Manobo villagers benefit from P4.96-M Kalahi-CIDSS projects in Kalamansig
AGRICULTURE • 18:25 PM Wed Jan 24, 2018
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By:
Hilbert T. Estacion, regional social marketing officer, DSWD 12
Manobo villagers with their newly-harvested coffee in one of the solar driers constructed through DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS project in Datu Wasay, Kalamansig,Sultan Kudarat
KALAMANSIG, Sultan Kudarat -- For decades, Manobo farmers in far-flung
mountainous village of Datu Wasay here were left with no choice but to lay their
harvested grains in tattered sacks and tarps to improve its quality with the
absence of solar drier in the place.
More often than not, this practice had resulted in poor quality of their
farm products like coffee, palay and corn and sold it to market at very low
prices.
For Edwin T. Dulunan, 44-year-old farmer and for the rest of Manobo villagers,
life is different now with their newly-constructed solar drier.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-XII) has granted the fund for the implementation of four-unit solar
drier in various sitios of the village amounting to P2.05 million, benefiting
257 household farmers through the government’s community-driven development
program, Kalahi-CIDSS.
The village is identified as one of the best areas suited for coffee
plantation in town. With this project, according to Dulunan, more and more
Manobo farmers are encouraged to till their lands for coffee production, which
serves as main source of livelihood for them.
Located some 45 kilometers away from town proper, Datu Wasay is one of
the farthest and hardest-to-reach villages of Kalamansig, home to more than 2,600 people, and majority belong to Manobo tribe.
Prior to the construction of solar drier, Datu Wasay villagers also
availed other DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS projects including P1.03 million worth of
potable water system and rescue vehicle with amenities amounting to P1.28
million.
Day care children of Sitio Metugsay need not to walk and hike two kilometers
before reaching the nearest school with the construction of day care center
with amenities amounting to P550,000.
Jamal M. Ali, town’s area coordinator, said that the various DSWD
Kalahi-CIDSS projects in Datu Wasay have significantly contributed in uplifting
the socio-economic condition of villagers coupled with empowerment processes
and activities done in the community.
Since 2014, according to Ali, Kalamansig town has implemented a total of
P61.58 million of various DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS projects.
Kalahi-CIDSS is one of the poverty-alleviation programs of the government
that is being implemented by the DSWD. It uses the community-driven development
(CDD) approach, which enables communities in targeted poor and
disaster-affected municipalities to identify their own needs, and collectively
implement and manage solutions to these needs.