QUEZON CITY -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in MIMAROPA region launched its first “Buhay sa Gulay” Project in Barangay Lalud, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro to provide food and income to 74 members of 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) in the community.

The “Buhay sa Gulay” is a DAR project which aims to promote urban vegetable gardening and empower the poor urban dwellers by giving them additional livelihood through planting various vegetables and selling them.

This Oriental Mindoro project is in a vacant lot owned by the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan (AVC) and would cultivate an area of 5,000 square meters with potential expansion of another 4,000 square meters.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II Isagani Placido said he is overwhelmed by the support this project received from the various sectors.

“The Church, the local government of Calapan and national governments such as DAR, Department of Agriculture (DA) and Technical Educational and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) forged a partnership to make this project successful,” Placido said.

He added that he is hoping that this partnership of various sectors would pave the way for the launching of more Buhay sa Gulay project in the whole region.

The DA has committed to provide more farm inputs in this project while TESDA would grant agriculture-related training and scholarship to participating residents in the project.

The Church and the government of Calapan also pledged to give the support they need to ensure the success of this project.

Edalin Legaspi, 4Ps Parent leader, said this project is a big help in their families’ daily sustenance.

“I told our members that we should take care of the land which was entrusted to us because if this project succeeds, we could benefit from it for a very long time and we could even pass this project to our children,” she added.

After the launching of the project, the DAR also turned over P2.66-million worth of various farm equipment to agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) in the province.

PARPO I Rogelio Madarcos said the farm equipment would greatly help the farmers in their farming activities.

He said that the recipient ARBO’s include Salcedo Irrigators and Farmers’ Agriculture Cooperative (SIFAGCO), Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Kababaihan sa Maluanluan (SNKM), Lapog-Matulatula Irrigators’ Association (LAMIA), Kaligtasan Farmers Irrigators Association (KFIA), Rosacara Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (RARBA), Samahang Kapit Bisig ng Happy Valley, and Samahang Magpapatubig sa Mansalay Inc. (SMMI). (DAR)