementation of the PAHP has been pilot-tested in Region V where the Supplemental Feeding Program (SFP) of DSWD’s day care centers is linked to DAR’s support services programs for agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) and DA’s crop production programs for farmers organizations (FOs).

Under the PAHP, ARBOs, and FOs will provide the essential food items required for the supplemental feeding program of the day care centers, while improving their productivity and farm income through assistance from DAR and DA .

Drawing lessons from experience gained in the pilot area, the PAHP has been rolled out in Regions VIII and IX, where the PAHP Convergence Team has been organized to replicate the program initiatives in Region V.

With technical assistance from UN’s FAO and WFP in community-driven approaches in agri-enterprise development and food security programs, the prospects for poverty reduction and hunger elimination in the rural areas would be enhanced.

“The project will also boost the SFP by ensuring the supply of food requirements for the day care pupil-beneficiaries,” Sec. Soliman stated. ###