PDAP

The organic agriculture movement in the Philippines hailed the appointment of Proceso Alcala as agriculture secretary. Alcala is one of the principal authors of Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010. He spearheaded regional consultations, adopting a bottom-up approach to ensure that the interests of various stakeholders will be safeguarded by the law.

A two-term representative of Quezon province, Alcala is an advocate of localizing agriculture development through his programs that provide organic farming techniques, improved school curriculum on agriculture education and school-based projects, credit support for small traders and a central market facility for small farmers. 

With the new government and with Secretary Alcala at the helm of the agriculture portfolio, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector who are part of the One Organic Movement express hope that the sector will be given much needed boost.  “CSOs and the private sector should support Sec. Alcala in his efforts to make agriculture truly beneficial for the small farmers and fisherfolk and consumers,” said Jerry Pacturan, executive director of Philippine Development Assistance Programme, one of the lead convenors of the One Organic Movement (OOM) and a former member of the National Organic Agriculture Board.

In his inaugural speech, President Benigno Aquino III expressed genuine concern for the plight of the farmers (kalinga na tunay para sa mga magsasaka). Pres. Aquino vowed to assist farmers in irrigation, extension services and marketing of produce at the highest possible price. He also ordered Sec. Alcala to establish trading centers direct from farmers to consumers.

Agriculture is increasingly being recognized as poverty reduction strategy. In 2008, the World Bank released its World Development Report (WDR) that calls for greater investment in agriculture in developing countries and warns that the sector must be placed at the center of the development agenda if the goals of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized. The World Bank is advocating agriculture for development (AFD) framework to advance New Agriculture as engine of development especially for the rural areas.

The New Agriculture is market driven, state assisted, civil society influenced, environment/gender sensitive and grounded in technological and institutional innovations. It is led by private entrepreneurs in extended supply chains, linking producers to consumers, including entrepreneurial smallholders and small rural non-farm entrepreneurs.

“A more inclusive, transparent and graft-free agriculture department is imperative so that all stakeholders in the agricultural value chain, especially the small farmers organizations and agro-based micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs),  can participate more productively and meaningfully,” according to Pablito Villegas, a past Trustee and now an active  member of Organic Producers and Trade Association (OPTA) and convenor of the Inter-Continental Network of Organic Farmers Organizations (INOFO).

As a requirement in implementing the Organic Act of 2010, Roland Cabigas and Isagani Serrano, lead convenors of Go Organic Philippines, announced that  the One Organic Movement is working closely with the Department of Agriculture, Organic Farmers Organizations, key development partners and other movement stakeholders for the crafting of the law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR). Lead and supporting convenors, like the Federation of Free Farmers, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Pangasinan State University, Benguet State University and other key State Universities and Colleges;  Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation (NISARD), Organic Bicol Advocateurs Network,  PhilNet Rural Development Institutes,  PREDA/Fair Trade, MASIPAG and Go Organic Mindanao, are now conducting sub-regional and provincial consultations that will serve as inputs in the major regional consultations to be hosted by Sec. Alcala.

PDAP Executive Director Jerry Pacturan sitting beside Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri during the turn over of the Organic Agriculture Act signed copies to the stakeholders on April 20. Photo release taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 23, 2010.

In collaboration with the various stakeholders of the organic movement, PDAP and community partners successfully pushed for the passage of the Organic Agriculture Act which was signed in April 2010.

Represented by Executive Director Jerry Pacturan, PDAP facilitated all the regional consultations (Manila, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and Davao) spearheaded by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards and Quezon Rep. Proceso Alcala.

Prior to the consultations, PDAP together with  other NGOs, had long been involved in the formulation of the bill which led to the formation of the One Organic Movement.

The One Organic Movement is composed of PDAP, Organic Producers Trade Association (OPTA), Go Organic Philippines, Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP), Philippine Network of Rural Development Institutes (PhilNet-RDI), Alter Trade, Integrated Community Development Assistance, Inc. (ICDAI), Don Bosco Foundation for Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Integrated Area Development (SIAD) Initiatives in Mindanao-Convergence for Asset Reform and Regional Development (SIMCARRD).

These OOM member organizations are also members of the National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB), the policy-making body created to guide the implementation of the National Organic Agricultural Program.

Twenty-five members of the One Pangasinan Alliance (OPAL) of local government units finished the training of trainers on organic rice chain development handled by PDAP. The graduation rites were held on May 21 in Alaminos.

PDAP is assisting the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) in its local economic development efforts in Pangasinan. From March to May, it conducted an introductory course on basic organic rice production and a 3-module training of trainers on organic rice production, organic crop production and product standards, and organic rice processing and marketing.

PDAP also provided technical assistance in the preparation of manual and guidelines on internal control system and organic rice development plans.

The LGSP-LED is an eight-year (2008-2016) collaborative project of the Governments of Canada and the Philippines.

PDAP, in collaboration with Thailand-based Earth Net Foundation and Green Net Cooperative, organized the Organic Rice Chain Workshop in Davao City last April 19-23. Aside from PDAP’s partner micro-enterprises and local market consolidators, it was open to participants from the local government units, private sector and non-government organizations.

PDAP has started offering this workshop late last year after one of its staff, Mr. Alfred Allaga, attended a similar training in Thailand. The objectives were to improve the knowledge and skills of farmers, marketing/distribution channels, and the support organizations in organic rice post harvest handling, processing, and marketing, and to provide a venue for farmers and market to discuss quality/standards in post-harvest handling and processing.