Reposting: Daisy Langenegger >Shree Anand Ashram Biosciences you know, my friend, to be a natural farmer is to be full of optimism and hope. In 1988 when I returned to the Philippines so my my only child could grow up with his Filipino roots, a son and then only 5 years old ( he then grew up and has become a successful international artist plus the wonderful life bonus our farming family received- today, like me,he is a natural farmer) -in 1988, the ORGANIC LAW of our country (Philippine Organic Act of 1902) didnt even exist and people knew next to nothing about health that is soil-based or even eating wholesome food so they can enjoy a quality life of health. Today, 2014,we have an ORGANIC LAW and the word organic is now mainstream, a fashionable way to live. The biggest drawback exists, not in explaining to people that organic is their road to redeeming the quality of life of health that everyone, rich and poor ,are all aspiring for because now even at least in parts -many are even aware what is called junk food fast food raw food or slow food. The popularity ,the acceptability niche of organic food and lifestyle, being IN or fashionable of organic, chemical free food has, alas, now become its biggest handicap. Those who are in the upper bracket of society, the educated and upwardly mobile, the economically well off and in terms of lifestyle and spending power have appropriated it as their privilege and have given organic food its elitist flavor. Commerce and business , with the aid of the media, lacking and not yet transformed in values, have been very quick to take over and maximize the advantage of possessing the necessary capital resources -though we owe to this phenomenon the great popularity organic food and lifestyle , therein also lies all the omission, misinformation and incomplete information, the bastardization and weakness in the organic ideology. How ironic is that? But this comes as a necessary off shoot of a nascent awakening and transformation. The separation of the grain from the chaff , no less -the discernment of the substance from self-serving tainted promotions and propaganda. How will this final positive transformation take place? I can see it happening at the level of the farmers. Our countrys farmers have been victims for so long-we are impoverished and sick , caused by chemical farming we have had no choice but embrace during the Green Revolution of the Marcos era and damaged to the core of their spiritual and cultural identity and values by the materialistic system that came with agricultural industrial development that took over and has since then been dominating our lives. It is a fact that the policy makers in our government who have made us embrace chemical farming system totally, convincing us that intensive food production through the use of chemical in puts alone can ensure food sustainability and save us from starvation, will never come up with the proper accounting of what we are actually paying to continue eating the poisoned food we eat, the cost of our poisoned water, air, land and our slavish dependence on agricultural chemicals and informal credit system that is ruining our lives,turning us into modern day slaves who are only living day to day to service our debts, depriving us of the quality life we deserve as human beings and putting at risk the quality of life of our coming generations of Filipinos. There is a huge hidden cost to the affordable and available food we are consuming today in terms of actual food subsidies,agricultural chemical in puts and seeds subsidies, and let us be aware -also the NFA rice importation ,pork and PDAF monies stolen from our Kaban Ni Inang Bayan processed by way of our Department of Agriculture care of Napoles and her ilk. What is a country who would waste and fritter away its natural resources, its God-given natural wealth and risk the health of its population? Our coming generations have nearly nothing but lifetimes of debts and poor health and chronic illnesses to inherit. That is us at the present moment. Despite the existence of our ORGANIC LAW our government has cynically given in to the lure of the worlds agro -industrial complex who today is seeking to decide the fate of our seeds and food and therefore to have in their hands the power over all life in our planet. The propaganda of the evil-empire, the agro industrial complex is: chemicals is feeding the world and we will starve without it. This is a blatant lie to perpetuate our dependence on chemicals ensuring the dominance of the agro industrial complex and satisfy their greed for profits at our expense. What will save us from hunger is the preservation of the health of our soils, the building of sustainable and balanced eco systems in our rural communities and cities that promote and sustain life, the conservation of our perishable natural resources. We must stop all manners of killing life and to wean ourselves from over dependence on toxic chemicals is a good point to start. Start a home garden-be a producer of food. If not , then support ecological farming practice by eating wholesome food. Support our farming families who take care of the land -buy your food directly from them whenever you can. It is a blatant falsehood to say that organic food is only for those who can afford it. Why? This amounts to saying irresponsibly that we can afford the price of suffering chronic illnesses , doctors and hospital bills, terminal diseases, eventually untimely death rather than to have to budget for a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps my destiny as a third generation natural farmer-a producer of wholesome food and the caretaker of the land has me cut out for a life of hope and mission-I can recognize where everything started- the arrogant attitude that what is good for me is good for the world. Recognizing this, I then can make a conscious turn to adopt the healthier, more positive attitude-what is good for the world is good for me. Now my ego is no longer detached from all others, separating me from my farming and human community -I am now inextricably linked with all natural farmers , to you, all ecological farmers/health advocates, and all citizens of the world who like me are seeking qualitative change in our human society,in the world we all inhabit. We are one with all life. Josephine C. Gamboa Rene Pamintuan Alex Pasia Farmer Fern Chi Nazario Chit Catindig Sylvia Morningstar Ceres P Doyo Bert Peeters Ben Luther Fidel R. Cabantac Robert Domoguen Dana Keawe Ruth MedfordMila D. Aguilar Virginia Jasmin Pasalo Jessica Castillo
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 11:01:56 +0000
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