The government will be pouring in investments in the countryside for economic empowerment of rural poor and to encourage its dwellers to stay in these communities and avoid congesting the metropolis.
These are the goals of the National Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development (NCI-SRD), led by four government departments, namely Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, and Interior and Local Government.
As lead convenor of the (NCI-SRD), DA Secretary Manny Piñol stressed that it is very important for the four agencies to come together and work as one.
The NCI-SRD is a complementation strategy among the four rural development agencies under a common goal of poverty reduction and sustainable countryside development. It aims to provide integrated delivery of services and programs to rural farming, fishing, and upland communities of the country.
Through the enhanced framework, the NCI-SRD will undertake joint planning, programming and budgeting as well as monitoring and evaluation in the achievement of the sectoral goals and targets of the plan. One pilot area per region will be chosen.
Success stories have already been made in convergence model sites in Piddig, Ilocos Norte, Javier Leyte, and Siayan, Zamboanga Del Norte.
“We will streamline the processes and make the turnaround time of every projects faster,” Piñol he also said.
Collaborating with Piñol are DAR Secretary Rafael Mariano, DENR Secretary Regina Paz Lopez, and DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno as co-convenors. (Ellalyn B. de Vera)