Public, private groups bat for organic farming

A collaboration among public and private organizations was formed during a meeting at Hotel Asia yesterday to push for organic farming as a way of addressing the adverse impacts of climate change.

Central Visayas Farmers Development Center executive director Estrella Catarata said the group will be advocating sustainable agriculture and the use of organic farming in the Visayas.

“Organic farming is more safe and effective for farmers and has lesser cost compared to chemical farming which has been promoted by the government these days,” Catarata said. 

“It’s high time we all unite in propagating organic methods and finally act against commercial pesticides. The natural way of farming is always safer and even more sustainable,” she said.

Catarata said that commercial pesticides, promoted mostly by multi-national corporations, do not bring benefit to the farmers and the ecosystem.

Organic farming is a form of agriculture that excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms.

As far as possible, organic farmers rely on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests.

Catarata said the use of organic farming will be pilot-tested in four municipalities in Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental, and in the mountain barangays of Cebu City, then this will be replicated in other farmlands by conducting also educating the farmers on the method.

Catarata said that the collaboration will address lack of awareness among government organizations, non-government organizations and people’s organizations on the threats of climate change. — Jasmin R. Uy/RAE