Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) MIMAROPA I-PLAN Component conducted a Climate Resilient Agro-Industry Oriented Value Chain Analysis (I-VCA) Workshop as requested by the Marinduque Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, October 3-5, 2023.

The said I-VCA training was a mainstreaming effort for the implementation of the Province-Led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System (PAFES) of the said province. It was attended by agricultural extension workers (AEWs), including Municipal Agriculture Officers, staff from the Provincial Agriculture Office, representatives from the Provincial Veterinarian Office, Provincial and Municipal Planning and Development Offices, and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office. 

According to OIC-Provincial Agriculturist Susan Uy, the said training was to equip them with the necessary tools and knowledge needed to formulate VCAs, which are the bases for crafting Priority Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP).

“Sa mga municipal agriculture office, sa mga aspiring MAOs, AEWs, PPDO, sa ProVet, sa mga kasamahan ko sa Provincial Agriculture Office, nawa ang naging pag-aaral sa loob ng tatlong araw na ito ay magamit natin sa pag-a-update ng ating PCIP upang magamit natin sa future bilang bahagi ng implementasyon ng Province-Led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System. Asahan po ninyo na patuloy ang ating pagsasanay as part of our capability building program ka-partner ang Department of Agriculture to empower our AEWs upang makapaghatid po tayo ng mga nararapat na serbisyo sa ating clientele lalo na sa mga farmers and fisherfolk,” she explained.

The training included lectures, discussions, workshops, hands-on mapping, online tools, and field visits to deliver the learning objectives and outputs. The activities focused on the step-by-step process of properly gathering primary and secondary data, conducting stakeholders’ consultation, and analysis of results from data gathering. 

“Nakikita talaga ang bawat loopholes (sa segment) ng isang commodity, pano siya mapu-push forward at ma-address ang mga pagkukulang, segmengt by segment, details by details ang approach sa pag-address ng problema. At ang pag-implement ng programa ay on point. Magandang ang training at detalyado siya,” said one of the participants from the ProVet. 

With the implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia Ruling that ordered a devolution of basic services from the national government agencies to local government units, DA implemented PAFES, a strategy to empower local agriculture office in planning and implementing agricultural and fisheries extension program and promotes collaboration of different stakeholders and agency such as the academe, private sector, agri-fishery council, among others. 

Under PAFEs is a Collaborative Provincial Agri-Fishery Extension Program adopted from the process of DA-PRDP’s PCIP that rationalizes the interventions within the various segments of a commodity’s value chain, Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan (AFMIP), and provincial plans.  

Meanwhile, the I-VCA is a holistic, data-driven, and science-based tool participated by the different key players in a commodity’s value chain and its product forms. Currently, the PRDP advocates for more climate resilient agro-industrial interventions to assure a sustainable and competitive agri-fishery sector. ### (Denice Joelle A. Benosa, PRDP RPCO MIMAROPA, InfoACE)

Participants were introduced to the concept of value chain mapping through answering a puzzle on how a how a commodity is produced, processed, marketed and consumed along different stages and actors in the industry.

The participants learned how to analyze relative financial position of each player using various tools through I-PLAN’s “Running Man Challenge”, where they collected and filled up retailer questionnaires through an actual interview at the public market in the Municipality of Sta. Cruz.

I-PLAN Planning Officers Faith Janica Manalo (Front, in black) and Gerlie Llanos (Front, in white) guide the participants on how to identify and assess potential markets for different products and services. The participants had a workshop on how to access and use data from three online sources: mintel.com, exportpotential.intracen.org, and oec.world. These sources provide information on consumer trends, export potential, and trade statistics, according to their report.

As a culmination of the activity, the attendees are given certificate of participation and the resource speakers and facilitators were awarded with certificate of appreciation from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist.