The Pangasinan Provincial Board in its regular session on April 19, approved a resolution that authorized Governor Amado I. Espino III to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between and among the Department of Agriculture (DA), DA—Regional Field Office 1, the Pangasinan State University (PSU) and the Provincial Government of Pangasinan for the conduct of rapid appraisal relative to the establishment of the Province-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System (PAFES).

Authored by Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Liberato Z. Villegas, Provincial Resolution No. 2292-2021 disclosed that “the DA recognizes that there is a need to provide an innovative model to strengthen the linkages, research and extension services of the agency through sharing of science-based knowledge and technologies with the farmers, fishersfolk, individuals and families, rural communities and agricultural fishery enterprises to spur agricultural modernization in the country through the establishment of its flagship project, the province-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System (PAFES).”

As stated in the resolution, “the Local Government Code of 1991 devolved agricultural extension to local government units, serving as foot-soldiers at the provincial, municipal and city levels in the delivery of extension works through its municipal and city agriculture office.”

 “LGUs are vested with the power under the Local Government Code, to apply their resources and assets for productive, developmental, or welfare purposes, in the exercise or furtherance of their governmental or propriety powers and functions and thereby ensure their development and self-reliant communities and active participants in the attainment of national goals,” the resolution further noted.

Furthermore, the resolution stressed that “through the PAFES of the DA, its institutionalization will strengthen the collaboration between the DA, the LGUs, the academe and the private sector in bringing extension services to the grassroots level with the province serving as extension hub that synchronizes agricultural plans and programs and orchestrates the various stakeholders guided by the provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) and Agriculture and Fishery Modernization and Industrialization Plan (AgMIP).”

Hence, to ensure the success and efficiency of PAFES the DA through DA-RFO-1 will conduct a Rapid Appraisal with the assistance of the PSU to provide an in-depth gap analysis and to measure the readiness of the LGUs.

The rapid appraisal will be the basis of the DA-RFO 1 and the PLGU-Pangasinan in the implementation of the province-led PAFES within their jurisdictions. (/Ruby R. Bernardino)