EIGHTY FIVE small farmers, partners, and NGO members from Mindanao gathered at the 18th Regional Assembly advocating for sustainable agriculture and farmer-led agroecology.
Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (Masipag) Mindanao held its 18th Regional Assembly on Nov. 19 with its goal to promote organic farming, food sovereignty, and empowering small farmers.
The assembly also advocated food security, climate justice, and farmers’ rights to land, seed, and technology.
Masipag Mindanao RMT chairperson Marlon Recidoro said the assembly included programs on the collection of traditional seeds, breeding of the seeds, the promotion of Diversified and Integrated Farming Systems, advocacies on organic farming, and other programs that are crucial to sustainable agriculture.
“Napaka laking tulong itong DIFS lalong lalo na pag dumating yung mga calamidad katulad ng El Niño,” he said.
Recidoro shared his experiences at the Sto Niño Integrated Farmers Association on the problems of agricultural resilience where farmers complain about the lack of seeds given by the Department of Agriculture.
According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report by the United Nations on July 27, 2024, around 51 million Filipinos are food insecure, and showed that the country experiences moderate to severe food insecurity from 2021 to 2023.
