The Department of Agriculture renewed its partnership with Tebtebba Foundation to promote unity and peace and enhance countryside development.
Agriculture Sec. William Dar assisted by DA-Cordillera Executive Director Cameron Odsey turned over seedlings, farm inputs, and other agricultural support to Tebtebba Foundation founder and Executive Director Victoria Tauli Corpuz in a simple ceremony at the DA-CAR field office last July 15.
The inputs amounting to more than P150,000 include 1,000 pieces arabica coffee seedlings, six bags of osmocote 14-14-14, 100 hermetic bags, five bags of 17+08+09, 3 MgO (Agroblen), five bags of 10+07+22, 2 MgO (Agroblen); and one unit of brush cutter.
Dar said turnover of agricultural interventions to the Tebtebba Foundation symbolizes renewal of partnership with the DA and to promote unity, peace, progress, and development through agricultural support to the people being supported by the foundation.
“I will see to it that there is every chance to accelerate progress in the region,” Dar said.
Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Center for Policy Research and Education) is an indigenous peoples’ organization born out of the need for heightened advocacy to have the rights of indigenous peoples respected, protected, and fulfilled worldwide. It advocates and works on the elaboration and operationalization of indigenous peoples’ sustainable and self-determined development.
The DA-CAR and Tebtebba Foundation have worked together in some projects in communities in the Cordillera and the occasion is a symbol of the continued partnership to strengthen agricultural practices in the communities.
Odsey said the partnership is a continuing effort of the DA which the Secretary wants to push further and ensure that the policy now of the whole of a nation approach is practiced from the national to the regional and even to the grassroots level.
Corpuz thanked the DA for the support which she said will be given to their partner communities in the different parts of the Cordillera to ensure a more strengthened community through agriculture.
She said the activity is the beginning of a bigger partnership and they are hoping that this would be sustained even beyond the Covid-19 crisis. – Redjie M. Cawis
April 26, 2024
