In mid-2010, the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) operationalized the National Convergence Initiative (NCI) for Sustainable Rural Development to address fragmentation in the delivery of agricultural and rural development services to local communities. To date, pilot local convergence agro-enterprise clusters (LCAECs) in 10 provinces have been launched and start-up commitments comprised of a mix of physical (i.e., irrigation, agricultural facilities, machineries and equipment), environmental (i.e., mangrove rehabilitation, forest land use plans), and financial and socio-economic interventions have been made.
Recognizing that local government units are at the forefront of local economic development (LED) in their localities, a more focused and purposeful convergence was recently forged between the NCI and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). DILG, through the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is currently working with 15 provinces/LGU alliances (a few of which are also LCAEC sites) to develop and implement innovative LED initiatives that can produce important job creation and economic results for women and men, as well improve the local governance environment to stimulate economic growth and investment by the private sector.
In a collaborative workshop held last October 18, 2011 to clarify the new NCI-DILG-LGU Convergence, Usec. Jerry Pacturan of DAR emphasized the importance of LGU championship in sustainable agricultural and rural development. His sentiments were echoed by Usec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat of DA who added that LGUs play a key role in achieving development targets related to food security, increased farmers’ and fishers’ incomes and more jobs in the countryside.
Usec. Austere Panadero of DILG encouraged the participating provinces to work with these NCI key agencies to realize the objectives of LED. He also announced that the Department is working towards a similar convergence initiative for tourism, another key economic driver. The Department has also drafted and submitted an Executive Order to the Office of the President to promote harmonization of LED policies and coordination of programs and services of various NGAs through Economic Transformation Teams.
“With the 10 LCAECs and 15 DILG – LGSP-LED partner provinces/LGU Alliances, we already have a critical mass — about one fourth of the total number of provinces in the country — to work with,” said Mr. Marizz Agbon, the national focal person for the DA-DAR-DENR NCI. He also explained that at this point, the convergence is a coordinative in nature with a Joint Memorandum Circular signed by the three agencies, and more recently, a Memorandum of Agreement with the DILG. Institutionalizing the convergence and coming up with an integrated agriculture and rural development plan that will be sustained and updated beyond Administrations is an important next step. But for now, one thing is clear: LGUs take the lead in economic transformation; the agencies will provide support.
For more information, contact:
Marizz Agbon
National Focal Person
DA-DAR-DENR National Convergence Initiative
Dir. Manuel Gotis
Director, Bureau of Local Government Development
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)