Abstract

The Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Programme (BIARSP) is a joint effort between the governments of Belgium and the Philippines to make the agrarian reform agenda succeed. It is touted to be the biggest grant ever given to the agrarian reform sector in the Philippines. It aims to alleviate poverty, improve agricultural productivity and uplift the well-being of the rural low income communities. BIARSP is one of the few foreign-assisted programmes of DAR that is implemented through an integrated rural development approach. The results of the impact assessment study showed that the integrated rural development strategy of BIARSP provided a more holistic dimension of technical assistance to CARP. The provision of tangible rural infrastructure support like farm to market roads, irrigation, school buildings, textbooks, and community health stations complete with facilities was complemented by more lasting capacity building exercises such as livelihood and income enhancement training programmes; organizational, administrative and financial management strengthening, among others. It made substantial investment in helping build strong, transparent and cohesive community-based organizations, like the cooperatives, as the primary engine for the development of sustainable rural communities.