Mainstreaming partnerships among food/agriculture producers, stakeholders

The 4Ps (pillars) of Sustainable Development --Prosperity, Peace for People and Planet-- cannot stand without the fifth P, Partnership.

The same can be said of the UN Sustainable Goals (SDGs).

The first 16 SDGs can only be promoted/attained with PARTNERSHIPS which will help create/maintain/sustain a better world where there is no poverty/zero hunger.

Only with PARTNERSHIPs can there be a world where good health/well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water/sanitation, affordable/clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry/innovation/infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities/communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, protected life below water, on land, and, where there is peace, justice, strong institutions prevail.

Hence, the campaign for zero hunger/malnutrition Cebu can proceed best only with partnerships.

So will the campaign for better food production, sustainable agriculture, and better life and protection of our food producers/stakeholders.

In our July 27th Zero hunger/malnutrition Cebu event at Plaza Cebu, one of the unexpected but beautiful gesture of the Cebu Province officials who graced the occasion with their presence was their spontaneous dialogue with CSO representatives and the food-producing sector.

That precious dialogue resulted with these following discussion points which we all look forward to being mainstreamed eventually, soon.

Thanks to Baltz Tribunalo of Balamban who shared these:

“1. Organize and strengthen farmer groups leading towards stronger and empowered farmers, breaking the abuses of the middlemen to insure higher returns from their harvests.

“2. Have cooperatives that are responsive to the farmers themselves and directly linked to Carbon Market and other potential targets to ensure fresh and direct deliveries of the farmers’ goods to malls and restaurants. Targeting is the key, ensuring climate-based planting, harvesting and marketing.

“3. Start with Tuburan, Balamban and Cebu City farmers first (with the mayors truly engaged and with the right and enabling environment in these three lGUs).

“4. The province can provide direct support through the Agriculture and DRRM offices, ensure funding and sustainability mechanisms, with the LGUs also sharing funding - all to be included in the next calendar year.

“5. Harmonizing supports from national agencies like NIA, DA, Tourism, DTI and DOST for their shared service facilities, DPWH for the road access for the farmers, and, cooperatives to promote good trading.

“6. Convergence approach -with the experience of Tuburan coffee from farm to cup-integrating the services and converging them into a certain product that can generate employment and sustainable opportunities especially for the poorest of the poor.

“7. Targeting the most vulnerable groups in terms of food security. engaging them in productive processes as independent facilitators improving their own lives.

“8. Monitoring and evaluation of interventions and programs, with research and development focus on farmers, to check if there really changes and impacts based on the desired results, and,

“9. Having Pagtambayayong, RCE-Cebu and other key players among the Cebu Multisectoral Partners Network with proven consistency and integrity to oversee all these interventions.”

Looking forward to the mainstreaming of these proposed initiatives and engagements of Cebu officials --Governor Pam (represented by Atty. Ed Lao), Mayor Amos Cabahug, former Tuburan Mayor Christian Daniel Diamante, former Asturias Vice Mayor Melvin Justin Benjo Labuca-- and the active involvement of other Cebu mayors/officials, multi-sectoral partners and stakeholders.

Together, as PARTNERS, if we all work together to create a sustainable Cebu Province, imagine Cebu cities and municipalities and their multi-sectoral partners and stakeholders provide enabling/protective environment with improved, better life especially for the food producers (farmers, fisherfolks, forest dwellers), the urban/rural constituents and all, especially the needy, the hungry and the vulnerable!

TOGETHER - understanding, targeting, resolving root causes of poverty, hunger and other problems of all sectors, especially the poor and needy AND resource pooling, networking, PARTNERSHIP in responding effectively to challenges and gaps to sustainable development for all - PADAYON CEBU!