As part of its efforts to gauge the progress and improve the implementation of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) CALABARZON evaluated its seaweed enterprise subproject in Calatagan, Batangas in May 2022, using its Rapid Appraisal of Emerging Benefits (RAEB) tool.

The Seaweed Production and Marketing subproject in Calatagan, Batangas, started in October 2019 with a fund of PhP5,890,542.98, catering to four groups under the Batangas Seaweed Farmers Association. It is aimed to uplift the lives of local fisherfolk in the area by enriching their seaweed production and business by providing them with agricultural inputs, facilities, equipment, and technical assistance.

The DA-PRDP RPCO CALABARZON led the activities of the RAEB, together with the Project Support Office (PSO) South Luzon Cluster and the DA Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division. They gathered and processed quantitative and qualitative data from financial statements, reports, interviews, surveys, focus group discussions, etc. Based on their analysis, several aspects of the seaweed production and marketing in the area have improved, which ultimately resulted in the improvement of the beneficiaries’ income and way of living.

Through the project, farmers increased their volume of seaweed production by 28%. The value of their marketed outputs also increased from PhP412,526.11 in 2017 to PhP655,703.06 in 2020.

“Dahil po sa mga seaweed propagules na nakuha namin, dumami po ang aming mga pananim at nasulit po namin ang aming area ng taniman. Sa tulong naman po ng aming mga drying at storage facilities, naibebenta na po namin sa mas mataas na halaga ang aming seaweeds. Nakakita na rin po kami ng siguradong mga customers ng aming seaweeds, kaya naman po hindi na kami mamromroblema kung paano kami makakabenta at kikita,” explained Flora Limoico, general manager of the BASEFA.

Meanwhile, transportation and hauling of harvests have been made more efficient and less costly with the help of the motorized boats and tricycles from the project. The rafts and wooden stables provided also helped the beneficiaries’ production become more flexible and resilient to water and weather conditions.

“Sa tulong po ng motorized boats, dalawang balik na lang po kami sa pangpang sa paghahakot ng seaweed, di po tulad ng dati na anim. Malaki din po ang aming natitipid sa pagbyahe ng mga ito sa aming mga bahay dahil may sarili na kaming tricycle,” added Flora.

The RAEB revealed a significant 274% increase in the average household income of the beneficiaries between 2017 and 2020, which allowed them to easily cater to the needs of their families, improve their living conditions, and abandon risky financial practices. The beneficiaries were also able to invest in other sources of income, such as floating cottages and a mini-resort in their area.

“Dati hikahos ang buhay namin dito, pero dahil sa tulong na aming natanggap, nagkaroon kami ng magandang pagkakakitaan. Sa tulong po ng aming negosyo ay nakapagpatapos na po ako ng anak at napalawak ko pa po ang aming taniman. Nakapagdagdag rin po ako ng trabaho sa komunidad dahil nagpapabayad po ako sa pagtulong sa akin sa aming taniman,” shared Russelier Medenilla, one of the beneficiaries in Brgy. Uno.

The results of the RAEB evaluation will serve as a reference to the DA-PRDP management in developing further endeavors toward improving and sustaining the subprojects under the Project. RAEB is an evaluation tool of the DA-PRDP, which aims to determine the success of the individual subprojects based on the overall Project Development Objectives of the Project.

To draft the write-up of the RAEB study, the RAEB team set a three-day writing workshop in Quezon City wherein they discussed the data gathered and discussed the results of their analysis together.

The RAEB team made sure that the data they gathered are accurate and consistent by reviewing their tools.