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[av_heading heading=’ URBAN FARMER ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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Monday, October 9, 2017
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PRIOR to the observance of World Food Day, which is marked annually every 16th of October, a group of concerned farmers, consumers, producers, educators, and non-government, civil society and peoples’ organizations, have gathered together to call on the government to address the country’s food emergency situation.
According to Ramon Padilla of the Peoples Food Movement, they have gathered recently not only to celebrate an occasion meant to educate and inspire people to take action for those who are hungry, but to put the spotlight on the best practices by groups and individuals, including governance initiatives at the local level, that have already been successful and proven effective.
It was learned that the group earlier submitted to Malacañang a proposed Executive Order (EO) calling for the formation of a Food Cluster under the government’s Cabinet Cluster System.
The group believes that this will help address the urgent need for greater coherence, convergence, and synergy of the various programs of government on food, which are presently governed under different departments and agencies, so that all the policies and programs will be shifted towards a sustainable and ecological system.
For her part, Virginia Benosa Lllorin, Food and Ecological Agriculture Campaigner of Greenpeace Philippines, said the country is facing a food emergency, and the Duterte administration should give this priority.
“We have a case of double burden malnutrition where 30 percent of Filipino children aged 5-10 years are underweight and stunted, while more than 30 percent of Filipino adults aged 20 and above are overweight. Our farmers and fishers – they who produce our food – remain to be the poorest among the sector. Our farmers are aging and they do not want their children to go into farming. What will happen to the country if we lose our farmers?” Llorin added.
The group says that while it recognizes government efforts to address food security concerns, these are not enough to curtail the continuing failings of the country’s current food system.
The group’s proposed EO points to the country needing “sustainable and ecological food systems that will advance the rights of the people to healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and upholds the Filipinos’ rights, instead of corporations, to be able to define our own food and agriculture systems.”
A petition has been via an online petition site bataris.org.ph urging President Duterte to issue the EO.
The groups are also calling on local government units to set up local food councils, as well as food plans and programs consistent with initiatives of the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities and Cities (LOAMC).
The gathering, dubbed “Sibol: The Journey Towards Sustainable Food System,” featured exhibits, activities and presentations that showed the many efforts of groups and individuals who are challenging the status quo by promoting healthy and nutritious food through the advancement of ecological agriculture and the protection of the environment.
The Peoples Food Movement, in partnership with LOAMC and the #IAmHampasLupa Youth Campaigners convened the various sectors for the event. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
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