01/11/2025
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗼: 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 | Top officials from the Department of Agriculture-Region 11 (DA-11) has returned from an intensive, two-week seminar in China, bringing back new insights into rural revitalization and poverty reduction that are poised to directly influence agricultural policy and development in the Davao Region.
Joining the 32 official heads from eight countries, DA-11 Regional Technical Director (RTD) for Operations Marie Ann M. Constantino, together with Agricultural Center Chief John Paul L. Matuguinas, representing the Philippine delegation, attended the Seminar on Rural Development and Poverty Reduction for Officials from Developing Countries held on October 14-27, 2025 in Beijing and Pu'er City.
Organized by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), the program showcased successful models that integrate industrial development, social services, and ecological management.
The activities included field visits to model areas in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, where they observed how local officials successfully implemented agri-cultural-tourism fusion and upgraded traditional industries.This presents a powerful, replicable model for the Davao region, which is rich in culture and high-value crops like durian.
A key component of their learning experience was examining how vocational education and technical training were strategically linked to local employment creation in China. This model could be pivotal for the DA-11 in strengthening its efforts to connect farmers and rural youth with the skills needed for the region's expanding agricultural value chains, including the burgeoning durian export industry.
It also highlighted the importance of comprehensive development not just increasing farm output, but integrating industrial development, employment promotion, and social security. For Davao, this means a reinforced strategy to move beyond raw commodity production to focusing on processing, marketing, and expanding market access which critical for sustained economic development.
DA-11's participation is expected to lead to a significant review of the region’s current rural development programs, especially under the PRDP.
The successful Chinese strategies, such as investing in local industrial development and ecological management as pillars of poverty alleviation, will offer tangible, actionable frameworks to address constraints and enhance the reach of existing initiatives.
Marie Ann Constantino Lee Matuguinas
