By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
The Pandanon Integrated Balangon Farmers Association (PIBFA) is based in Pandanon, a barangay not in Bacolod (called the city of smiles), but in Don Salvador Benedicto, a mid-elevation town of Negros Occidental. According to its lady president, Ms. Dolores Ceralb
o, the association started with 17 members but they now have a total of 22 farmer-members.
PIBFA was formed as they were convinced to do so in order to join an export-positioned business enterprise called AlterTrade Corporation (ATC) based in the city of smiles. Initially they had only balangon, a banana variety more known to us in Luzon as Bungolan, as crop of commercial interest. Bungolan is like a Cavendish banana which is native to the Philippines. It is the major reason why they joined ATC. They are growing it following the organic production system. They did not have a big problem with the system of production since, according to Ceralbo, they were not actually applying any fertilizer to grow the banana.
To become a member of PIBFA, a farmer must have at least 100 growing banana plants. Presently however, the group is now actually into organically producing animals and various crops including 38 hectares of sugarcane.
Before uniting themselves into a disciplined farmers association, their barangay could not even be reached by a carabao. Their schoolchildren had to endure an 8-km walk just to reach the nearest elementary school. There was still no road connecting their upland barangay by the 1990s. Now, thanks to ATC, the determined efforts of the association’s members and the strong support and representation of their mayor, their situation have radically changed for the better. The children do not have to endure anymore the punishing 16km walk going and returning from their school as an elementary school is now proudly sitting in their midst.
A carabao will no longer hesitate to climb up the barangay as a road is now a welcome sight. But of course a carabao is not part of their mode of transport. Most of the members have now at least a motorcycle. From their houses made of light materials before, they now feel much more secure as they face the occurrences of typhoons and torrential rains as they are now proud owners of concrete abodes.
One can just imagine how people in barangay Pandanon faced people about 15 years ago. Probably they were shy and unsure of themselves for lack of material possessions. When I was in their booth during the 12th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival, most of them were talking to visitors with a lot of confidence, complete with knowing smiles. Here’s a case of transformation among the barangay people and in the barangay itself.
The transformation really is brought about by disciplined attitude of the people, the strong and unequivocal support of their mayor, and the determined effort of ATC to help people in marginalized communities to rise above their woeful economic circumstance.
ATC by the way is a private corporation that prides itself as “alternative business organization alleviating poverty in rural communities, empowering marginalized producers and building strong solidarity between producers and consumers.”
It is an advocate of food that is organic, non-GMO, ecologically-grown, not altered nor contaminated, produced through eco-friendly agriculture practices, traceable, fairly produced and traded, locally produced, rooted on values and culture, upholds indigenous traditions and farming practices, slow food not fast food, food with a face / a story, healthy and nutritious, affordable, accessible
As of July 2017, ATC has already a network of 12 marginalized balangon farmers organizations, and 10 sugar cane farmers’ associations with a current total farmer membership of 3,171 farmers nationwide of which 2,778 are balangon growers and 377 are sugarcane producers. It initially welcomed only balangon growers in Negros but their network includes some associations in other parts of the Visayas, Mindanao, and in Nueva Vizcaya in Northern Luzon. They are now marketing not only balangon to Japan and Korea, as well as muscovado to Germany, among others. Other organic produce are also marketed.
What is very interesting is that, ATC gives additional incentives to farmers for every kilogram of produce exported. In short, the farmers are getting much more for their produce as compared to when they market it themselves, or when the usual marketing business system is in place.
If the vegetables (or any farm produce for that matter) of the Cordillera can have the same system as what had been described, our farmers will even be happier. But, it must be organic.
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