2 DA projects get NEDA award

MANILA, Philippines - Two foreign-assisted projects (FAPs) of the Department of Agriculture recently received the Good Practice Award (GPA) from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

“It’s a wonderful feat for the department. This is a validation of our efforts in delivering reliable, transparent and efficient service to our clientele, particularly farmers, fisherfolk and local government units,” said DA undersecretary for operations Joel S. Rudinas who represented Secretary Proceso J. Alcala in receiving the award.

Awarded by NEDA are DA projects Mindanao Rural Development Program Phase 2 (MRDP2) and Infrastructure for Rural Productivity Enhancement Sector (INFRES).

Undersecretary Rudinas, along with MRDP2 and INFRES teams accepted the awards from NEDA deputy director-general Rolando

Tungpalan, during the 44th Project Implementation Officers’ (PIO) meeting at the DA-NIA office, in Quezon City Dec. 18, 2012.

The MRDP2 was recognized for resolving recurrent issues in project implementation with its entry on “Applied geotagging  technology: An efficient transparency tool.”

The INFRES was cited for achieving desired output through good governance with its Ligao participatory governance for social  economic enterprise development (LPG-SEED) program.

The World Bank and DA-funded MRDP2, which is implemented in all Mindanao provinces seeks to improve rural incomes and achieve food security through the implementation of agri-fishery infrastructure, livelihood enterprise, and natural resources management projects.

Similarly, the INFRES aims to increase rural incomes and improve the living conditions of small and poor ruralfolk in selected regions with high agricultural and fishery potential by providing a package of infrastructure (farm-to-market roads, communal irrigation systems, and potable water systems) and capacity building support to targeted LGUs and farm communities.

The INFRES project features microfinancing, alternative livelihood promotion and training, and capacity building, and enhanced participatory governance of host communities. It is bankrolled by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction and International Labor Organization, and managed by the Asian Development Bank in partnership with the DA.

MRDP2 deputy program director Arnel V. De Mesa said the program has pioneered in using the geo-tagging technology which solves a perennial problem on project monitoring, validation and evaluation, particularly in conflict-affected project areas and hard-to-reach sites.

Geo-tagging is a process of adding geographical data such as latitude and longitude coordinates, date, elevation, terrain, estimated land area, and distance, among other information, which are captured and stored in electronic and printed form such as photographs and videos.