LGUs Forge Ties to Promote Organic Farming
Recognizing the critical role as frontliners in agricultural development, 10 local government units has formally forged ties to promote organic agriculture through a declaration supporting a government program to shift from conventional farming to the more sustainable organic farming.
The declaration was formally signed during the LGU Caucus for Sustainable Agriculture held last February 18, 2009 in Quezon City .
An initiative of Go Organic! Philippines , the Caucus for Sustainable Agriculture aims to encourage local governments to support the campaign to veer away from hazardous agrochemical inputs used in conventional farming.
Go Organic! Philippines, a consortium of nongovernment organizations and organic farming advocates led by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) and La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI) is taking the lead in the implementing the Organic FIELDS Support Program Phase I or OPSFI, a project of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM).
FIELDS or Fertilizer, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure like farm-to-market roads, Education and extension work, Loans, Dryers and other post-harvest facilities, and Seeds is the DA’s main thrust to achieve the country’s rice self-sufficiency target.
This is in preparation for the immediate conversion of 10 percent of the 1.9 million hectares of rice field into organic farm sites by 2010.
Led by Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza, representatives from the participating LGUs signed a declaration which sealed their commitment to sustainable organic agriculture.
Among those who joined Braganza during the caucus were Mayor Domingo A. Doctor Jr, of Burgos, Pangasinan, Mayor Marcelo E. Navaro Jr, of Bani, Pangasinan, Vice Mayor Leonardo Cruz of Dinalupihan, Bataan, Vice Mayor Felix A. Espino Jr. of Samal, Bataan, Councilor runnel Borromeo of Tobaco City, Albay, Sangguniang Bayan members Manolita Bathan, Eduardo De Leon, Benjamin Ramos, Amelia del Rosa all of Samal, Bataan; Estrelita Mendoza, City Agricurist of Malolos, and Flocerfid D. Felipe, City Agriculturist of Sual, Pangasinan, representing mayor John Rodney V. Arcinue.
“We affirm our critical role as frontliners in agriculture development, not only because the LGUs have a direct understanding of the needs of their respective agriculture sector, but also because the current policy environment as defined in the Local Government Code of 1991, already counts agriculture development as among the functions of local governments. As such, approaches in successfully promoting sustainable agriculture practices at the national scale integrally require active involvement of and forging strong partnerships with and among the local government units,” the declaration states.
In signing the declaration, the participants are committed to promoting organic agricultural systems covering production, consumption and fair trade, on the belief that “This will wean us from our dependence on expensive and degenerative chemical farm inputs, and will inevitably provide our people with healthier food, safer environment, more viable economic opportunities for farmers…”
Through the caucus, the participating LGUs commit themselves to
¨ Strengthen and expand our local initiatives on sustainable organic agriculture by adopting it as among our core strategies in our respective local development plans;
¨ Encourage other LGUs to embark on sustainable organic agriculture and reach out to those with existing initiatives to be part of the Caucus;
¨ Collectively support, develop and push for national policies and programs geared towards promoting sustainable organic agriculture in the country; and,
¨ Endeavor to strengthen the Caucus by instituting coordinative mechanisms that will ensure smooth sharing of knowledge, issues and concerns, and facilitate collective actions.
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