Zambo town wins One World award

MANILA, Philippines - The agricultural town of Dumingag in Zamboanga del Sur has been declared winner in the 2012 One World Award (OWA) competition, an international contest jointly sponsored by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) and the Germany-based Rapunized Naturkost, the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office in Pagadian said.

On behalf of his municipality, Mayor Nacianceno Pacalioga traveled to Legau, Germany to receive the trophy and a cash prizes of 25,000 euros.

IFOAM is the umbrella organization of organic farming practitioners and advocates worldwide with some 1,000 member-organizations, while Rapunzel Naturkost is one of the biggest organic foodstuffs manufacturers in Germany.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala initiated a send-off program for the mayor and his party, highlighted with a Memorandum of Agreement signing for the strong support of the agriculture department for the sustainable organic farming project in Dumingag.

Jury official Vandana Shiva said the OWA unanimously selected Pacaliog’s town because gthere is hardly any municipal executive who is really focused in social development.”

The OWA also noted that adopting organic agriculture, not merely as technology but as a development framework and foundation of a government program, is a very innovative strategy and was successfully done by the local government of Dumingag.

The OWA, Vandana said, has been given every two years to individuals who have promoted globalization in a way that is not only oriented on profit maximization but on the three pillars of sustainability, namely ecology, social aspects and economic welfare.

The DA hopes that the international award received by Dumingag “will serve as a catalyst to change the face of sustainable farming system in the Philippines.”