The distribution of land to individual farmers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) has “broken” commercial production, said an official from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), hence the need for the government to help farmers with land consolidation.
In a webinar organized by the state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Undersecretary for Agrarian Reform Bernie Cruz said that most of the land distributed to farmers under Carp was estates that used to produce agricultural products in large quantities. While giving farmers the opportunity to own their respective shares of farm lots, the program also perplexed the country’s food production.
Various administrations have attempted to consolidate land by creating farmer organizations and cooperatives, but according to an independent PIDS study, many groups eventually become inactive due to a lack of management and organizational skills among members.
Galalan Land Reform Beneficiaries The president of the Multipurpose Cooperative, Marlon Talavera, who was also a commentator on the webinar, affirmed this situation, adding that most of the farmers were already old and trapped in rudimentary practices.
He added that the lack of capitalization often discouraged land reform beneficiaries from grouping together as, without any financial buffers, farmer groups could not access loans to launch large-scale operations.
In addition, many rural areas of the country do not have cell phone towers, making it difficult for groups to maintain communication.
“Our place is eight kilometers from the town. There is no communication because there is no cell tower. We don’t have a cell phone signal, so we have to go to the highlands just to get a text message, ”Talavera said in Filipino.
PIDS, in an attempt to drive real consolidation, recommended that the government carry out capacity building among groups with the aim of achieving two results: the provision of actions among farmer members and the transformation of cooperatives into companies.
Government assistance sought to consolidate CARP lands
