August 18, 2022 – AsiaDHRRA’s Senior Program Manager, Florante Villas, attended the launching of Farmers’ Organization for Asia (FO4A) in cooperation with the Philippine Family Farmers’ Agriculture-Fishery-Forestry Cooperatives Federation (AgriCOOPh) and its member, Socorro Empowered Peoples Cooperative (SOEMCO), on 18 August 2022 at Socorro, Surigao del Norte, Philippines.  The gathering was attended by officers and staff of the AgriCOOPh, SOEMCO, Mayor Riza Rafonselle T. Timcang, Vice-Mayor Gemma L. Ocon, members of the Sangguniang Bayan, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA),  Surigao del Norte State University (SNSU), the Coalition of Municipal Fishers Association of Zamboanga Sibugay (COMFAS) and other representatives from the provincial government and regional agencies.

AsiaDHRRA, under the FO4A program in cooperation with AgriCord and funded by the EU and IFAD,    supports AgriCOOPh in building its capacity by providing business advisory services to SOEMCO.  In addition, the advisory services include developing links with the government and private sector to support SOEMCO’s swine business enterprise.  Furthermore, the business comprises breeding and fattening of swine while targeting 1,000 households to engage in feed production and milling (corn, soybeans, copra, fish meal), financing, and marketing.