IN hopes of enhancing food production in the country and protecting the country’s natural resources, the Department of Agriculture (DA) recognizes organic agriculture as a key element in moving forward as it formally opened the 8th Organic Agriculture Month on November 7, 2022.
With the theme, “Maunlad na Pagsasaka, Garantisado sa Organikong Agrikulturang Sinaliksik,” the Organic Agriculture Month aims to promote organic agriculture by focusing national attention on the importance of organic agriculture in enhancing global competitiveness and environmental integrity, increasing food security and safety, and alleviating poverty as per the Proclamation No. 1030, series of 2015.
As part of the government’s efforts to entice local farmers to practice organic agriculture, the Republic Act No. 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 was passed to establish “a comprehensive program for the promotion of community-based organic agriculture systems” and the “adoption of organic agriculture system as a viable alternative.”
It was later amended through the Republic Act No. 11511 to introduce the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) as an alternative to the expensive third-party certifications, therefore helping about 165,000 small-scale organic farmers to “sell their products with the organic label at a premium price and be reached by consumers,” Senator Cynthia Villar explained during her message.
Senator Villar also shared her personal experiences as an organic agriculture practitioner and advocate, with main focus on the benefits of capacitating communities to produce their own organic fertilizers.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform Chairperson proudly revealed that a total of 67 composting facilities have been established in the City of Las Piñas during her term as a politician. With the facilities producing more than 800 tons of organic fertilizer annually and the local government recycling plastic wastes, the city generates less waste and saves P300 M on a yearly basis.
She then encouraged the DA – Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) to scale up the distribution of composting facilities throughout the country to help ease financial burdens of small-scale farmers, to preserve soil fertility, and to protect the environment from the impacts of chemical fertilizers.
Meanwhile, DA Undersecretary for Special Concerns and for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Zamzamin Ampatuan presented the recognition received by the DA – National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB) from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Asia.
The plaque, which was granted during the 2022 IFOAM – Goesan International Organic Expo held from September 30 to October 16, 2022 in South Korea, lauded the NOAB for its “visionary leadership and dedication to the progress of organic farming” and its “valuable cooperation and continuous support of International and regional organic events” in the Philippines.
With the Philippines earning international fame in the field of organic agriculture, Usec. Ampatuan emphasized the need to solidify this status by boosting the DA’s support for organic agriculture in the country. He recommended allotting P2 B out of the P10 B Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) for organic rice production, P1 B from the National Corn Program for organic corn and livestock feeds production, and P1 B from the High Value Crops Development Program for organic vegetables production.
