DA launches 5-year project to boost agri productivity of Mindanao ancestral domains
By Jel Santos
In a bid to increase agricultural productivity in Mindanao’s ancestral domains, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched the five-year Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) which will run from 2023 to 2028.

The program, which was recently approved by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), aims to improve the adaptability and accessibility of organized farming and fishing communities in a number of Mindanao ancestral domains and value chains including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
According to the DA, the MIADP is a component of the Marcos administration's efforts to address the persistent poverty experienced by indigenous peoples (IPs) in the southern Philippine region.
The World Bank will provide official development assistance (ODA) financing for the project, which is expected to cost P6.625 billion in total.
It will implement DA-institutionalized strategies for long-term resiliency and economic profitability such as strengthened planning, resource programming, and implementation processes, as well as an integrated application of scientific and market-based data and instruments.
The MIADP also uses processes, approaches, and tools that adhere to the principles enshrined in Republic Act (RA) No. 8371 also known as "The Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997."
The project is expected to improve the economic situation of Mindanao's IPs by providing agri-infrastructure support such as farm-to-market roads, bridges, small-scale irrigation projects, a potable water system, and an agriculture tramline system.
The DA also stated that it will provide agri-fishery enterprise support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in various commodities such as rice, corn, livestock and poultry, fisheries, and high-value crops.
The DA said that the project will fortify the capacity of partners in local government units (LGUs) to establish a support program in addressing low incomes in isolated ancestral domains due to weak marketing links and poor infrastructure as it improves the economic condition of indigenous communities.