By MASIPAG
Farmer-scientist group Magsasaka at Siyentpiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG) participated at the 2021 Organic World Congress (OWC) last September 8-10 in Rennes France along with more than 2,000 organic stakeholders around the globe. MASIPAG Farmer leaders and staff proudly shared the network’s collective experience at the forefront of the country’s organic movement for at least three decades.
Rodolfo “Don-don” Cortez MASIPAG Visayas Regional Management Team (RMT) Chairperson presentation was entitled “BAYANIHAN IN CHANGING CLIMATE,” which comprehensively discussed MASIPAG’s Climate Change Resiliency program being implemented at the ground. Don-don highlighted the crucial role of cooperation through Bayanihan (collective work) in facing challenges and exacerbated by the changing climate. Rodolfo Cortez gave an overview of the national works of MASIPAG as well their practical experience in Negros.
Meanwhile Maricel ”Mace” Endencio, a woman farmer-leader in Antique in her presentation “SUSTAINING FAMILY-FARM FOR LIVELIHOOD THROUGH SUSTAINABLE AGROECOLOGY IN THE UPLANDS OF SIBALOM, ANTIQUE, PHILIPPINES”, carefully presented their family’s experience of converting to Organic Farming. Mace shared the positive impacts on her family especially in applying the Diversified Integrated Farming System (DIFS).
During the Question and Answer (Q&A) after the presentation, the moderator from IFOAM confirmed and shared his appreciation of MASIPAG’s work as he was able to visit MASIPAG. Despite the challenges with language, Mace’s young daughter carefully translated for her farmer-mother.
MASIPAG Mindanao Regional Coordinator Leo XL Fuentes talked about the collective experience of partner Lumad (Mindanao Indigenous Peoples) School’s integration of Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in their curriculum in his presentation entitled “THE LUMADS DREAM OF A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.”
Meanwhile, MASIPAG Luzon’s Regional Coordinator Rowena Buena facilitated during the pre-conference session on the 30 Years of PGS Development: a root and branch appraisal. She served as moderator for the sharing of experiences of sustainability of PGS’ as well as the roundtable discussion on PGS networks and their role in PGS development. It was discussed that PGS networks (such as PGS Pilipinas) are crucial in cooperation, expansion, and consolidation of PGS initiatives as well as serving for advocacy purposes and platform for lobbying for recognition as experienced in the Philippines.
For MASIPAG, the network’s collective experience is a contribution to the overall global effort to advance the organic movement to greater heights.
You can view the Q&A sessions here: