PH’s Department Of Agriculture Has A SAAD Program, Happy Is How It Looks!

It’s called “The SAAD Program,” Special Area for Agricultural Development, and it has been in existence since 2017. Above, happy farmer faces show SAAD progress and promise.

(Above, “Happiness” image from the book, Perspectives, subtitled SAAD’s Capacity To View Things On Agriculture And Fishery In Their Relations And Relative Importance, 2020.)

The word “saad" means “promise” in Visayan and “commitment” in Masbate. Program Director Myer G Mula says, SAAD “aims to help marginalized farmers and fishers of the 30 poorest of the poor provinces move out of poverty.” Mr Mula also says:

The strategy of the program is to increase food production and the establishment of community enterprises by providing the appropriate technology, marketing, and other support services for animals (livestock and poultry), crops (food and industrial), and fisheries (capture, aqua, and pond culture) to individuals, households and organized farmers and fisherfolk…

It looks like SAAD has every enterprise covered: crops, fish, livestock, and poultry. The support services it provides desirous individuals, families and organized folks are complete in themselves.

Here is a list of SAAD Enterprises, each with project amount of SAAD Intervention:

P1,200,000 – Swine Raising (United Farmers Association of Pangi), Libagon, Southern Leyte

P550,000 – Capture Fishing (San Rafael Farmers and Fisherfolk Association), San Rafael, Donsol, Sorsogon

P518,512 – Cassava Chip (Suchan Vegetable Farmers Association), Sucban, Bagamanoc, Catanduanes

P480,000 – Vegetables: (Cansoso Livelihood Association of Workers), Matag-ob, Leyte; vegetable production

P101,500 – Processed Meat (Lydia M Flores, individual), Lampuyang Pio V Corpus, Masbate.

That’s a total of P2,850,000.

Mr Mula says in the 2019 SAAD Annual Report:

With the (SAAD) program’s major component, which is to develop agricultural enterprises for communities, associations, and individuals, there are successful groups who are now registered (with) and accredited by the Department of Labor & Employment (DoLE), and DA. They are earning and sustaining the livelihood provided them. Thanks to former SAAD Director Bernadette San Juan, these exceptional farmers were recognized in a one-day knowledge management event and trade exhibit called the SAAD Saga 2019.

I note that SAAD is designed to develop aggie enterprises for groups and individuals as we have already seen in the list above. Mr Mula reiterates that the SAAD participants are now “earning and sustaining the livelihood provided them.” I myself must emphasize that the enterprises are now registered and accredited by the DoLE, as well as the DA.

The SAAD Program has this Vision:

By 2022, SAAD will be the leading agricultural development program and resource mobilization service of the Department of Agriculture, undertaking intensified social venture initiatives to increase food production and alleviate identified farmers and fisherfolk from poverty.

SAAD’s objective is to “complement with the DA regular programs in terms of beneficiaries and interventions.” What sets the SAAD supported enterprises apart is that they are targeted at the 30 priority provinces of the Philippines with high incidences of poverty.

I note that SAAD support services are full, from financing to training to technology to marketing. I believe this is how DA support services already are transforming themselves with “regular” projects with farmers.@517