European Commission grants 6.4 million euros to strengthen RP food security

MANILA, Philippines - The European Commission has approved a grant of €6.4 million (P430 million) to support food security in Mindanao to be implemented by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

The grant is part of the €1-billion EU Food Facility established in 2008 to respond to the dramatic increase in food prices in developing countries around the world. Food prices have stabilized somewhat since then but remain high, and vulnerable communities continue to face the threat of poverty, malnourishment and asset depletion.

In implementing the program, WFP will work closely with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, as well as the Department of Agriculture and the local government units in the areas concerned. This is the second of three EC grants for the Philippines under the Food Facility, with a total allocation of more than €30 million

Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, head of delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines, said “this latest grant reaffirms the EU’s commitment to helping the Philippines address the challenges of food security and poverty. We hope that this will help the Philippines increase domestic food production and strengthen social safety nets, and in particular lighten the impact of the food crisis on poor farming communities in Mindanao.” MacDonald noted also that this new program builds on the EC’s longstanding partnership with the WFP in the Philippines.  

Stephen Anderson, WFP country director, said that this grant from the EC will enable the WFP address the impact of high food prices on the poorest of the poor in Mindanao by expanding food-for-assets activities as a complement to government safety net initiatives such as cash transfers.

“Improving food production will mean both better nutrition and a better standard of living for the poor in Mindanao, who remain chronically food-insecure. Our focus will be on increasing crop production through the rehabilitation of irrigation systems, storage facilities and feeder roads,” he added.  

The project will be implemented over 24 months starting September 2009. It aims to restore small-scale agricultural infrastructure in poor and food-insecure areas in the highly vulnerable areas of Mindanao, and assist the Philippine government on the national level on better targeting through vulnerability analysis mapping. The WFP will also help the government establish early warning systems and train key stakeholders in food security data collection and analysis.

The main beneficiaries will be poor farming communities in five Mindanao provinces – Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur – by way of provision of 9,700 tons of rice and 970 tons of beans to some 1.1 million people from small-holder farming communities through food-for-assets initiatives. Food-for-assets projects will build important local infrastructure and develop skills through the provision of food in return for work or attendance at training courses.