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Grow Asia Partnership Special Advisor Kavita Prakash-Mani shares
their aim of reaching
10 million smallholder farmers and improve their farm
productivity, profitability
and environmental sustainability.
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In preparation for the World
Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia in May, the Department of Agriculture (DA),
in partnership with the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries
(PCAF), conducted the Orientation on the Grow Asia Initiative of the WEF last
April 13 at the ATI-Rural Development and Education Center, Elliptical Road,
Diliman, Quezon City.
PCAF Executive Director Ariel
Cayanan welcomed around 160 participants from Regional Agricultural and Fishery
Councils (RAFCs), PCAF National Sectoral Committees (NSCs) and other government
and private sector stakeholders.
“The PCAF’s private-led network
of consultative bodies, comprised of the NSCs and AFCs, could play a
significant part in this initiative. Today’s gathering will indeed help create
mutual understanding among our NSC and AFC partners as well as the DA family on
the nature of this undertaking,” Exec. Dir. Cayanan stressed as he delivered
his welcome message.
DA Secretary Proceso Alcala also called
on the participants to focus on activities that the government and the private
sector can work on together. “We have a long list of things to do. We all know
that by focusing on certain activities under Grow Asia, this can be a venue for
innovation,” he said.
Grow Asia Partnership-WEF Special
Advisor Kavita Prakash-Mani presented the Grow Asia and Partnership Approach
for Multi-stakeholder Collaboration. She spoke of Grow Asia’s aim to reach 10
million smallholders and improve their farm productivity, profitability and
environmental sustainability by 20% by 2020.
She also shared their projects in
Vietnam and In Indonesia which aims to engage 20, 000 Vietnamese coffee farmers
within five years and train five million Indonesian corn farmers by 2020,
respectively.
During the forum, some participants
from the private sector asked what the Grow Asia expects from them in creating
initiatives toward food security and environmental sustainability as well as in
improving farmers’ livelihood.
“We’re not expecting anything
from any of you. We are here to support you in your journey of transforming
agriculture,” the special advisor answered.
On the other hand, Sec. Alcala recommended
that they organize a national secretariat to enhance the engagement of both
public and private sector in the Grow Asia initiative. “We are offering a space
in the DA to serve as an office for the national secretariat,” he added.
Grow Asia Special Advisor
Prakash-Mani thanked Sec. Alcala for his support and looked forward to
everyone’s participation in the Grow Asia’s initiatives.
She then shared that they are
looking at financing and providing appropriate farmers’ training and infrastructure
to address their needs.
Furthermore, she suggested forming
working groups on corn, coconut, coffee and cassava. “In addition to focusing
on specific crop value chains, the partnership could also consider a
geographical focus which would include multiple crops and enable the local
development of infrastructure, supply chain, finances and farmer capacity in
line with the Philippine Rural Development Plan which also has a geographic
focus,” she added.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary Emerson
Palad underscored that the Department is ready to shoulder the expenses of the
national secretariat for the Grow Asia Initiative. He also enjoined the private
sector to lead the initiative.
“We hope to create the national
secretariat by the end of this month,” he said.
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