What better way to start CAFS Season 7 of Aggie Ps Talk which puts spotlight on women than to feature  two lady champions who are steadfast, advocates, movers and leaders in agriculture.  The speakers came from different areas who shared their advocacies and how they succeeded thereby contributing to a food secured future. They were Ms. Nenieveh Fortun-Glinoga and Ms. Ruthfreya Teresita Avila

Before the speakers shared their stories, Dr. Adeliza A. Dorado, Associate Dean for Instruction welcomed the speakers and participants of the webinar. She explained that the episode aims to emphasize that women are also doing their part to ensure that we have a food secured future. With the overwhelming support of viewers on the recently concluded webinars, CAFS is bent on renewing its commitment to deliver relevant webinars so that the knowledge generated  by CAFS maybe accessible to everyone. She then enjoined the participants to achieve a future where women’s rights to influence social change and drivers for food security are highlighted.

Joining the webinar was Dr. Merdelyn C. Lit, Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension and an empowered woman of science who delivered the welcome remarks. Dr. Lit emphasized what women have to offer in the matter of agriculture, food security, nutrition, sustainability among others. She also narrated that while there is no silver bullet in addressing worldwide and deeply rooted societal issues such as hunger and poverty, agriculture has long cemented its importance not only to Philippine culture and its economy but also in our collective recovery and hitting from this global pandemic. Concluding her message, Dr. Lit gave two food for thought for the participants to ponder. One, not all of us are in agriculture and not all of us are women but everybody no matter who they are is in a position to empower the women in their lives. Two, the realization that women can nurture, care and cultivate but most importantly women can lead.

Also present during the webinar who delivered her special message was Ms. Sandra S. Montano, chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) where she reminded the participants that the commission is a catalyst of change for gender mainstreaming and an advocate for women empowerment and gender equality. Since one of the advocacies of PCW is to mobilize women in partnership with men, she said that they should be partners in this challenging time and participate in all transactions to alleviate poverty and ensure that there is food security on the table. She ended her message with a plea that is, to ensure that gender principles are integrated in all our programs whether in the academe or private sector to support sustainable agriculture.

The Grit and Passion Behind Permaculture Farming

The first speaker of the episode was Ms. Nenieveh Fortun-Glinoga, owner of the Glinoga Organic Farm located in Brgy. Payte, Pitogo, Quezon. In addition from her farming experience, Ms. Fortun-Glinoga is also a licensed and registered nurse.

Glinoga Organic Farm follows the principle, ”Every little bit is important in our ecosystem”. It is a permaculture farm that integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies-imitating the no waste, closed loop system seen in diverse natural systems. It is also a certified organic site by the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI).

Ms. Fortun-Glinoga narrated that the family started developing the farm in 2018 with the mere objective of putting food on a table of four composed of the husband and wife and two sons. She added that it took them a while to rehabilitate the soil for them to grow plants aside from being  labor extensive initially. Ms. Fortun-Glinoga also shared about the negative feedback she received from people upon seeing the farm merely because they do not understand the concept of permaculture that is, letting nature re-arrange things. It did not dampen her spirit when people say that it is not possible to grow plants and rear livestock at the same time in one place. The farm also practices polyculture, a form of agriculture in which more than one species is grown at the same time and place in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystem.

Ms. Fortun-Glinoga shared that her passion paid off when the family now experiences abundance that came to a point that the objective of table for four has now turned into  business. Hence, they now sell their produce and more guests visit the farm. She claims that the farm is now sustainable as there is  continuous production of crops and livestock.

When Empowerment Means Growing a Farm School

The second speaker of the session was Ms. Ruthfreya Teresita Avila, a mother, a teacher and a farmer. She is the owner of TERRAPEDRITO Farm, a learning site located in Brgy. Mangilag Sur, Candelaria, Quezon.

Ms. Avila started her farming in 2005.  But she started the concept of the Farm School in 2017. It is in the same year that partnership with DEPED, ATI and TESDA was sealed. She narrated  that her associate at the Rarefruit Society of the Philippines prompted her to join with ATI. Preparatory to the accreditation of her farm as a learning site, she attended Women Empowerment Seminar at ATI in Lipa City. Moreover, she completed the 100th Managers Course at UP Institute of Small Scale Industry and Ateneo de Manila University Financial Literacy, Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship.

As an ATI learning site for agriculture and TESDA Farm School, TERRAPEDRITO offers trainings on Agricultural Crop Production or NC II,  Organic Agriculture Crop Production, Farmers Field School on the production of high quality in bred rice and Farm Mechanization. In this time of pandemic rice paddy and garden have been adapted to classroom teaching under a foldable tent shared with ATI through the Farmers Field School in the production of inbred rice.

Ms. Avila was proud to say that their graduates who were equipped with skills become trainer/facilitator, farm school administrator, certified seed producer, nursery operator or entrepreneur. 

Wrapping up the  pilot episode of  season 7 webinar was Dr. Jocelyn D. Labios, head of the Soil Science Division of the Agricultural Systems Institute who said that she always  thinks that women stories are stories of strength, perseverance and triumphs. She also thanked the speakers for an enlightening and power charging session (IMGesmundo).

Watch the episode through CAFS YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/watch?=0ISxOqg8ZZQ