Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development

The Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development (BARBD) of the Republic of the Philippines is the agency responsible for developing the country's settlement areas and turning theminto profitable agrarian communities. It is also tasked with promoting cooperation among the different sectors of the farming community and to create programs and policies that will boost the farmers' income and productivity.

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HistorySection 23 of Executive Order No. 129 provided for the creation of the Bureau of Agrarian Reform

Beneficiaries Development, absorbing the functions and responsibilities of the former Bureau of Resettlement.

Its responsibilities include developing policies, implementing programs and providing assistance to

settlement areas in order to turn them into economically viable agrarian communities. It also maintains close

liaison with the farming sector to ensure the quality of farm income and production. BARBD is also

responsible for maintaining an economic structure that will make the farming process more beneficial and

profitable.

As stated in Section 5 of Executive Order No. 406, the bureau has the right to improve the programs that it

chooses to implement by conducting training programs, and to intensify the agrarian infrastructure by

building farming activities and potentials and developing the farming enterprise.

Main functionsIn line with the Department of Agriculture's goals and objectives, BARBD carries out the responsibilities of

developing and sustaining socially responsive products and services for the Filipino people. It also provides

the agricultural community with guidelines pertaining to the dissemination of necessary information and

developing systems, programs and projects that aim to make the community globally competitive.

Programs and projectsThe BARBD holds seven key programs that seek to empower the agrarian community politically and

economically.

The Capacity Development for ARBs ensures that localities are equipped with the appropriate machinery and

manpower that will make producing and marketing their products more efficient.

The ARB Capacity Development Support program helps local officials conceptualize and formulate

educational and informational programs to upgrade the knowledge and attitudes of the members of the

sector towards their own field.

Community-Based Organizing implements social infrastructures in ARCs and KARZones, while the Rural

Finance and Enterprise Development program focuses on developing systems and procedures that ensure the

agrarian communities' micro-financing capacity.

Different Institutional Management Services establishes relationships and connections among agencies,

government units and stakeholders to make the bureau's services more effective. The Community-Based

Social Services Development project looks over various projects that enhance the availability and accessibility

of BARBD's other programs.

Finally, the Knowledge Management program establishes channels for faster information dissemination a