La Libertad, Negros Oriental - The local government of this 3rd class coastal municipality of the province of Negros Oriental makes food security central in their development efforts. Spearheaded by the Municipal Agriculture Office, the Municipal Nutrition Committee set up the project Advancement for Rural Kids or ARK to solve hunger and malnutrition, secure food, health, and income of at-risk families, and help transform their lives.
The ARK project which started in September 2021 targets children of farmers and fisherfolks of the eight barangays in the municipality, to secure their food, nutrition, and health especially in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. With initial beneficiaries of 250 households, the number of beneficiaries has increased to 300 to date.
Thru ARK, seedlings are distributed to families with malnourished children and households are enjoined to plant at least three kinds of vegetables. The harvests are then bartered by program beneficiaries from the sitios/puroks of every barangay on what they call the Market Day. During the market day, the three types of vegetables that one family has will be exchanged with 20 or more of the other types of vegetables that the other families have or have planted ensuring fair distribution to the beneficiaries, enough to provide three to four meals a day.
Barangay South Poblacion which is one of the early implementers is now continuing their 8-week exchange or barter of vegetables from the different sitios/puroks. According to Barangay Captain Hon. Isagani Timtim “maayo ang ARK Project kay ang walay mga pananom nakatanom na tungod sa maong project. Makatabang kining ARK Project sa ilang panginabuhian karon isip dugang income naman nila pinaagi sa mga utanon nga ilang natanom sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka mga panimalay ug kinahanglan usab muapil sa households nga adunay mga undernourished na mga bata kay sila mao ang gihatagan ug prayoridad kay sila ang mga talabangon kaayo”.
Integral to the ARK implementation is Feedback where program beneficiaries regularly report the status of their plants to the Barangay Nutrition Committee (BNC). The project is spearheaded by the Punong Barangay with the assistance of the BNS and other BNC members with technical support from the Municipal Agriculturist.
With the initial success of ARK/Feedback, the project was expanded to two barangays of Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many caregivers lost their jobs and struggled to feed their children with safe and nutritious foods. But with the help of ARK/Feed Back, the fisher folks learn to farm and have become farmers. They were encouraged to produce their own foods and generate excess vegetables to sell to nearby villages and towns. They are now able to help themselves solve hunger and malnutrition within their families, ensuring that all their children have foods on their tables. // ND II Chutsvieka May Pacatang, RND
