For the first time, progressive groups, environmentalists, local government units and the academe have joined forces to promote organic farming to help solve the country’s food crisis.

At a news conference in Quezon City, Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza of Pangasina announced the involvement of the Paragos-Pilipinas, the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), Centro Saka, Inc., La Liga Policy Institute, SRI-Pilipinas, Education for Life Foundation, University of the Philippines-Las Baños, Philippine Greens, Earth Day Network and Malasimbu Farmers’ Cooperative as well as actress Chin-Chin Guiterrez and pop music artist Joey Ayala as endorsers to mount an advocacy to propagate organic food rather than conventional food.

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Practitioners can now celebrate its earlier advocacies that organic agriculture is sustainable. With the changing climate, organic farms have proven to be more resilient towards erratic weather patterns. Diversity, as among its core features allows farmers to generate sustained income from several farm enterprises. Compared to a monocrop farm, a highly diverse farm would always have alternative enterprises whenever one crop fails. Having a far richer soil and stable genetic materials, organic farms can survive in climates of abnormally hot or wet conditions.

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PRRM President Conrado S. Navarro was recently elected as trustee of the Association of Foundations (AF) during its 36th General Assembly held at The Linden Suites, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, last April 24-25, 2008.

Out of the twenty nominees, a total of eight (8) new trustees were elected by the AF General Assembly. Aside from Prez Ding, the new AF trustees are the following: Connie S. Angeles of SM Foundation; Dominica B. Chua of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation; Fr. Manuel R. Guazon of Pondong Batangan Community Foundation; Teddy M. Kingsu of Angelo King Foundation; Ma. Carmen A. Sarmiento of PAL Foundation; Edith Y. Villanueva of the Sugar Industry Foundation; and Ma. Rosario R. Lopez of the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation.

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A group composed of civic-minded citizens of Lopez municipality, Quezon province initiated to form a business corporation with coconut as its principal material. Unified by a compelling desire to take immediate action on the poverty situation of the coconut farmers, the business organization is molded along the “Whole Coconut Concept.” A truly community-based business, it harnesses the will and scarce resources of the community to meet and complement external initiatives to improve the industry, and hasten the realization of benefits by the farmers of Lopez and neighboring communities.

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The PRRM Council of Advisers, whose members were nominated and elected y the PRRM Board of Trustees, had its inaugural meeting on March 28, 2008 at the PRRM National Headquarters in Quezon City. Six of the seven members of the Council attended its first meeting. The Board of Trustees represented by Chairperson Emeritus Helena Z Benitez, Chair Wigberto E. Tañada, Vice-Chair Vicente R. Jayme, President Conrado S. Navarro, and Trustee Isagani R. Serrano and staff members of the PRRM Managemnt Committee were also present to welcome the new advisers and orient them on PRRM.

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