The PRDP’s local and national level planning or I-PLAN component leads the way in making PRDP processes become part of the regular activities of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and of the local government units (LGUs).

Scientific approaches such as the Value Chain Analysis (VCA) ensure that the plans and decisions made by institutions are backed up by sound data.

On January 16–18, the I-PLAN component of PRDP CALABARZON held a workshop on VCA creation in Lipa City, Batangas to facilitate and ensure the LGU’s adoption of the said science-based tool.

“We want the LGUs to use our tools and approaches not only in activities related to PRDP but also to other programs that their office is currently or might be doing in the future,” PRDP CALABARZON I-PLAN Component Head Maria Ella Cecilia Obligado said.

She added, “In the end, all their decisions will be based on hard facts that will accurately solve the problems of their constituents.”

CALABARZON RPCO Planning Officer Sarah Almeyda discusses with a participant the links among the different players in the Value Chain.

The I-PLAN team discussed the preliminary findings from the site visits and interviews it conducted for lowland vegetables such as bitter gourd, eggplant, tomato, string beans, squash and okra. VCAs for these commodities will soon be drafted for its inclusion in the Provincial Commodity Investment Plans (PCIPs) of the five provinces of CALABARZON.

Calatagan, Batangas Agricultural Technician Sharon Calimay shared, “Mas nadagdagan pa ang aming nalalaman kasi specific ang training na ito kung ano ang dapat naming maipakita mula sa mga datos na nakuha namin sa kani-kaniyang nasasakupan (We learn more as this training is specific on what we should show from the data we have gathered in our respective municipalities and cities)”

“Natutuwa rin ako dahil alam na rin namin kung paano ginagawa ang cost and return analysis. Totoong hindi lang ito pang-PRDP ngunit p’wede rin sa aming regular na trabaho’t programa (I am also glad that we now know how to do cost and return analysis. Truly, it is not exclusive to PRDP, we can also use it for our regular programs),” Calimay said.

Similar I-PLAN trainings and workshops will also be held for the other provinces in the region from January to February 2017. ### (Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP RPCO 4A InfoACE Unit)