A total of 3,000 kg of milled rice and assorted vegetable seeds will be distributed to 1,000 families in Ilocos Norte. This is part of the effort of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) and the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).
The specific municipalities that will benefit include Paoay, Sarrat, Marcos, Piddig, Burgos, Pasuquin, Vintar, Banna, Solsona and the City of Batac.
The initiative will start on April 20 and conclude on June 5, 2020.
On the ground, MMSU, through the funding of PCAARRD, will purchase milled rice from farmer cooperators. This will assist them by providing income and at the same time provide food to the indigent families in COVID-19 affected areas in Ilocos Norte.
The provided seeds will offer municipalities of Ilocos Norte the material to start their vegetable gardens in hopes of securing food during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
The initiative is an offshoot of the completed PCAARRD-funded and MMSU-implemented project, “Sustaining Crop Productivity in Climate Vulnerable Areas in Ilocos Norte through Science and Technology-Community-Based Farm (STCBF) Project on Climate-Resilient Production Technologies.”
This initiative is just one of the efforts that have been done to help alleviate the situation in the province amidst the current health crisis.
PCAARRD is one of the sectoral councils of the DOST, which is mandated to formulate policies, plans, and programs for science and technology-based R&D in the different sectors under its concern. It coordinates, evaluates, and monitors the national R&D efforts in the AANR sector. It also allocates government and external funds for R&D and generates resources to support its program.