Agro-ecology

Mr. President, I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege…

World experts on agriculture and food have recently been highlighting about agro-ecology in various venues or platforms. It has been a topic and subject of various symposiums, seminars, researches, publications and speeches. They see it as an idea or concept whose time for adoption or implementation worldwide has come, or long overdue, even.

In fact, just last month (on September 18 and 19), an ‘International Symposium on ecology for Food Security and Nutrition’ was held, facilitated by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), at its headquarters in Rome. It also raised awareness about agro-ecology. Discussions focused on the numerous economic, environmental and social aspects agro-ecology encompasses. You see, agro-ecological concepts, and practices contribute to the three main goals of FAO:

1) Eradicating hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition;

2) Eliminating poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and the

3) Sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, and climate for the benefit of present and future generations.

Goals, that we all here share as well, and goals that FAO believes will be realized and met with the help of agro-ecology. So, as chairperson of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, I would like to present my own points and ideas about agro-ecology. So that, we can all weigh its benefits and promote its adoption and active implementation here in the agricultural country of ours.

So what is agro-ecology? Agro-ecology uses ecological concepts and principles to design and manage sustainable agro-ecosystems, offering benefits for productivity, food security, environmental sustainability, and important ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation.

What can agro-ecology offer? First and foremost, agro-ecology provides a number of environment-related benefits since it aims for environmental sustainability. If only for those benefits, agro-ecology is indeed very timely as an alternative to conventional farming, taking into consideration that the country now experiences extreme weather disturbances such as stronger typhoons, draughts, El Nino/La Nina and other environmental risks. Thus, we need different approaches such as agro-ecology.

FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva said a “paradigm shift” in agriculture is needed. He said that the main challenge facing world farming is to lower the use of agricultural inputs, especially water and chemicals, as well as to make food production viable in the long-term. He also cited agro-ecology as having the potential to reframe farming in a more sustainable way. Sustainability is the key.

This is seconded by United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Professor Hilal Elver, who cited that recent scientific researches increasingly prove how agro-ecology offers far more environmentally sustainable methods that can still meet the rapidly growing demand for food. Based on estimates, there is a need to increase food production by over 60 percent to meet the expected demand from a population of over nine billion in 2050.

Ensuring food security is another factor that is of foremost consideration. And only small farmers and agro-ecology can feed the world, as UN itself acknowledged. According to FAO, 70% of food we consume globally comes from small farmers. Based on official statistics, 1.5 billion of people globally are estimated to be involved in family farming in over 500 million small farms worldwide.

Ang seguridad ng pagkain ngating bansa, at ng buong mundo, ay nakasalalay sa mga maliliit na mga magsasaka. In fact, 2014 has been designated by United Nations as the International Year of Family Farming. Family farmers are a crucial part of our efforts to reach sustainable food security. As such, we need to develop and implement specific policies, programs, and strategies.

In the process of sustainably increasing production, addressing climate change, and building resilience — agro-ecology is providing benefits to small-scale and family farmers in particular.

Actually, at some extent, small-scale and family farmers have been practicing agro-ecology, without them knowing about the science and ecology of it. But now, with increased interest and attention to agro-ecology, they are more aware. And thousands more are practicing it and many are even partnering with scientists.

Agro-ecology is also seen to also slow the trend towards increasing urbanization, which is placing stress on public services in urban areas where increasing concentration of population is observed (like here in Metro Manila). Kaya lumalala ang traffic ditto dahil lalong lumalaki ang populasyon sa mga urban areas or cities. Pagnagkaroon ng development sa rural areas, baka hindi na magsiksikan ang mga tao sa mga urban cities. Agro-ecology would contribute to rural development, the resulting higher incomes in the rural areas would contribute to the growth of other sectors of the economy in the countryside.

Scientists also support agro-ecology.It is, after all, an interdisciplinary science that derived insights from ecologists and agronomists, as well as social scientists.

In fact, about 70 scientists and scholars of sustainable agriculture and food systems sent an open letter to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) praising the UN organization for convening an International Symposium on Agroecology for Food and Nutrition Security. Given the intensifying challenges posed by continued food insecurity, rural poverty, climate change, drought and water scarcity — the scientists call for a solid commitment to agro-ecology from the international community.

They are calling for a launch of a UN system-wide initiative on agro-ecology as the central strategy for addressing climate change. The initiative, they said, could form one of the pillars of the future work of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

 Most of the experts believe that agro-ecology is best suited for small-scale and family farmers. As I cited earlier, they have been practicing it even before. There is a need to provide adequate incentives and technical assistance to support small-scale farmers as well as micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the creation of local ‘agro-ecological business models’ that can make appropriate inputs and technologies available to communities.

Agro-ecology will also have an effect on solving malnutrition, which is still prevalent in our country. The status of micronutrient malnutrition in our country is a cause for concern. To quote the FAO report: “Iron deficiency disorder or anemia is the most alarming of the micronutrient deficiencies affecting a considerable proportion of infants (56.6%), pregnant women (50.7%), lactating women (45.7%) and older male persons (49.1%)”. And the “the vitamin A status of the country is considered severe subclinical deficiency” also.

