Cooperatives Advancing Sustainable Agriculture to Reduce Poverty, to Mitigate Climate Change and

1. A Country Reportby:Dr. Emmanuel M. Santiaguel, Ph.D.Chairman, Cooperative Development AuthorityRepublic of the Philippines Cooperatives Advancing Sustainable Agriculture to Reduce Poverty, to Mitigate Climate Change and to have Peace and Stability

2. Introduction: Sustainable agriculture emerged as a response to increasing environmental degradation and the social exclusion of the rural poor. In some parts of Asia, this issue has gone to extreme proportions. The over-exploitation of natural resources, such as heavy deforestation, degradation of land and groundwater depletion, made it difficult to sustain agricultural growth and reduce rural poverty and has now posed extreme problems to future generations (ESCAP, 1999).

3. This is alarming as Asian population is expected to grow by 1.8% per year and reach 5 billion by 2025. Moreover, 600 million of the more than 800 million hungry people in the world are in Asia.

4. Amidst these developments, local communities through their cooperatives have initiated activities, projects and experiments to mitigate these problems. They were generally small, local, isolated and uncoordinated. These micro initiatives, however, were well received and had progressed into a loose movement of practitioners.

5. The Role of the Philippine Cooperatives in Advancing Sustainable Agriculture • There is now the imperative call to debunk the onslaught of dehumanizing rural poverty brought about by Conventional Agriculture which has given way to a kind of mode of production and marketing that the peasantry does not control. Because of this set up, everyone has profited from farming except those who have labored under the excruciating heat of the sun and who have aged far beyond their years – the farmers.

6. olv ZONE 3 ZONE 2 ZONE 1 Three Zones of Transition BREAKTHROUGH BREAKDOWN TRANSFORMATION COOPERATIVISM : A Transformative Leading Edge Dehumanizing Poverty SUSTAINABLE FUTURE • Powerlessness of the people • No access to resources • Lack of capabilities/opportunities • Conventional Agriculture • Highly skewed land ownership • Oppressive Marketing System • The DNA OF cooperatives clearly states that a cooperative is: • Member’s owned • Value-based • Sustainability • Thus, growth is certainly inclusive and sustainable • Ecologically Sustainable, Socially Equitable Development • Social Justice • Social Equity • Meaningful People’s Participation • Meeting the Millennium Development Goals • Sustainable Development Principles Institutionalized Marginalization of People and Resources • A Tool of Empowering the poor and the vulnerable to reduce poverty Degradation of Values and Ecosystems • The principles and practices give high adherence to transparency, accountability, participation and democratic control. Social Injustice/Gross Inequities Global Financial Crisis “Ang mga kooperatiba po ang kaagapay ng pamahalaan sa pagtataguyod ng systemang patas at maunlad. Ang koopertiba ang katuwang ng pamahallaan laban sa kahirapan at katiwalian” • A Vehicle for lasting PEACE, thru peace-building Apathy Conflict/Violence • Concern for community includes the global involvement to mitigate climate change and integrity of environment EXTINCTION His Excellency Pres. Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III 6

7. SOCIO ECONOMICS • Shift from Conventional Agriculture to Sustainable Agriculture • Control Mode of Production EMPOWERING THE COOPERATIVES • Advancing Agrarian Reform • Cooperative Market • Micro-Financing / Coop Banking • Productivity Enhancement • Marketing • Entrepreneurship • Job Generation RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • Access and Control of Ecological Resources • Agrarian Reform • Community-based Resource Management • Protection/Enhancement of Ecological Wealth • Consumer-owned water and Electric cooperatives BASIC UTILITIES/ SERVICES • Strengthening Transport Coops • Broaden Coverage of Coop Insurance • Coop Schools/Institutes • Coop Media Holistic Development Approach Social Justice & Equity C D A WHERE ARE WE NOW? Peace • Mismatch of Resources versus Mandate • Increasing Demand of Stakeholders Stability WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO? • Effective, Efficient and Responsive Agency Productivity HOW DO WE GET THERE? • Regulate, Empower and Develop cooperatives Sustainability

8. THRUSTS AND PROGRAMS WHEEL OF COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT NCDC Federation Workers Coops Transport Coops Agri and ARB Coops Electric Coops CDA Informal Groups Union Muslim /IP Coops Other coops WEYPWSN Coops Housing Coops NCCCPD

9. The “wheel” of cooperative development must be put into motion. As presented below, CDA as the “hub” of that “wheel” must do the coordinative facilitative functions in organizing and strengthening various cooperative types in coordination with all stakeholders.

10. Thus, in effecting paradigm shift from conventional to sustainable agriculture, it is the thrust of CDA to federate all agricultural cooperatives in the country. Once they are consolidated, the federation can strongly advocate to advance sustainable agriculture and manufacture their own organic fertilizer and be in control of the mode of production and even of marketing their organically-grown products.

11. SA as a Tool to Mitigate Climate Change • There is a dramatic evidence that various Greenhouse Gases are responsible for Global Warming and climate change. It is also clear that the most important solution to Global Warming is the dramatic reduction of fossil fuel use, and that other strategies shall not be an excuse to continue with business as usual.

12. The emission reduction potential of Organic Agriculture Organic Agriculture can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. As a viable alternative to shifting cultivation, it offers permanent cropping systems with sustained productivity. For intensive agriculture systems, it uses significantly less fossil fuel in comparison to conventional agriculture.

13. SA as a Path to Peace and Stability • In the recently held Indigenous Peoples and Muslims Cooperative Summit sponsored by CDA, the participants made a strong Declaration to serve notice to one and all that through SA, the marginalized sectors composed mainly of the Indigenous People and our Muslims brothers and sisters will be empowered to participate in development and thus food security and ecological integrity can be achieved. This is based on the truism that peace cannot be had if the people are hungry.

14. That being the case, cooperativism may as well be the answer because cooperatives are the coalitions of the poor to collectively have access and control over their resources which are fast slipping through their fingers. Such can aptly be done through cooperatives which are increasingly becoming a vehicle of empowerment to democratize wealth and power and therefore lessen economic and social disparities.

15. Peace through Sustainable Agriculture Long Term development in Mindanao can be won or lost through agriculture. Poverty is very glaring in the rural communities which is highly attributed to a kind of farming system anchored on conventional agriculture. Because of this, farming has benefited everyone ( the local compradors, the chemical fertilizer dealers, the usurers, etc.) except those who are doing the back-breaking job- the poor farmers. Conventional agriculture has robbed the rural communities of farming which should belong to them. The inhabitants are further marginalized, thus contributing to negative peace, if not, to conflict. As countervailing measures, the cooperatives are shifting to natural, organic, ecological and even bio-dynamics farming. A few are into manufacturing of organic fertilizer and pesticides.

16. Thank You!