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Saturday, March 04, 2006
Farmer groups nix agri suitability plan for city
THIS early, the agricultural suitability plan for Davao City being brewed by Councilor Condrado Baluran has stirred various farmers groups.
The map, they claimed, instead encourages more monoculture farming, a system they have long been opposing because it defies biodiversity.
The plan, an apparent copy-cut to the government's One-Town-One-Product (Otop) program, is meant to identify suitable economically profitable crops for every barangay.
"What crop suitability? All crops can be planted and grown in our areas. This idea simply defies the principle of biodiversity," said Nena Morales of the group Upliftment of Morale, Economic, Technology, Socio-Spiritual Aspirations of Men and Women.
The concern came out following a meeting between groups advocating natural farming and environmental protection and some city officials recently.
Betty Cabazares, executive director of the group Kinaiyahan Foundation Inc., echoed the same concern.
She said the idea does not just flout the principle of biodiversity but also threatens the food security of the community.
"It is impossible for one community to grow and eat one crop alone. The crops being grown by the community have to be diversified for them to consume a variety of food. People cannot live just by eating potato," Cabazares said.
Morales said the government should instead craft programs which would boost organic farming and production rather than explore ideas that could actually hurt and gravely affect the plight of growers and producers of organic products.
For Cabazares, the idea is "not just a wrong prescription to a problem that they have not actually properly diagnosed."
"I think what is more important now is to have a correct diagnosis of the problem and then treat it properly. The government has to ask the local communities about their problems. It is different from identifying problems for them and then telling them what to do," Cabazares said.
"There has to be a comprehensive study as to what really are needed by these communities. There are indicators that even before cash crops were introduced, people in the communities were self-sufficient," Cabazares said.
She added that what is also important now is for the communities to receive financial and technological support from the government.
But Baluran said the crop suitability plan, which would be included in the agricultural plan that is yet to be created, is actually a measure designed to protect and save the environment because it would "ultimately defeat the monoculture farming system like the banana and pineapple plantations."
"The perception that it is against the principle of biodiversity is not correct. This program will actually boost the strength of every community. It will be a balanced and sustainable agriculture," Baluran said.
The councilor added that the program would actually be a measure to "highlight" what is best in every community of the city.
Baluran said he has already conducted several talks with some government officials including Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 4, 2006 issue)
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