Green Convergence organized its 420th Kamayan Para Sa Kalikasan forum themed “Organic Agriculture: Answer to Food Security?” on June 20, Friday, via Zoom and Facebook livestream, highlighting the need to value organic farming amidst climate disruption.
Kickstarting the forum, Green Convergence President Victoria Segovia acknowledged organic agriculture both as a return back to the basics and a step forward, inviting innovation, scientific expertise, and deep respect for indigenous traditions.
She also recognized the Filipino farmers who have ‘borne the weight of systematic neglect, paid the least while feeding the Filipinos, displaced for the sake of development, and silenced in decisions that affect their lives and lands.’
“If we want a truly sustainable future, we must recognize that food justice is social justice, and this means demanding policies that uplift our farmers,” Segovia emphasized.
Representing Director Bernadette San Juan of the Department of Agriculture-National Organic Agriculture Program (DA-NOAP), Dale Russeth Gabanes, an agricultural journalist and the Development Management Officer of the DA-NOAP, then discussed the brief history of organic agriculture in the Philippines and what programs are in place in line with it.
He explained that from 2011 to 2021, the only system present for recognition of organic farms and/or farmlands is third-party certification, which were supported by group certifications and subsidies.
Then from 2022 onwards, the government support shifted to the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), which promotes a participatory and localized system for small-scale farmers.
Small-scale farmers are those farmers with lands not more than five hectares.
Moreover, Gabanes introduced the 12 core strategies for DA-NOAP’s proposed reforms, saying that, prior to 2023, DA-NOAP’s responses were only primarily driven by farmers’ requests, therefore the action plans were short-term.
These core strategies include: (1) Policy development with 46 resolutions being monitored, (2) Consumer awareness, advocacy, and promotions, (3) Capacity-building for local government units and farmer groups, (4) Youth internship program, (5) Support to PGS, (6) OA marketplace, (7) Organic agriculture livelihood program, (8) Support for production of certified organic inputs and (9) establishment of local seed centers, (10) Irrigation network services, (11) Animal dispersal, and (12) Continuous research and development.
From the farmers’ perspective, Dr. Charito Medina, founding member and former National Coordinator of Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), said that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and farmer groups have long pushed for and patronized organic agriculture even before government stepped in, integrating economic, socio-cultural, and political dimensions of food production through “agroecology.”
However, there have been challenges in its full adoption, such as its framing in the Organic Agriculture Act as a “profit-centered” practice, not considering soil health, consumer involvement, equity, and others.
In addition, Medina said that the complexity and bureaucracy of certification is a concern, with nine of ten of Filipino farmers being small-scale, causing farmers’ disinterest and revert to status quo, which is perpetuation of conventional chemical farming.
“We should focus on small-scale farmers if you want to go beyond the framing that organic agriculture is not only for profit or business but, more importantly, for inclusive rural development,” Medina said, noting that 32% to 36% of farmers are in rural areas and among the ‘poorest of the poor’ are farmers and fisherfolk.
Medina also pointed out that, referring to the five-hectare scale that DA-NOAP mentioned, Filipino farmers are mostly small-scale with 89% having three hectares or less; 57% having only one hectare or less—hence the repeated emphasis of focusing on small-scale farmer-inclusive programs and policies.
On the other hand, inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and technological innovation, Fr. Benigno Beltran, Chief Empowerment Optimist of Veritas Social Empowerment, Inc., shared their Laudato Si E-Commerce “Farm to Table” platform, which allows for products to be sold online to organic farming patrons.
Relating to this, Fr. Beltran highlighted the need for small-scale Filipino farmers to learn how to network and collaborate, especially in the era of the global digital economy, and how to integrate it with sustainability initiatives and farming systems towards food security and environmental resilience.
He also shared their educational efforts in helping farmers become “agripreneurs” and empowering women to foster economic growth and sustainability, mentioning a collaboration with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) for a program to teach teenage mothers who did not finish college how to market.
Fr. Beltran concluded that, through these initiatives, there is a need to combine ethical values with innovative practices to address poverty, environmental degradation, and social injustice.
Concluding the June forum, the President of the Philippine Network of Educators on Environment (PNEE) and a Trustee of Green Convergence Dr. Cecilia Gascon recognized organic agriculture not only as a method of cultivation, but also a movement for justice and sustainability, in her closing remarks.
“For organic agriculture to be just, it must benefit the marginalized while remaining sustainable,” Dr. Gascon said, taking into account also the importance of collaboration amid the food crisis caused by climate change.
The June Kamayan forum started with a prayer, remembering past Green Convergence trustees and dear friends who passed away: Liberty Talastas Bituin on June 11 and Sylvia Mesina on June 13.
The next forum was announced to be on July 18, 2025.
Kamayan Para Sa Kalikasan is a monthly initiative organized by Green Convergence Philippines that enables non-government organizations (NGOs) and government representatives, the media, students, teachers, church groups, and concerned citizens to discuss, analyze, and create solutions to pressing environmental issues in the country.
For those interested to be a member of Green Convergence, visit these links to register: bit.ly/individual or bit.ly/gcnetorg.
#KamayanParaSaKalikasan #OrganicAgricultureAnswerToFoodSecurity #OrganicAgriculture #GreenConvergence #Sustainability #EnvironmentalProtection