FARMERS and fisherfolk in Negros Occidental, who are recipients of the 2nd Food Production Heroes awards, are urged to continue serving as heroes by being role models, influencers and partners of the government for agricultural development.
Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino, at the sidelines of the activity held at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod City on Friday, August 17, said the province needs heroes nowadays amid the pressing challenges hounding the agriculture sector.
Masculino said these challenges include the impact of climate change, tariffication, high prices especially of agricultural commodities, and rising inflation rate also because of higher costs of various agricultural products.
“This is very timely as we need more farmer-heroes to become models to our farmers and fisherfolk,” he added.
Themed “Baganihan sa Kaumahan: Pagdaug sa Kabudlayan, Paghakos sa Kadalag-an,” the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) has recognized 108 farmers and fisherfolk.
These awardees were already recognized by the Provincial Government before through its annual Pasidungog sa Panguma kag Pangisda during the Panaad sa Negros Festival for their accomplishments in the field of agriculture.
Some were recipients also of regional and national awards given by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other award-giving bodies in the country.
For them to become heroes, Masculino said his instruction was to make these farmers and fisherfolk not only as models but also to become part of the training and other development interventions.
Masculino said the province is pushing for the utilization of these “heroes” as speakers, whose farms are being visited by their fellow farmers in order to replicate their best practices.
“We will mobilize them as lecturers of their actual experiences,” he said, stressing that it would be easy for others to adapt if they are talking to their fellow farmers and fisherfolk.
The provincial agriculturist has expressed optimism that these food production heroes are effective agents of change, who are very critical in agriculture development.
In his testimony, award-winning coconut farmer-producer Jet Orbida, urged fellow farmers to uphold the spirit of “bayanihan.”
Orbida, who is the executive director of PeacePond Farmers Association based in Binalbagan town, said they are just a small organization but every farmer-member is given the chance to contribute to the development.
“If you visit our farm, it will be the farmers who will tour and share with you our practices,” he said, adding that “I just attended the World Coconut Congress and I learned there that there is a huge market opportunity for coconut farmers.”
During the activity, the officers of Food Production Heroes Association headed by president Ramy Entierro from Himamaylan City also took their oath before Manuel Olanday, supervising agriculturist of the DA Regional Field Office 6.