Aetas in Pampanga receive food, farming tools from DSWD agroforestry program
By Jel Santos
(PHOTO: DSWD)
Members of the Aeta community in Barangay Nabuclod in Floridablanca, Pampanga received food packs, farming tools, and livelihood support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the local government on Friday, July 11, under a new agroforestry and disaster resilience program.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian led the distribution of tools, vegetable and fruit seedlings, and fertilizers to indigenous families.
The initiative aims to boost food security and provide sustainable income in upland areas prone to natural disasters.
Also, the agency said over 1,000 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) were given to Aeta beneficiaries.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, the spokesperson of DSWD, said the government will provide temporary income support to participating families through cash-for-training and work (CFTW) and food-for-work (FFW) programs.
“Community participation is a crucial component in building disaster resilience and mitigating the risk of hazards in vulnerable areas,” she said in a statement.
“Through this program, we intend to establish agroforestry zones to provide support through the cash-for-training and work (CFTW), and food-for-work (FFW) program to the Aeta households by inviting them to participate in tree planting, upland gardening, and backyard poultry-raising activities.”
She added that aside from short-term aid, the program will equip families with farming skills to help them manage agroforestry zones independently.
Local officials also joined the activity and visited the ancestral land of the Aeta community, where Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished) will be implemented to improve water access and promote sustainable harvests.