Philippine Rural Development Project

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The Rural Development Project for the Philippines aims to increase rural incomes and enhance farm and fishery productivity in targeted areas by supporting smallholders and fishers to increase their marketable surpluses and their access to markets. This will be achieved through: (a) supporting changes in agricultural and fisheries planning, resource programming and implementation practices; and (b) financing priority local investments in rural infrastructure and enterprise development derived from agricultural and fisheries modernization plans, using a value chain approach, and through stakeholder consultations. The project~^!!^s Global Environment Objective is to strengthen the conservation of the coastal and marine resource base in targeted program areas through biodiversity conservation and fisheries resources management. This will be achieved through: (i) enhancing institutional and planning capacities of local government units and communities; (ii) providing support to marine protected areas in particular areas of global biodiversity significance and select fishery co-management arrangements; and (iii) sharing of knowledge and best practices. There are four components to the Project and the Global Environment Objectives. Component 1 focuses on local and national level planning. The planning, programming and budgeting processes related to the development of the agricultural and fisheries modernization planning process is the main basis of decision making and operations of the Department of Agriculture at the national, regional, local levels, as well as selected marine protected areas. Component 2 concerns infrastructure development. The project will carry out of specific sub-projects to support infrastructure development by local government units in priority commodity value chains (including, among others, farm-to-market roads, bridges, tire tracks, communal irrigation, potable water systems, post-harvest facilities, production facilities, fish landings, fish sanctuaries, tram lines, storage facilities, trading posts, green houses, solar driers, watch towers, and slope stabilization works). Component 3 deals with enterprise development. This will be accomplished by: a) carrying out of specific subprojects to support vertical and horizontal clustering, joint business planning and investments by producer groups and enterprises operating within priority commodity value chains; and (b) promoting biodiversity conservation and coastal resource co-management arrangements, as well as carrying out sustainable income-generating livelihood activities. A particular focus would be on facilitating vertical integration and trade facilitation. Component 4 concerns project implementation and support through the provision of technical and operational assistance for the day-to-day coordination, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and audit of the project.