The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) and the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm (GKEF), a private organization located at Barangay Encanto, Angat, Bulacan, recently agreed to enter into a public-private partnership in building Filipino dreams through the “Dairyard” project.
The Dairyard is envisioned to enrich and empower every stakeholder and consumer in the dairy industry including farmers on the aspects of livelihood, health, and wellness.
The PCC-GKEF joint project aims to form model throughout the country, bringing together strategic partners, who have the resources and capability to produce high-value carabao’s milk-based dairy products. Through this public-private undertaking, a huge network of like-minded and like-hearted collaborators of GK all over the Philippines can be created to provide a wide array of support mechanisms to empower and increase the income of Filipinos in the countryside.
The Dairyard, eliciting a new social enterprise in GKEF, was conceptualized by Marie Cavosora, chief enabling officer and founder of the Dairyard, along with her team composed of Atty. Alexander L. Lacson and Atty. Patricia Ann T. Progalidad.
Cavosora presented the collaborative project during the 1st National Carabao Conference (NCC) held at the PCC National Headquarters and Gene Pool in Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija last December 3-4.
PCC Acting Executive Director Dr. Arnel N. Del Barrio said that the agency is working closely with the GKEF to pen a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the two parties to officially launch the Dairyard project.
“The PCC’s part in the project is the provision of 10 dairy buffaloes to GKEF as its starting herd. We will also provide technical assistance to the recipient of buffaloes by training them on buffalo production and management,” Del Barrio said. He added that PCC will continue to assist the recipients in the duration of the project or until such time that success in dairy farming is evident.
Del Barrio said that since the project of the GKEF is a public-private type of partnership, the GKEF will also help the PCC in terms of looking for new markets of milk produced and capability building of the PCC-assisted farmers in Bulacan.
Del Barrio further explained that since GKEF will only provide one hectare of land as forage area for the 10 carabaos that will be awarded to them, collaboration with the PCC-assisted farmers in Bulacan who already have buffaloes and allocation of land are the first steps that should be taken to attain its mission of building the Filipino dream through the establishment of Dairyard models all over the Philippines.
“The project of GKEF on Dairyard advocates raising of carabaos for milk and supports social entrepreneurship in the country. The intention is to provide Filipino’s with livelihood opportunities on dairy farming,” Del Barrio added.
Meanwhile, according to Cavosora, the farmers of GKEF community in Bulacan will be the pilot recipients or beneficiaries of the project.
Cavosora said the project ultimately aims to address poverty in the Philippines. “Beyond addressing the poverty of the pocket, the project also wants to address the poverty of the mind and the spirit of every Filipinos. The Dairyard was built to make every Filipino’s dream come true through dairy farming,” Cavosora happily said.
She added that since the Dairyard is a social enterprise, it seeks to create social impact in the following manner: restoring the dignity of the poor, inspiring excellence, and leading by example.
“This would all result in igniting and sustaining the Filipino’s mindset to dream for a better future and a better living,” she said.
“A specific manifestation of this project would be the production of gourmet keso, a high-end kind of cheese, which we produced and processed in the GKEF. Through the project, we’ll be processing high-end dairy products that are worth selling with competitive prices not only in the local market, but, in the global market as well,” Cavosora added.
