TACLOBAN CITY Leyte, Philippines (PIA) – The Ridge-to-Reef strategy is key to sustainable rural development, newly-installed Department of Agriculture – 8’s Regional Executive Director (RED) Antonio G. Gerundio said, even as he expressed his full support for the Enhanced Convergence Initiative (CI) Program of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“If we aim to boost our food productivity and ensure environmental sustainability, we should be united and altogether pull our resources from the forests down to the coastal and marine ecosystems,” Gerundio said during the Northern Samar Convergence Initiative Validation Workshop held at the Provincial Capitol in Catarman, Northern Samar last week.

In the so-called “ridge-to-reef” approach, key production zones from the forests, upland and lowland areas to coastal and marine ecosystems are identified with the three agencies aforesaid agencies, local government units (LGUs), the private sector, non-government organizations and other development-oriented agencies converging by way of providing interventions in order to develop, implement, and maintain projects and activities designed to promote rural development.

“The Enhanced CI Program is an integration and harmonization of plans and strategies of the participating agencies and institutions in order to achieve the desired impact especially among small farmers, fisherfolk and marginalized upland dwellers,” pointed out Gerundio. “We specifically give focus on enterprises that have something to do with increased productivity and income.”

In the same occasion, DA-8 Regional Technical Director and CI Program focal person for Region 8 Wilson A. Cerbito said that in order to attain the goal on increased productivity, the Program will also adopt the agro-enterprise cluster development strategy.