Davao-based NGO wins international farmer award

MANILA, Philippines - The ACDI/VOCA Philip-pines, an international non-government organization based in Davao City, won the inaugural ALINe Farmers Voice Awards.

The Agricultural Learning & Impact Networks’ (ALINe) 2010 Farmer Voice Awards recognize an extraordinary range of projects which promote initiatives to help farmers assert their land rights, get systematic feedback on extension services and farmer-to-farmer radio learning programs. ACDI/VOCA Philippines is one of nine winners chosen among entries from 20 countries. The winners include projects in Malawi, Nepal, Bangladesh, Jordan, Zimbabwe and the Philippines.

The first ALINe Farmer Voice Awards celebrate leading examples of development organizations successfully nurturing and responding to smallholder farmers’ efforts. They showcase organizations that listen and respond to what farmers say throughout the course of their activities.

Yvonne Pinto, ALINe’s director, said, “We are thrilled to make awards to such a diverse group of initiatives. The award winners show how development programs can increase impact by responding to smallholder farmers’ own priorities. They also help farmers become more demanding citizens and consumers. We believe the award winners can act as agents of good practice for the sector.”

ALINe singled out ACDI/VOCA Philippines’ program because it regularly invites farmers to rate the quantity and quality of services they receive through Participatory Farmers Adoption and Results Monitoring (ParFARM). This tool was first applied with ACDI/VOCA’s USDA-funded Success Alliance Phase II (SAII) project in partnership with the World Cocoa Foundation, Mars Inc. and Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines. The SA II was successfully implemented in Northern Luzon, Bicol, Palawan, and Panay, Western Mindanao and Davao and Compostela Valley areas.

PAR FARM tool will also be used in the new USDA-funded project COCOPAL Farming Systems for Mindanao areas.

The project documents feedback on the services /interventions given to its beneficiaries who are farmers growing cocoa, coconut and rice. ACDI/VOCA staff quantifies the feedback to show successes, make improvements and address challenges. The feedback showed that beneficiary farmers benefited from trainings and also developed a positive outlook about themselves. It identified problems which ACDI/VOCA responded to, such as the quality of seedlings distributed by contractors and cases of delayed delivery by local partners.

Nic Richards, chief of party of ACDI/VOCA Philippines, said, “This will be a great boost to our M&E enhancements and credibility, both at the project and organizational levels “

ALINe is a joint endeavor of the Institute of Development Studies and Keystone Accountability, with financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.