Evaluation of Esperanza Seaweeds Culture-Enterprise Federation: A Livelihood Project in Masbate, Philippines
Alvin M. Mahawan | Roger Ibañez Jr. | Jacob Frederick P. Velza
Discipline: agricultural sciences
Abstract:
The Seaweeds Culture is one of the livelihood initiatives extended by the FishCORAL Project
funded by the United Nations-International Fund for Agricultural Development (UN-IFAD) with
the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to the fishing households in Barangay Rizal
and Libertad, Esperanza, Masbate, Philippines. The study aimed to analyze the socioeconomic
characteristics of household beneficiaries, identify the different types of livelihood assets, and
evaluate the critical livelihood performance of the Esperanza Seaweeds Culture-Enterprise
Federation. The study included the twenty-one beneficiaries, and data were treated based
on cross-sectional quantitative data gathered through focus group discussion and key informant
interviews. Itwas found that the household beneficiaries are mostly potential labor force members.
The household income is insufficient, which translates to high poverty incidence. The income
and expenditure approach as PSA’s measure of poverty confirmed this. The primary livelihood
assets are consumer durables, enterprise federation, credits as significant financial capital, and
government transfers associated with buffering mechanisms to sustain the family needs. There is
relevance and initial impact, which results in improved livelihood and some improvement inwomen
empowerment. The claimed improvement in income could not be associated with project impact
as the culture has just started. There are critical challenges to the efficiency and sustainability
of the project, especially from the end view of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. These
significant risks are appropriately counteracted when the association does have a sustainability
plan. The adaptive capacity of the association must be enhanced. Along these ends, BFAR,
academe, and other agencies’ technical backstopping are vital.
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ISSN 2782-9413 (Print)