The regional office of the Department of Agriculture has identified 10 municipalities in the Davao Region as beneficiaries of the Ancestral Domain Development Areas (ADDA) which will help indigenous peoples (IPs) slowly reduce their reliance on forest and other raw materials for their livelihood activities.
DA 11 Regional Director Ricardo M. Oñate Jr. said on Friday that ADDA will not be a threat to cultural preservation and tribal practices of IP communities and will develop sustainability in these communities.
“The project should not bring harm to the cultures and traditions of the IPs. This whole nation approach (project) would increase IP youth participation in attaining sustainable food production,” Oñate said.
The agency identified the municipalities as Boston, Tarragona and Cateel in Davao Oriental; Maco, New Bataan and Laak in Compostela Valley; Talaingod and Kapalong in Davao del Norte; Magsaysay in Davao del Sur; and Malita in Davao Occidental.
The first step in the implementation of the project is the subdivision of the ancestral domains in the identified municipalities into various lots that will be made open for investors guided by the community rules on land allocation and other existing laws.
The components of the project include the capacity development training of IP farmers, community organizing, forest protection, and planting of high-value crops, coffee, fruit trees, and vegetable garden.
The agency is implementing the project in partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 11 and other agencies as technical assistance will also be provided including marketing strategies that would include packaging and branding of the products abundant in their areas.
