Farmers, agricultural extension workers, local government units, researchers, exhibitors and members of the academe convened for the 3rd Regional Organic Agriculture Congress (ROAC) conducted recently in Butuan City carrying the theme “Go Organic: Sa Organikong Pamamaraan, Ligtas ang Mamayan!”
The confab aims to mainstream the organic agriculture practices regionwide and encourage practitioners to obtain the Third-Party Certification in order to have better access to domestic and global markets.
According to National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB) Member Jimmy Geronimo, DA together with organic agriculture stakeholders should envision not just the five percent conversion to organic farming, but also that every household should practice and be an advocate of organic agriculture.
Department of Agriculture – Caraga (DA) reported that as of December 2016, the region already achieved 6% of agricultural land devoted to organic farming way beyond its 5% target. This accounts to 42,000 hectares regionwide contributing to almost 9% of the country’s goal of 477,000 hectares to be converted to organic agriculture.
“I believe that the National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP) through the regional counterparts has been effective in implementing its objectives to the farmers. Up to now I still hear appreciation from farmers who experienced the difference of the organically grown produce,” Geronimo said.
Geronimo said that despite the strict process for organic certification, some farmers’ associations and cooperatives gradually work out to comply the necessary requirements. He also shared the alternative of adapting the standards set by Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS).
PGS are locally focused quality assurance systems which certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders and are built on the foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange.
“PGS is designed to encourage more farmers to engage with organic agriculture,” Geronimo also cited that PGS is much cheaper compared to the Third-Party Certification which is assisted by DA and the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standard (BAFS) and eventually be certified by a third-party governing body.
DA-Caraga’s Alternate BAFS Focal Person Helen Fortun said that the region has one farmer and one LGU-controlled association that complies with PGS, one is the identified integrated organic farmer Edgar Opalia and the City Organic Agriculture Fisheries Complex (COAFC) of Bislig City.
DA urged other LGUs present to provide optimum support to the Organic Agriculture Program as it will further the production of safe food and making the agriculture sector more sustainable. (Fretcher Magatao, DA-Caraga)
