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Go Organic! Movement Appaluds DA for Going Organic

Members of the Go Organic! Movement applauded the Department of Agriculture (DA) for concretizing its commitment to sustainable agriculture, in the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between DA and the Go Organic! Movement for the Phase 1 of Organic FIELDS Support Program (OFSP) held yesterday.

“Going into organic agriculture has obvious and proven ecological and health benefits as well as long-term impacts to productivity and farmers’ income. This is definitely a breakthrough undertaking by the DA,” said Atty. Efren Moncupa, lead convenor of Go Organic!.

Further, the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), a member of Go Organic!, stressed that sustainable interventions is urgent in the light of the current global ecological context. “Climate change is real. This warrants an urgent shift to sustainable practices. The shift to organic farming is the best intervention towards sustainability,” emphasized Mr. Isagani Serrano, Acting-President of PRRM.

Go Organic! A major component of the OFSP Phase 1 entails establishment of learning farms in six (6) provinces which will train at least 600 farmers on organic farming systems and technologies. A nationwide media and information drive will be launched to promote organic farming and products all over the country. PRRM shall take charge of training farmers on sustainable farming including organic fertilizer production, biological pest management and planting methods compatible with organic farming. Scientists from University of the Philippines, Los Baños will also undertake a Research and Development activities for at least two (2) project areas. The OFSP Phase 1 will also mobilize the support of LGUs for this project through the creation of tripartite mechanism at the local level. This will provide NGOs/POs, LGUs and local DA the necessary institutional arrangement to work for the successful implementation of the project.

“The City of Alaminos welcomes this project. Sustainable farming is our major thrust. I enjoin all LGUs to support this project and get ready for its full implementation by 2009,” said Mayor Hernani Braganza. Alaminos City is among the six project sites of OFSP Phase 1.

The Go Organic! Movement also commends last week’s announcement of DA Sec. Arthur C. Yap regarding DA’s plans to scrap its fertilizer subsidy program next year to make available more resources for organic farming. For 2009, the DA is targeting 10 percent of the estimated four million hectares of ‘palay’ farms nationwide.

“This is definitely a welcome development. Farmers have long decried the harmful impact of chemical fertilizers. DA investments should focus on capability building for farmers, availability of credit and post harvest facilities as well as developing market linkages for organic agricultural products,” said Ka Jimmy Tadeo of Paragos Pilipinas and spokesperson of GO Organic!.

The Phase 1 of OFSP will be implemented starting November 2008 until March 2009 to cover the provinces of Albay, Bataan, Camarines Sur, Nueva Ecija, Oriental Mindoro and Pangasinan.

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