Farm machineries, solar dryer with warehouse, and farm water supply are just among the project on agricultural and livelihood support that are underway under the Mindanao Trust Fund-Reconstruction and Development Program (MTF-RDP) implemented by Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA).

Nineteen out of the 65 sites across the regions of BDA are recipients of this project. Ten communities are in Central Mindanao region, one community in Ranaw region, five communities in Southern Mindanao, and three communities in Zamboanga Peninsula region. Communities in Davao and Zamboanga regions have not selected agricultural support from the program.

“Most of our communities in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao rely on agriculture and fisheries as their main source of living. Thus, it is evident that community members prioritized agri-related livelihood support as their community sub-projects,”Engr. Windel Diangcalan, BDA deputy executive director said.

According to Engr. Diangcalan, through these sub-projects, farmers are expected to augment their household income and eventually provide opportunity to the target beneficiaries to generate savings to finance other household basics needs that includes access to health and education.

“Before, we have low income from farming, the process was difficult. It would take us almost a month in preparing the land for farming. Now that we have the farm implements, farming became easier for us, Farouk Guialudin, vice president of Ebuluin Peace and Development Organization in Brgy. Tonggol, Gen. SKP, Maguindanao said in an interview.

MTF-RDP employs a community driven-development (CDD) approach. It empowers the community members and chart their own development priorities responsive to the needs of their community.

The program is currently on its fourth and final program partnership agreement (PPA) since its piloting in 2006.

It had already reached a total of 496, 527 beneficiaries in 214 barangays and 75 municipalities across the six BDA regions.

MTF is a fund facility administered by the World Bank and is supported by various donors such as the European Union (EU), DFAT Australia (then AusAID), DFATD Canada (then Canadian International Development Agency ), New Zealand Aid for International Development (NZAID), Sweden International Development Agency (SIDA), and the United States Aid for International Development (USAID).