FIRST there's the rice, which is sending law enforcers on a wild goose chase all over the region but finding nothing. Then there's this barangay captain who claims his staff bought pansit pihon that had fake noodles.
Whether these are true or not, we should go beyond the inconvenience of having to check and double check our rice and rice sources, instead, let us rejoice in the greater awareness and vigilance we are experiencing.
Yes, the news is vexing, but beyond that, we see people become more watchful about what they are putting in their mouths because of the fake rice report, which arose from the new that China has long been manufacturing fake rice.
There is more interest in what are being shipped and sold. This is good. If we only keep a keen eye on everything from now on, become mindful of the things we import and buy, and the things we eat.
There is every reason to be wary, but the wariness should extend to more than just the obviously fake, but the unnatural as well that are being passed on as food.
Organic farming in the city has been gathering a lot of followers and there is a sustained organic market every Friday at the Rizal Park. This by itself is a sign that there are a good number of producers and buyers. But we have to push on more, knowing that it is in the natural method of growing food that we can ensure the best for our health and most especially our children's health.
In a world that is getting more polluted and more barren, we will be seeing children who have less resistance, mix this in with the lifestyle diseases, and we get a population who will be needing a lot in health interventions that will rack up family budgets, eat into the nutritious food budget, and in turn bring in more diseases.
It's a cycle we cannot afford to out our families in.
While we have the land, the farmers, and the conscience of a people all wanting to put only what's good in each other's body, let us give due appreciation and gratitude so that such sectors that support these will continue to prosper.
As an organic farmer once said, organic farming is very cheap, what jacks up the cost is the international certification that will allow the farm goods to be marketed at premium prices in the international market.
But with trust and support given to poor farmers, we can by ourselves sustain a sector and in return we get the good harvest they get, no international certification needed.
As the sector grows and prospers, then we strive as a community with healthy minds and spirit to help them get that certification so they can break into bigger markets.
In the meantime, we sustain them by being mindful of what we eat and drink by knowing where these came from and how they were grown and paying a premium for the farmers who provide us with all these.
That in itself will ensure a self-sustaining agriculture for all.