A Success Story

A true blooded Agusanon, Nilda B. Desuyo, 53 years old, is an agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) of Avanceña Estate in Sanghan, Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte.

Nilda’s life is a continuing process of evolution. She grew up into a power figure, from a plain twenty-something lass in the 1980s, now responsible for creating a vibrant community of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

Since her marriage in 1972, she and her husband Rogelio A. Desuyo started farming in their father’s land. “…Because my husband (a NIA employee at that time) was not qualified to become an ARB, I decided to apply during the identification of potential CARP beneficiaries in 1989, Nilda recalled. She further stressed that “dili babag ang pagkababaye para maningkamot alang sa kalambuan sa pamilya.” (being a woman is not a hindrance for family development)

In 1991, she finally saw hope when she acquired three (3) hectares of land in Sanghan, Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Out of three hectares, one hectare is planted with rice (irrigated), one and a half hectare with cash crops (vegetables), cacao, coconuts, and the remaining one-half is under collective ownership of the cooperative where she is a member.

She was successful in bringing together a group of landless farmers to assert their rights and liberating them from the shackles of poverty due to landlessness and lack of education and training. A Cooperative Chairperson, barangay official, club leader, health worker, family woman, and anchorperson of various national programs, she has led the economic growth of her cooperative, the Avanceña Beneficiaries and Farmers’ Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ABFMPC). With her ability in networking, their coop was able to acquire pre- and post-harvest facilities from both local & Foreign Assisted Projects (FAPs). Her efforts in community development extend beyond her immediate community, reaching the province of Agusan del Norte and Caraga Region. Through the years, her role in the community continues to grow, bringing a different experience into an arena dominated by men. She personifies a new breed of women in the rural areas– one who is true to herself and others, one who innovates, and one who does things for His glory.

Aside from being an ARB, Nilda is a Barangay Kagawad for 13 years and has been a recipient of various awards such as: Outstanding PO Leader (Municipal) given by DAR; Outstanding PO Leader given by DA; Outstanding Achiever in 1997 and 1998 Highest Honor Award (National) given by Asia Institute of Humanitarian Development; Outstanding Woman ARB of 1998 given by DAR; Outstanding ARC (Provincial Level) by DAR; and 2^nd Placer of DAR Province-wide Communal Vegetable Garden Contest ’98.

In dealing with people, Nilda tries to strike a balance between task and persons, substance and process, pressure and nurture, authority and participation, practicality and creativity. When pushed to the limit, she stands for what she believes is right. Because of this, she has been threatened and confronted by her adversaries.

At the age of 53, She notes that she is contented with her present life and feels that she has fulfilled part of her personal mission, which is to help her fellow farmers improve the quality of their lives. Through the years, her role in the community continues to grow, carrying the hope of a different experience of service to fellowmen.

Nilda has translated the aspirations of her community into a grand vision. “I am fulfilled with what I am now, living in an Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) where families are sharing the gains of a cooperative founded and bounded with the land awarded to us. Making these families part in uplifting our economy and inculcating the values of cooperativism is the heart of our business and in them lies the key to our Agrarian Reform Communities’ success.”

And recently, driven by her undying interest to serve her fellow farmers, she is one of the Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (PARCCOM) Members, which function is to coordinate and monitor the implementation of CARP and ensure the timely and effective delivery of support services to its beneficiaries.

She greatly appreciates the assistance extended to ARBs from local government units (LGUs), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), and other supportive government agencies and private institutions.