A four-day workshop brought together 39 stakeholders from government line agencies and local government units in Lanao del Sur to explore convergence efforts to ensure food security in the province.
The workshop, held Nov. 19 to 22, was organized by the provincial government to formulate a plan to address food insecurity as well as increase food sufficiency in the province.
During the workshop, the participants took a hard look at the factors that impact food security such as poverty, income, unemployment, productivity, and shocks including those that affect stability like disasters and conflicts.
Environment concerns and measures to preserve Lake Lanao were also tackled.
Assad Baunto of the Regional Planning and Development Office of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RPDO-ARMM), on the other hand, shared the various programs of the ARMM government to strengthen the region’s food system.
He also discussed the cyclical relationship between poverty, conflict, and food insecurity.
He said poverty measures deprivation has many dimensions.
Addressing food insecurity does not only involve ensuring the availability of food but also making sure that people have access to it at all times.
He also emphasized that while food insecurity can be a source of conflict, the conflict itself has a significant effect on food insecurity.
At the end of the workshop, the participants identified various programs, projects, activities, and budgetary requirements to ensure food security and stability.
They also crafted strategies on how to make convergence work for each of the identified programs.
Proposed policies and communication activities to support the convergence were also laid out.
The outputs of the workshop will be reviewed and finalized by the provincial government for inclusion in its annual investment plan.
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