The agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of Silang Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (SARBA) from the town of Bagumbayan recently launched a harvest festival to show their dependable and reliable means of livelihood in their respective community.
The activity was in line with the ARBs’ graduation from Buhay sa Gulay (BsG), an urban gardening community program, which was implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) at the height of the pandemic to support the ARB’s economic condition by providing them means of livelihood and sustainable food source of agricultural products.
The activity was graced by the Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer Rhea Marie Betque who warmly congratulated the ARBs for successfully finishing the program.
“Always remember that you should all be committed to achieve the sustainability of this program. Remarkable resilience of every ARBs to any problem should never wane, instead, should further strengthen your will to always find ways and move forward. Rest assured that with your sincerity and cooperation shown to us, more projects will be poured which could be beneficial to everyone,” Betque said.
BsG Pointperson Cherry Mae Purazo, divulged that SARBA members’ means of livelihood in the middle of the pandemic, prior to the establishment of the BsG program, was purely rice and corn production, and with the current situation, it is not enough to support their family.
“Through this program, they started planting vegetable crops. They received various farm inputs and tools from the DAR so that they could formally start the communal vegetable area in their community,” Purazo said.
The ARBs were grateful to the DAR- Sultan Kudarat for the implementation of the BsG program and for their continuous support in finding means to extend help to their beneficiaries, particularly those who were hardly hit by the pandemic.
“The DAR – Sultan Kudarat through the BsG program, did not just help us in terms of livelihood, it also helped us strengthen the bond in our organization,” SARBA Bookkeeper Angela Cawacas said.
Cawacas added that although they have experienced challenges in terms of scheduling especially during the early stages of the implementation of the program, it has helped them gain more insights about management.
