Growing Diversity - Asia
TITLE OF EXPERIENCE: Managing local agrobiodiversity under changing Philippine market and agricultural production systems: SEARICE experience
AUTHOR: Wilhelmina R. Pelegrina, South East Asia Regional Institute for Community Education (SEARICE)
COUNTRY AND REGION: Philippines
ECOLOGICAL ZONE:
ABSTRACT
The Philippine market and agricultural production is a complex system. Land tenancy remains a major stumbling block in agricultural production. Major decisions, inputs and harvests are still in the control of a few landlords. Even agricultural production is now market economy oriented. Price control and control of inputs and processing is in the hands of the traders turning farmers into mere market tenants. The onset Green Revolution (GR), deprived the farmers of their traditional varieties and innovative skills because of the package of technologies given to farmers. Farmers became technology tenants because of the dependency created by technology.
It is in this context that the Southeast Asia Regional Institute for Community Education (SEARICE) was founded in 1970’s as a social justice network of individuals and institutions in the region. SEARICE’s community interventions focus mainly on community plant genetic resources conservation (CPGRC), development and use. This program includes activities on community seed banking, varietal selection, participatory plant breeding, seed rehabilitation, etc. Aside from CPGRC, production issues like pest management, soil management, diversification, conversion towards sustainable agriculture, and on-farm researches are addressed. Marketing (facilitative role), networking and policy advocacy compliments the other programs/activities initiated.
SEARICE implemented different approaches and methodologies in organizing people and in strengthening their capabilities as an individual and organization/institution involved on managing their local agrobiodiversity. A series of national consultations and workshops with stakeholders were conducted. The curatorship approach adapted to re-introduce the use of traditional varieties. The farmer’s field school (FFS) approach compliments the distribution of traditional varieties with the accompanied changes in production system. In FFS, it is the learning process which is highlighted. Discussions, sharing and hands-on field experiments strengthens farmer's capacity to conduct their own crop improvement researches and gain experiential knowledge.
SEARICE's community intervention increased agrobiodiversity, specifically increasing the crops and varieties developed by farmers and planted in their fields. In 1998, 80% of the farms in the project site in Cotobato are using farmers’ selection and only 20% are using modern variety. For upland varieties, 61% of the varieties (175 out of 288 varieties distributed) are still used and maintained by farmers. In the lowlands, only 19% (16 out of 86 varieties distributed) are maintained. There are also about 115 selections developed by farmers. Currently there are 25 active rice breeders from the different people’s organization.
SEARICE does not merely focus on rice but also on root crops and corn conservation. The challenge for SEARICE is the interphase work on the ground with the policy advocacy work and lobby for policy reforms.
CONTACT
Wilhelmina R. Pelegrina, South East Asia Regional Institute for Community Education (SEARICE), Unit 311 Eagle Court Condominium 26 Matalino St. Diliman Quezon City, Philippines, Tel. No. (632)-4337182/4332067, Fax No. (632} 9226710, email: searice@searice.org.ph