DA to learn everything it can about farmers, fishermen

MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Agriculture will conduct the first-ever census of farmers and other agricultural workers to find out the sector’s gaps and vulnerabilities.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said DA regional and provincial offices would interview farmers, fisherfolk and food-producers in 80 provinces under the DA’s Unified and Enterprise Geospatial Information System, otherwise known as Komputerisasyon ng Agrikultura para sa Maunlad na Kanayunan, or Kasama Ka.

The census, which was started in some towns in Southern Luzon in late April, will go full blast next week in Quezon, Alcala’s province.

Farmers in two other provinces—Leyte in the Visayas and Bukidnon in Mindanao—will undergo similar interviews this year. It is expected that the survey will be finished in 2014.

Responses of the farmers and data gathered from the interviews will be encoded in the Kasama Ka database, which includes the National Farmers’ Registry System, the Inventory System of Agriculture and Fishery Investments, and the Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones (SAFDZs) thematic maps.

The database will constitute a clear and complete picture, or a detailed map, of the country’s agricultural landscape, Alcala said.

“This database will therefore enhance the DA’s responsiveness, quality of public service, and effectiveness in helping improve the lives of our farmers and fisherfolk through appropriate policies and programs,” he said.

The DA assured respondents that their personal information would remain confidential.