PCAF, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office (RFO) V, and the provincial government of Camarines Norte, launched the Capstone Project titled “Strengthening Participatory M&E: Enhanced Guidelines for Stakeholder Engagement in the Implementation of Rice Farm Machinery Projects.”

 

The week-long initiative aimed to identify and address factors hindering stakeholder participation in the M&E mechanisms for rice farm machinery projects. Aside from this, the activity also aimed to foster greater transparency, accountability, and stakeholder participation among PCAF’s Consultative Bodies.

 

The project was led by Joane Carla Auditor, PCAF-Planning and Programming Section Chief and a scholar under the Development Academy of the Philippines’ Public Management Development Program (PMDP) Middle Managers Class (MMC) Batch 33.

 

 

Through focus group discussions, farm machinery validation visits in six municipalities in Camarines Norte, and structured interviews, the project shared valuable insights on improving stakeholder engagement and refined M&E processes.

 

 

PCAF OIC Deputy Executive Director Cyril Soliaban, who addressed the participants online, emphasized to the participants the need for a more inclusive, bottom-up approach to M&E processes.

 

On the other hand, DA RFO V Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division Chief Aloha Gigi Bañaria, highlighted the potential of the project to refine the M&E framework of the agri and fishery programs.

Key findings from the project included the need for further training for operators, adjustments to agreements for better coordination with local government units, and improved communication and dissemination of M&E results.

 

The recommendations will be submitted to the DA Secretary for consideration and potential replication in other regions. | Joane Carla Auditor and Jezebel Campaniel