Farm Forum in Dumaguete

At a local hotel in Dumaguete city, around 200 participants from the Central Visayas region and Negros Oriental went together for a three-day regional farm forum & family congress that is set to tackle the effects of climate change and discussions promote organic farming.

The concurrent city agriculturist, Dumaguete City Administrator William Ablong, was the one who accommodated the paricipants in Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria’s behalf. He expressed his gratitude for being chosen to host a family-based, family-driven and family-oriented event. While the speaker was none other than, Director Asterio Saliot of the Agricultural Training Institute of the Department of Agriculture.

On one hand, he said that it is imperative to initiate food productivity, food security and more importantly self-sufficiency in one’s family.

While on the other hand, he discussed that the government should opt for organic farming to address climate change.

He then emphasized that one key contributor to climate change is the use of chemical fertilizers that emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that deteriorates the environment, along with carbon dioxide and methane.

Due to the increase of the production of these gases, our agriculture is being highly affected, specifically farm production and food supply, due to shift in climate conditions

Farmers’ associations, fisherfolk organizations, Pambansang Mananalon, 4H clubs, Rural Improvement Clubs, Maguuma, Magbabaul, Magsasaka ng Pilipinas representatives and city and municipal agriculturists are some of the participants to the 3-day regional farm family congress.

The participants also show their skills on how to come up with organic feeds and fertilizers. Additional demonstrated how to cook ducks and to make nets.