Bolstering its commitment to food security, rural development, and climate-resilient livelihoods, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 8 (DA-8) has joined the Local Government Unit of Sogod, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte in a convergence partnership for the implementation of the Sogod LGU-Initiated Convergence Program.
The partnership was formally cemented through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on June 17, 2026, aimed at accelerating agricultural recovery and strengthening local food production systems in communities affected by recent disaster and economic pressures.
The convergence initiative was conceived in response to the devastation of Typhoon Tino in November 2025, which severely affected thousands of families and disrupted agricultural and fisheries-based livelihoods. Escalating production costs and global economic challenges have further underscored the need to strengthen local food systems and enhance community resilience.
Under the agreement, DA 8 will provide technical assistance, farm inputs, and agricultural support services for the establishment and development of vegetable, corn, cut flower, and poultry production projects in Barangay Kahupian, while complementing it with fisheries interventions. DA 8 will provide technical guidance on sustainable vegetable production, organic farming practices, soil and water conservation, and other climate-smart agricultural technologies.
During the MOA signing, DA 8 OIC Regional Executive Director Rodel G. Macapañas expressed strong support for the initiative, citing its potential to become a model for agricultural development across Eastern Visayas.
“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘺𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦,” Dir. Macapañas said.
The project site, located within the Sogod Integrated Agroforestry and Livestock Demonstration Farm in Barangay Kahupian, is eyed to become a model area for sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. The initiative seeks to enahance alternative livelihood opportunities for local residents while promoting responsible land use and forest conservation.
Beyond improving agricultural productivity, the convergence program aims to provide sustainable sources of income for farmer-beneficiaries, enhance food self-sufficiency within the municipality, and contribute to broader rural and agricultural development goals.
Through forged partnerships and inter-agency collaboration, DA 8 continues to champion inclusive agricultural development, helping communities transform setbacks into opportunities while advancing the region’s food security agenda.