The Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) office in North Cotabato gave farming starter kits to a farmer’s group in Kidapawan City to help its members start a sustainable livelihood project.

Rodolfo Alburo, provincial agrarian reform program officer, said Thursday the recipient organization was the Amazion Agrarian Reform Beneficiary (ARB) Association in this city.

“This DAR-assisted organization has received the aid through the DAR’s ‘Buhay sa Gulay’ project,” Alburo said in an interview with reporters here.

He said the organization was provided with starter kits consisting of vegetable seeds and gardening equipment on Wednesday afternoon.

Felix Ajoc Jr., the association president, expressed appreciation for the various vegetable seeds they received from DAR-North Cotabato and promised to let the project prosper.

On top of the starter kits, they also received sprayers and 13 bags of fertilizer.

Alburo said the members of the Amazion ARB Association would be planting various vegetables on a half-hectare piece of land to ensure a sufficient and continuous supply of food in the local market.

The “Buhay sa Gulay” project is an initiative of DAR Secretary John Castriciones designed as a self-help start-up livelihood project.

It also aims to promote urban farming, reduce poverty, and eradicate hunger, particularly in marginalized urban barangays. (PNA)