?Moreover, the incidence of underweight, wasting and stunting, which was prevalent mostly among Filipino children before, has now become prevalent among Filipino adolescents and adults as well. According to FAO, about four million or 31.8% of the preschool population were found to be underweight-for-age; three million (19.8%) adolescents and five million (13.2%) adults, including older persons were found to be underweight and chronically energy deficient.

?In another side of the scale, obesity, which is closely linked to malnutrition, has increased in prevalence among Filipinos, too. ?Underweight, stunting and obesity, needless to say, are the root causes of diseases, increases health risks and, reduces life expectancy. Potentially fatal conditions associated with obesity include Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancers, and gall bladder disease.Moreover, FAO said the cumulative cost of all non-communicable diseases, for which obesity is a leading risk factor, were estimated to be about $1.4 trillion in 2010.

?And its toll on the economy is just as alarming. FAO pegged at $3.5 trillion per year globally the economic costs of malnutrition due to lost productivity and direct health care costs.

Although hunger statistics are still rising worldwide, it is not anymore merely about feeding or getting fed, but to have the means to grow sufficient nutritionally and culturally acceptable food.

I personally advocate vegetable gardening in both urban and rural areas. Greenpeace Philippines calls it “Ecological Agriculture”. It supports biodiversity in farms and follows a holistic approach to easing malnutrition and nutrients deficiencies especially among pregnant women and children. It has been providing Filipinos with diverse, safe and healthy sources of food.

            During the World Food Day, I pledged support to their initiatives to promote Ecological Agriculture because it empowers us to plant, grow and harvest our own food that is clean, grown naturally and free from synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. I have been an active advocate of urban gardening using composts from household wastes as fertilizers.

Bukod sa nakakasira ang mga ito sa fertility o quality ng agricultural soil at iba pang harmful effects nito sa environment, alam naman natin na ang synthetic o inorganic pesticides at fertilizers ay mahal at nagpapaliit sa income ng mga farmers. Ako mismo ay merong organic fertilizer-making enterprise sa aking home city ng Las Pinas. Both sa rotary composting at vermicomposting. We build composting centers in all of our city’s barangays to convert kitchen and garden wastes into organic fertilizer that we distribute for free to farmers and vegetable gardeners.

Ang composting ay in line with the National Organic Agriculture Program. It envisions the organic agriculture sector contributing to the over-all agriculture growth and development of the country in terms of sustainability, competitiveness and food security, where at least five percent of Philippine agricultural farm will be converted into organic by 2016.

Sa pamamagitan ng vegetable gardening, magkakaroon ng easy access sa masustansyang pagkain ang mga Pilipino at maiiban lalo ang malnutrition. Batay sa 2008 food consumption survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute,ang mga Pilipino ay pakonting pakonti ang kinakain na gulay sa loob ng isang araw—nitong nakaraang tatlon gdekada. Mula sa 145 grams ng gulay sa isang araw noong taong 1978, ang ating vegetable consumption ay bumabasa 110 grams na lamang noong 2008.

Ang Department of Health mismo ay pino-promote ang “vegetable gardening” sa mga Pilipino. Sa pamamagitan sa pagtatanim ng mga gulay sa ating mga bakuran, magkakaroon tayo ng sariling suplay ng gulay at magkakaroon din ng pagkakataon na kumita mula samagaito.

There are numerous challenges that hinder the extension of policy support to help small-scale producers improve soiland water conditions to increase farm outputs, achieve local food security and long-term ecosystem sustainability.

Some of the identified sets of policy support that are recommended are. At the national level, they include:

?Agricultural policies that incentivize recycling of biomass within the agro-ecosystem;

?Agricultural investments and extension targeted specifically to help small-scale producers improve soil and water conditions through agro-ecological practices;

?Agricultural policies that incentivize in-situ water conservation, soil enhancement, organic tillage regimes and microclimate management

?Water policies that incentivize reduction of grey/blue water footprint of agricultural and food systems, not only in crop selection and farming methods but also in food processing and packaging as well;

?Trade, investment and intellectual property rights policies that protect indigenous and peasants’ rights to select, domesticate, breed, exchange and use native species of crops and livestock varieties;

?Environmental and food safety policies based on the precautionary principle that avoid reckless introduction of GMOs or other emerging technologies;

?Coordinated environmental and agricultural policies on biodiversity that ensure heterogeneity and diversity at the landscape and farm level;

?Agricultural, water and energy policies that prioritize the use of natural resources such as land and water for food production, local energy security and local water security;

?Pro-democratization policies that recognize women’s central roles in agricultural and food systems, revitalize rural economies, minority cultures as well as marginalized livelihood practices.

Mr. President, the possibilities and benefits of agro-ecology are indeed wide-ranging and all-encompassing. Thus, we need to look even more closely on how to actively implement its concepts, approaches and processes in the country. Let us not be left behind from this promising agricultural approach.

To cite an agro-ecology report: “The vision of agro-ecology combines the sciences of ecology and agronomy with the political economy of food production and consumption. This approach goes beyond improving the availability of food to also ensuring access and the achievement of the right to food. Indeed, it should be the standard by which national agricultural strategies, food security plans and foreign assistance programs are evaluated by their respective publics.”

Thank you, Mr. President.  Sen. CYNTHIA VILLAR (Privilege speech delivered on October 22, 2014.)