In a national consultation to promote agroecology, where majority of the participants are representatives of farmers and fisherfolk organizations, DA-BAR assistant director Joell H. Lales presented an overview of the ASEAN guidelines on sustainable agriculture, emphasizing the significance of transitioning to agroecology, on 30 April 2024 at the Oracle Hotel & Residences, Quezon City.
DA-BAR participated in the national consultations to promote and integrate agroecology within the cornerstones of the ASEAN Master Plan on Rural Development and the ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Sustainable Agriculture.
“In relation to agroecology and the overall thrusts of sustainable agriculture, we have to conserve and protect our natural resources. Sa pag-improve ng mga varieties and breeds, hindi dapat mawala ang parental lines, kailangan natin sila iconserve for the use and advancement of future generations,” Lales said.
Organized by the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas, through its member Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas, the event brought together representatives from government agencies, development partners, academe, civil society organizations, the private sector and the farmer cooperatives. Among those who joined are farmers and fisherfolk representatives from the Coalition of Municipal Fisherfolk Association (COMFAS) and Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA).
When asked about the challenges they encountered in food systems transformation, the farmers mentioned the lack [1] of planting area, no access[2] to bodies of water, degradation of forests and the discouragement by some farmer parents of their children to become farmers too. [3]
Officials of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, DA-Agricultural Training Institute and DA-BAR joined as government representatives, while the Philippine Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture and University of the Philippines Los Banos represented the business sector and academe/research institute, respectively.
The output of the consultations will be integrated into the proposed draft Guidelines on Agroecology policy transition being developed by the Lao Initiative for Agroecology (LICA) to support the strategic orientation and implementation of the ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Sustainable Agriculture.
same with this po: are they lacking or insufficiency lang po ang planting area?
no access at all po or limited access? :)
Was there a response//call to action from the NGAs present?