Fostering Nutrition and Livelihood: DAR and NNC's Collaborative Effort in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY – A fresh collaborative endeavor emerged on Friday as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the National Nutrition Council (NNC) entered into a renewed partnership agreement to implement the dietary supplementation program in agrarian reform communities across Eastern Visayas.

Regional Director Robert Anthony Yu of DAR Eastern Visayas and NNC Nutrition Program Coordinator Catalino Dotollo Jr. formalized the partnership by signing a memorandum of understanding at the DAR regional office, outlining the implementation of the sixth phase of the “Tutok Kainan” initiative.

This agreement is designed to cater to the nutritional needs of pregnant women at risk in 54 towns within the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar, who are the designated beneficiaries of the program's sixth phase.

In this collaborative effort, DAR will identify agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) in targeted areas capable of supplying fresh farm products. Concurrently, NNC will serve as a direct market, procuring fresh food items from the ARBOs to be utilized in preparing supplemental food for pregnant women.

Catalino Dotollo Jr. stated, “With our ‘Tutok Kainan,’ we also want our ARBOs to have income while addressing malnutrition and hunger among our children and pregnant women. It’s hitting two birds with our engagement with the DAR through their respective beneficiaries.”

In the previous year, eight ARBOs from Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, and Northern Samar engaged in a PHP10.2-million marketing agreement with NNC for phases three and five of the “Tutok Kainan.”

DAR Regional Director Yu highlighted the significance of this opportunity to establish new industries, creating avenues for projects and enterprises that cater to the entrepreneurial needs of agrarian reform beneficiaries and their organizations.

The “Tutok Kainan” program centers on crucial nutrition intervention, specifically dietary supplementation for populations at nutritional risk, especially during the pandemic, when the livelihoods of marginalized families are vulnerable. The program emphasizes close monitoring of the nutrition of target beneficiaries during the critical first 1,000 days to prevent issues such as low birth weight and stunting. (PNA)