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Biogenetic erosion and food security

By Montañosa Research and Development Center (MRDC)

Second of two parts
Click here for part one

People’s Response

The agricultural problem in Dandanac is a microcosm of a general problem besetting subsistence farming in the central domains of the indigenous peoples. It exemplifies the government’s deceptive scheme to subsume subsistence farming into the market economy for the benefit of transnational corporations (TNCs) and imperialist countries. Primarily, the design is to eradicate self-sufficiency and let agricultural production depend on market factors. The people then would have to produce food intended for the market and buy food from the market.

Secondly, the destruction of subsistence farming will give rise to a rural economy that is dependent on cash – a critical factor in persuading the people to open up their natural resources for exploitation by multinational mining companies.

These threats and challenges prompted the organized farmers of Dandanac to strengthen their ranks against the entry of “modern farming”. They urged their fellow farmers to protect the local genetic base from extinction by planting TRV in their rice fields and resist any attempt to discard these in favor of HYV.

In a systematic endeavor to attain self-reliance on the staple in 5 years time, the community launched a rice intensification program that is concentrated in the development and promotion of traditional farming. One year later, the farmers are able to attain the following gains:

1. Restoration of the synchronized cropping schedule. The farmers have proven that reverting to this practice has minimize crop loss due to pest attack and increased production by 15%. Several ob-obbo were organized to ease labor aside from promoting free flow and exchange of traditional knowledge.
2. Pest Management and soil fertility enhancement. All farmers are now in the process of eradicating chemical fertilizers in favor of traditional green manuring fertilization technique. It was proven by one local farmer that the use sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) as green manure could increase yield by 20%.
3. Varietal intervention. The farmers are conducting seed documentation and seed banking. In the process, more women are now engaged in seed exchange and propagation with their peers in other interior settlements. Some varieties which the community had declared lost in the past two decades were retrieved in the process.

Breeding and development of varieties is also enhanced through indigenous processes. When Baket (woman elder) Diwanay noted a distinct rice plant while harvesting her crop, she collected the panicle which she set aside for storage. This she sowed at the onset of the next cropping season. During transplanting, she selected the most robust and healthy seedlings and planted these in a specific area in the rice paddy. When the initial plants were at harvesting stage, she selected only the good panicles and discarded the rest. These were again propagated until such time that enough seed stocks were accumulated and shared to other farmers. Through observation of growth performance and comparisons of morphological characteristics with those in the rice inventory, all farmers agreed that indeed, Baket Diwanay had developed a new variety thus, by tradition and in recognition to her effort, had it named after her.

The farmers are optimistic that the current trend in rice farming will strengthen current alternatives that are based on the use of internal resources generated within the farm rather than utilizing resources produced externally. This promotes their concept that the entire ecosystem must be defended from destruction at all cost given its significant role as the sustaining mechanism in food production with land as the most essential element.

In order to preserve their gains, the farmers regenerated the Dandanac Farmers Association (DFA) to act as channel for information-dissemination as well as a front against threats of modern farming. Consequently, they entered into broad alliances with other oppressed peasants in the Cordillera as they urged the government to commit itself to the survival of small farms and small indigenous farmers against annihilation by globalization and for the same body to respect indigenous peoples rights to their land and resources. #

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