The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) strengthened its campaign against hunger and poverty with the signing of the memorandum of understanding with its partner agencies for the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program on Thursday.

The EPAHP is one of the banner programs of the Inter-Agency Task Force Zero Hunger, created under Executive Order No. 101, whose objective is to mitigate hunger, ensure food nutrition security, and establish sustainable agriculture by 2030.

The DSWD said the EPAHP will have nationwide geographical coverage with the help of one of its partners which is the EPAHP-Regional Convergence Team (RCT).

“The essential goal of the EPAHP is to help mitigate hunger, ensure food and nutrition security, and reduce poverty in urban and rural communities, including marginalized communities,” DSWD-Mimaropa Regional Director Fernando R. De Villa Jr. said during the virtual launch of EPAHP program for Region 4-B composed of Mindoro (Oriental and Occidental), Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan.

De Villa, who led the ceremony, said among the strategies are coordination with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and to establish marketing arrangements for various Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in the region.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), on the other hand, has initiated livelihood projects in Occidental Mindoro under the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Project.

“The EPAHP is intended to contribute to the national government efforts in addressing hunger and poverty through the synergy and convergence of essential services of participating EPAHP partners directly benefiting the poorer sector of the country,” de Villa added.

He said rural communities should enhance social capital and optimize economic resource base through feeding programs, food-production programs, and essential support services, including the participation of community-based organizations in government procurement as partners and/or service providers.

The DSWD, National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Housing Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, and Commission on Population and Development are involved in the EPAHP Convergence Project.

The DSWD is joined by the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, DA, Department of Education and Agrea Agricultural Communities International Foundation Inc., with the support of World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in the project implementation. (PNA)