Davao del Norte – The provincial government’s KAAGAPAY (Kausa sa Agrikultura ug Panginabuhian sa Barangay) food security initiative is in line with the National Government’s goal to end hunger.
KAAGAPAY Technical Working Group Head, Dr. Romulo Tagalo, said that the program is anchored on Sustainable Development Growth No. 2 (SDG 2) which aims to end hunger.
“Naay complementation kay tungod ang Task Force Zero Hunger national ang scope, ang iyang mga direction is the macro side of eradicating hunger which we really need ,” he said.
However, he emphasized that the Local Government Units (LGUs) should also have their own initiative to ensure food sufficiency in their locality.
“Tama na nga naay national drive to end hunger. Now, dili pwede nga sila lang ang mulihok ani. Dapat ang local government muhimo pud ug inisyatibo from the ground ,” he explained.
As mentioned, the KAAGAPAY program is the initiative of the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte launched in July of 2020.
Within 5 months since its launching, the KAAGAPAY program has produced 111,000 kilograms or 111 metric-tons of vegetables and has generated ₱ 2 million income to its farmers according to Tagalo.
“Because of KAAGAPAY na stimulate nato ang local economy. Naay kwarta nga nag circulate. That is very crucial in times of pandemic ,” he said
He added that the investment of the provincial government in distributing free seedlings to its farmers was crucial as the private sector are holding money during the pandemic.
“Ang KAAGAPAY naka anchor ni siya sa problema nga hunger. Hantod nga di mahuman ni nga problema, ang food security sa probinsya magpadayun ,” Tagalo assured said.
He added that KAAGAPAY has an ordinance passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan signed by the governor that assures an annual budget for it.
(Jan Vincent Leuterio, PIA-XI | Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)