The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) held the 1^st World Bank Implementation Support Mission Site Visit to the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) on August 31, 2023 in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.

The mission signals the launch of the World Bank-funded project seeking to boost agricultural productivity, access to services and markets, and resilience of eligible ancestral domains in Mindanao.

World Bank co-task team leader Maria Quiñones highlighted how MIADP is the first-ever World Bank-funded project in the Philippines dedicated solely to the agricultural development of indigenous peoples’ communities.

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)- Caraga representative Dr. Randy Rosas expressed his hopes that through MIADP, indigenous peoples in Mindanao will no longer be categorized as a vulnerable sector of society, instead becoming an empowered, resilient community.

For its first year of implementation, ten (10) identified ancestral domains are targeted for the Project, two of which are located in Bunawan and Rosario in Agusan del Sur.

“We hope that the consistent collaboration between partner agencies continues as we work towards improved livelihoods for the people of Bunawan. Rest assured, the Department of Agriculture in Caraga will be an active partner in this project,” says Engr. Ricardo M. Oñate, Jr., Project Director of DA-PRDP Caraga.

The mission provided an opportunity to discuss Bunawan’s proposed subprojects for MIADP, the agricultural activities of the Manobo Bunawan tribe, and possible interventions to address gaps in agricultural production.

World Bank officials, headed by World Bank co-task team leader Maria Theresa Quiñones, Agusan del Sur governor Hon. Santiago B. Cane, Jr., Bunawan’s Local Government Unit (LGU) headed by Municipal Mayor Hon. Sylvia B. Elorde, the Project Support Office Mindanao headed by Dir. Abel James I. Monteagudo, Regional Project Coordination Office XIII headed by Engr. Ricardo M. Oñate Jr., and 10 municipal tribal chieftains headed by Tribal Chief Rolito Peñaloga, Sr. also pledged their support to the successful implementation of the project.  (Nichole L. Talatala – September 1, 2023)