The Department of Agriculture – Caraga, thru the Regional Agriculture and Fishery Council (RAFC) sealed a partnership with the Diocese of Butuan’s Diocesan Renewal Center Inc. to engage faith-based organizations in optimizing unutilized land and enabling them to generate income that bolsters food security at the household level at the DA-Caraga today, November 21.

RAFC-Caraga Chairperson Christopher Lindo together with RTD Rebecca Atega and Butuan City Agriculturist Engr. Pierre Anthony D. Joven signed the partnership agreement with the Diocese of Butuan Archbishop Most Reverend Cosme Damian R. Almedilla, D.D., and the Diocese of Butuan Director for Social Action Center – Justice and Peace Rev. Stephen M. Brongcano.

The partnership plays an important role in capacitating the basic ecclesial communities or the gagmayng katilingban in terms of agri-fishery activities that not just help attain food security but provide a livelihood to residnets. The program will be cascaded through its Butuan Diocesan Renewal Center, Inc. (BDRCI), which serves as a representative and ministerial body of different groups within the parish.

“This project will be cascaded in all parishes of the two provinces, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur. It will be part of a component that should be prioritized since this is for food security and additional livelihood as well,” Archbishop Most Rev. Almedilla said.

RAFC-Caraga Chair Lindo also added that the council’s policy agenda is leaning towards becoming a ‘one store has it all’ program where technology, innovation, and information can be accessed in just one stop.

The DA-RAFC Caraga’s Agrikultura ug Pangisda sa Parokya Program is one of the three priority policy agendas laid by Mr. Lindo since he took the post of Farmer Director earlier in May this year.

The alliance is expected to pave the way for considerable progress in addressing food security and to deepen the private-public partnership’s commitment to agriculture and fisheries development. (Kent Warren H. Fugoso, IOI, DA13-RAFIS)