ILOILO CITY (PIA) — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 6 expressed its support to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 6 for its Project LAWA at BINHI.
A signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Project LAWA at BINHI or the Local Adaptation to Water Access and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for Impoverished was held at Days Hotel, Iloilo City on Aug.1, 2024.
DSWD’s Special Assistant to the Secretary Maria Isabel Lanada emphasized the importance of the project, especially since vulnerable sectors including the poor, women, farmers, and fisherfolk are heavily affected by calamities such as El Niño.
In a report from BFAR 6, Project LAWA covers the enhancement of water access and management in communities prone to drought and water shortages by constructing small farm reservoirs, repairing, or rehabilitating water harvesting facilities, and diversifying water supplies, among others.
Meanwhile, Project BINHI aims to promote food security and nutrition among communities by facilitating the adoption of climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural practices such as communal and urban gardening, aquaculture, vermicomposting, and planting of disaster-resilient crops, fruit-bearing trees and mangroves, among others.
BFAR 6 Regional Director Remia A. Aparri joined the stakeholders during the MOU signing and signified her optimism towards the project, particularly in attaining food security.
“By ensuring water sufficiency, we lay the groundwork for sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, which are critical to our nation’s food security. Fresh fish can be made available to our upland communities, indi na uga lang ang makadab-ot sa ila kundi naga-pisik-pisik nga isda,” said Aparri.
(Fresh fish can be made available to our upland communities, not only they will have access to dried fish but also fresh fish catch.
To note, the Bureau has already given 25,000 fingerlings to Calatrava town on July 31.
BFAR 6 has also consistently provided assistance to DSWD programs through hands-on training and technical consultancy through its Provincial Fisheries Offices in the region.
Mainly in Negros Occidental, the towns of San Carlos and Himamaylan are also set to receive fingerlings in the next few months.
Aparri added that the project aligns perfectly with the DA-BFAR’s mission to enhance food security and promote sustainable livelihoods beyond just the distribution of tilapia and catfish fingerlings but by ensuring a healthy marine and inland water resource that is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of both coastal and upland communities.
Each provincial site of the project presented its accomplishments which included communal and urban gardening, aquaculture, and the planting of disaster-resilient crops through a cash-for-work and cash-for-training mechanism.
The Office of Civil Defense, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the University of the Philippines Visayas, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Agriculture were also represented during the said MOU Signing. (AAL/AGP/PIA 6)
