The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is strengthening its agrarian reform communities’ development program by evaluating the soundness of the development framework and relevance of the proposed programs and projects for agrarian reform communities (ARCs) that are up for approval and integration.
To realize this, the DAR is set to conduct in two batches the “National Agrarian Reform Community Task Force (NARCTF) Deliberations on ARCs/ARC Clusters for Confirmation and Approval for 2023” to screen proposed ARCs and ARC clusters. The first batch is set on August 7 to 11 and the second, September 4 to 8, 2023.
DAR Undersecretary for Support Services, Atty. Milagros Isabel Cristobal, said the activity focuses on the level of development of potential ARCs and ARC clusters, taking primarily into account their social capital or organizational cohesion and human and financial resources.
“We need to gauge their capacity, preparedness and readiness to handle new responsibilities and obligations to ensure that they are up for the new challenges,” Cristobal said.
So far, the DAR has launched a total of 2,156 ARCs and 193 ARC clusters under its agrarian reform communities’ development program.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has confirmed and approved the applications of 96 ARCs.
The ARC development strategy was adopted in 1993. It has been focusing on priority agrarian reform areas to maximize resource allocation, complementation, and mobilization for greater efficiency and impact taking into consideration the limited financial and material resources of the government.
An ARC is a barangay or cluster of contiguous barangays within a municipality where majority of the CARP-covered lands have been awarded to a critical mass of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
The ARC strategy applies the integrated area development approach where the ARBs and their communities are the primary focal points of development interventions.
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