Small farmers, food growers and environment at the center stage
For three consecutive years the municipality of Sibagat provides valuable space for the small and family-farmers in town in its annual foundation day and Bagat Festival celebrations.
Bagat Festival has become a culmination festival of the harvested ups and downs of Sibagat’s efforts all throughout the year and a festive celebration in continuing what have been started and improve the weak spots. This is very related back to the past practices of the community or farmers and Indigenous People's practices today before and after farming and harvesting.
Challenging the doubts
Under the dominant development paradigm, it has always looked nature and the people as commodities for profit. And for many decades or even centuries, this culture and thinking have been running the lives of the people and the political and economic systems globally. Not anymore for organic agriculture, agroecology and food sovereignty champions in this little town in Eastern Mindanao.
Dominant capitalist system remains in command universally but small local efforts for local food production and sustainability do exist. What is important to note is that “Sustainable” in its sense has been communicated to the local populations not as a mere propaganda but concretely.
Family farmers and organizations to transform from the conventional synthetic-based technology are offered technical, logistical and starting supports; farmers were exposed to several technological and consciousness transformation processes; spheres for education and consciousness development among the young are tapped and mobilized; social organizations are invited to diplomatic and conversational dialogues; democratic spaces in the local councils were opened; harmonization of the programs and deliverables among local implementing agencies were organized; sustainable livelihood supports and programs were accordingly needs-based; creatively, the CSO-LGU partnerships tapped national and local resources… slowly, it has become a movement now and not only a sole program of the local government.
Movement as it should
The gains in a short period are very rich. Bitter and sweet lessons for the advocates helped the successes of the campaign for Organic agriculture and sustainable development.
As recalled, typhoon Odette claimed 11 lives; heavy rains destroyed infrastructures and flashed away planted trees; and the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the survival of humanity. The profit-driven economic paradigm caused mainly these destruction and problems. The few economic and political elites locally and globally have controlled the price, the seeds, the means of production, the ownership of land, allowed polluting and killing chemicals to be used in food production, etc… rationalizing such for growth and income-generation at the expense of humanity’s survival. In short, elite-controlled politics and economics. What’s worst is that, it has become integrated too in the policies. Extractive and destructive industry is allowed by a law for example. Importation of agricultural products available in the country has been the policy to deal with food shortages while local produced are exported for the global market. Again, for growth as they explained. Constitutional provisions for sovereignty and national integrity are subjected to revisions for vested interests. If people and communities are to resist, you are simply called terrorists. National security threat you are as justification.
Thus, relying to the top-bottom impositions of the national bureaucracy will surely lead the municipality’s journey to the cliff of perdition. Organizing of and supporting self-organized and independent collective and family ecological agricultural and economic initiatives is a must. Solidarity of the consumers and producers be strengthened. Ecologically conscious population must grow. Programs and services must ensure participation of the people and strengthen trust and confidence in the socio-political mechanisms not fear of repression, exclusion and isolation.
Positive vibrations are in the ground.
As mentioned by a farmer in an interview with Bagat Notes in dialect, “the government called cutting of trees illegal because it will cause flooding and landslides but allowed the use of petrochemical farming and mining that are even worse than cutting trees? It will kill the helpful organisms for biodiversity.” In a separate statement another farmer mentioned, “under the law killing is a crime, illegal and the one who kills is a criminal. This petrochemical farming is killing not only humans but also the biodiversity, so it is a crime and illegal yet our government allowed such.”
Despite the odds, the campaign and persistence have gone far already.
Bagat Notes believes that consciousness building will not be enough without an independent movement. Independent from the dictate of the dominant socio-economic culture.
Verdant Valley in the East
But it must always be remembered again that the dominant culture remains intact and has been using the bureaucracy or shall we say it is still the culture of the bigger society and socio-political structures. Until when a local government under a national bureaucracy implementing the dominant elitist culture can stand against the pressure that relies on its foundation – the people? It is a task of the movement.
Convergence Is Bagat. You can debate till dawn if it is an Indigenous Manobo word or from the settler populations from Visayas but one thing must be drawn – the past and the present for the future must converge. What future is that? A verdant valley in the East of Mindanao – Sustainable Sibagat.
And Sustainable Sibagat must then be qualitative and quantitative. Felt by the common Sibagatnon regardless of political beliefs, religious affiliations, tribes, gender and social status. And in pursuit towards? Must not be left to the LGU’s mind and hands alone but substantially Sibagatnons are involved. How? Read from the top.
Bagat Notes
January 18, 2024
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Sibagat is the 14th Municipality of Agusan del Sur. Located in between Bayugan and Butuan City.
To celebrate its 44th Foundation Day on February 1, 2024 and 22nd Bagat Festival on January 28-February 1, 2024.
The Municipality also champions Organic Agriculture and a member of the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities and Provinces in the Philippines and other international OA government unit alliances.
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