By Ana Kinja Tauli
Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP), with financial support from the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is launching a new development project to construct and establish an aquaponics farm as alternative livelihood for displaced small scale miners. The MoU for the project was signed by PIKP Secretary of the Board Maria Elena Regpala and Czech Ambassador Jana Šedivá on March 9, 2020 at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Philippines, Makati City.
The project, assessed to be “innovative, modern and efficient,” is one of two projects accepted to be funded by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is in partnership with the Batawel Small Scale Miners Association. Construction, maintenance and future development will primarily be undertaken by the displaced small scale miners of the Association. Once running, the farm is expected to produce a variety of vegetables and fish, as well as provide on-site training on aquaponics farming to other displaced miners in Benguet.
With this project, PIKP and the Batawel Small Scale Miners Association hope the farm will be a pilot to exhibit aquaponics as a viable and sustainable economic activity.
