THE town of Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte is now ready for the 6th Organic Asia Congress, the largest organic agriculture event in the world that is set to happen from June 4 to 10 at the Kauswagan International Organic Convention Center in Barangay Tacub.
Hundreds of guests, experts, researchers, stakeholders and other major organizations around the world are expected to gather in this week-long event to share their best practices on organic agriculture.
"We are going to host what they call the largest organic agriculture event in the world for 2023. These are five back-to-back events, major organizations around the world advocating organic agriculture," said Kauswagan Mayor Rommel Arnado, who is also the national president of the country's League of Organic Agriculture, Municipalities, Cities and Provinces.
"It means a lot to us and it is not only for Kauswagan, but it's a lot for the Philippines," he added.
According to Arnado, preparations for the upcoming event are already in place, with the event's venue, the Kauswagan International Organic Convention Center, at its 99 percent completion.
"We're 99 percent done. It's just a matter of simulation," he said.
The town mayor also assured that the peace and order in the area are taken care of as a strict security plan, created in coordination with the Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao and the Philippine Army 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, will be in place during the event.
The Organic Asia Congress of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) Organics Asia aims to bring local governments and the organic sector in different countries in Asia to discuss the major trends in organic agriculture.
Hosted by Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte this year, the week-long congress will feature organic events such as the Organic Youth Forum, the 9th Algoa and 4th Gaod Summits, and the Women in Organic Agriculture in Asia. It will also highlight the town's "From Arms to Farms" program.
"Marami tong impact not only on agriculture but also tourism promotion, especially dito sa Mindanao because we are known to be war-torn," Arnado said.
"We are changing the face of Mindanao right now na ito na yung isang island giving a lot of support economically to the National Government," he added.
IFOAM-Organics Asia Director of China Country Office and Secretary General of the Asia Organic Forum Feng Li, for his part, cited Kauswagan town's importance in the Asia organic movement, saying that the organic community has a lot to learn from them, particularly the town's "From Arms to Farms" program.
"Our association, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement, started to have a global standard. We are encouraging global trading. And we are uniting the organic people and also consumers. Together, we share our knowledge. We are helping each other," Li said.