DAR launches nationwide ARB profiling program

Posted on by

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) intends to build a comprehensive profile of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) nationwide that would enable government to gauge farmers’ economic status after having been awarded with lands through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Launched in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, the profiling program is part of the effort to determine the state of the country’s land reform initiatives way back 48 years ago, way before the implementation of CARP in 1987.

DAR Secretary John R. Castriciones said the move, dubbed as “Kumustasaka” is meant to validate the existing owners, the crops planted, and the kinds of support services needed to enhance farm productivity.

The Kumustasaka, which is on pilot-testing stage, seeks to pinpoint the real farmer-beneficiaries to whom the DAR intends to extend much-needed assistance, he said.

“The idea here is to find out if the farm lots that had been distributed to them are still being tilled by them. We also wanted to know their current economic status and what do they need to increase their farm produce and increase their income,” the DAR chief said during the farm visit, which he dubbed as “ARBisitahan.”

Kumustasaka and ARBisitahan work in unison as DAR officials and staff visit the farmer-beneficiaries right at their respective homes and find out how they stand economically after awarding to them their farm lots.

Undersecretary for Support Services Emily Padilla said that they are also meant to pinpoint who are the actual farmer-beneficiaries.

Padilla said she observed in past distribution by the DAR of farm inputs to farmer-beneficiaries: “Some of them are not actually farmer-beneficiaries.”

“We want to make sure that all the assistance that the DAR extends are given to the rightful farmer-beneficiaries,” she said.

For her part, Undersecretary for Planning, Policy and Research Virginia Orogo said the activities will be of great help for the DAR to figure out how far the government’s land reform program has gone after 48 years of implementation.

Orogo said that it is about time that the DAR comes up with a complete profile of each agrarian reform beneficiary to see the rate of progress of the program.

“It will serve as our barometer that will guide us where we are doing well and where our presence is needed the most,” Orogo said.