Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation First National Biodiversity Congress, 22-24 May 2017, Quezon City Isagani R Serrano PRRM

Main message Sustainable Agriculture (SA) in the Philippines faces the big challenge of feeding over 100 million people in a country that has a carrying capacity for much less and whose landscapes and seascapes, from the mountains to the coasts and open seas, continue to be degraded. SA has been with us for generations but had been pushed to the margins by Green Revolution (GR) which valued productivity at the cost of falling incomes and mounting debts to small farmers as well as loss of biodiversity and poisoning of land and water resources. Chemical agriculture is a dead end. Sustainable agriculture is our future.

SA in the 3 integrated pillars of sustainable development

Expanding concept of agriculture Pathway to the current conception of modern agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is.. A farming culture or a whole system---a philosophy, set of principles, knowledge, science & technology (KST), using diverse approaches---that >regenerates natural resources and protects the environment; >lays the basis of a sustainable economy: >empowers small farmers and promotes common good; and >is grounded on holistic science.

Sustainable agriculture is…

Sustainable agriculture is..

SA v. agriculture-as-usual Agriculture is more than just growing food. It’s also about social and environmental justice. Land rights for farmers and land degradation neutrality (LDN) are essential for sustainability. Industrial agriculture/factory farming accounts for much of the depletion of natural resources and pollution of the environment; SA regenerates resources, cleans up poisoned water, soil, and air; in contrast to highly-centralized industrial agriculture, SA is more decentralized and empowering to small farmers and local communities.

Global challenge 1992: Agenda 21--global agenda for sustainable development as one piece From silos to convergence of Rio Conventions (UNCBD, UNFCCC, UNCCD) 2015: Back as one piece again: The 2030 Agenda (and its 17 goals) to finally end poverty and achieve sustainable development E.g., SA or SARD (Chap 14 of Agenda 21) and Conservation of Biological Diversity (Chap 15 of Agenda 21) now converging in the 2030 Agenda’s SDG 14 (sustaining life under water) and SDG 15 (sustaining life on land) and intersecting several, if not all, SDGs, eg SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.

Sustainable agriculture can feed the world Since the 1960s, the prevailing wisdom has been that only Green Revolution can save the world from hunger. The Hunger Project of 1980 aimed to end world hunger by 2000. Today, close to a billion people still suffer from hunger. The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD 2000) admitted to the shortcomings of GR technology and recognized the critical role of indigenous knowledge and sustainable agriculture in attaining food security. Transition worries, like possible drop in production, could be offset through, say, reduction in costs of production and increased incomes for farmers and change in eating habits and lifestyles (eg, from ‘fast food’ to ‘slow food’). Carbon-intensive chemical agriculture cannot go on.

PH challenge How to secure the food of over 100 M people in a climate/disaster-vulnerable country with a carrying capacity for much less Securing the food, home, education, health, rights and freedoms, well-being and happiness of all in face of continuing environmental degradation Leaving no one behind (inclusion with dignity not inclusion for exploitation)

The landscapes/seascapes of SA: land & water moderately to severely degraded Forests Croplands Shrubs, grassland & sparsely-vegetated areas Bare land and other areas Wetlands & water bodies Coastals, mangroves & open seas Built-up: cities and towns

Agriculture’s climate footprint 12 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according the Interagency Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Does not include deforestation which accounts for about 18 percent. In the Philippines, a basically agrarian economy, agriculture’s share in GHG emissions is 33 percent, including land use change and forestry (LULUCF). A full-cycle assessment of agriculture may reveal a larger carbon footprint overall.

SA in PH: where we’re at 4 Types: indigenous, traditional, large-scale commercial, small-scale subsistence Area covered: Actual extent difficult to fix; of about 11 million has. of agri lands 14, 134 has. (IFOAM 2006) of w/c only 100 has. are OCCP-certified Number & reach of the SA/Organic movements: hard to say but assumed to be growing From small voice v. Green Revolution in the 1980s to the mainstream (capped by the passage of Organic Agriculture Act of 2009)

SA in PH: where we’re at 37 or so LGUs w/ declared areas as organic: Batanes, Abra, Kalinga, Ifugao, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan, Rizal, Cavite, Quezon, Laguna, Batangas, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Palawan, Antique, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur.

NV declared an organic province

SA in PH: where we’re at Organic exports: muscovado sugar, banana chips, virgin coconut oil (VCO), dried banana leaves, pineapple, fresh Cavendish bananas; in 2000, value of organic industry was estimated at Ph100 M; imports of processed food products at Ph 150 M; under fair trade: fresh balangon banana, rice, VCO, fresh mango Variety of organics traded locally: rice & other cereals, veggies & herbs, root crops, fruits, coffee, cacao, tea, VCO, fish, poultry & livestock, etc. “Niche market” catering to health conscious middle class who can afford 20-30 % higher prices than non-organics

Going organic!

Going organic!

Slow food v. fast food

SA, biodiversity & resilience Sustainable agriculture has a comparatively smaller carbon footprint. SA helps reduce GHG emissions (eg, avoidance/withdrawal of synthetic chemical inputs). SA helps capture, store and utilize carbon. SA will restore the humus—the foundation of farming. SA rehabilitates depleted resources and detoxifies poisoned land, water and air. SA shortens the food mile: food is produced as close as possible to where it’s consumed. SA recycles wastes. SA doubles as carbon sink and natural carbon factory. With its many plusses for both mitigation and adaptation, and hardly any downsides, SA should be a “no regrets” option.

SA, biodiversity & resilience Restoring the humus for better growth of plants and microorganisms, water retention, reducing soil erosion and degradation, and carbon capture. Restoring farm biodiversity (eg. crop diversification) to reduce effects of crop failure in extreme weather events. In SA, small farmers are ‘king’ and ‘queen’. With SA, communities can adjust better to CC as their farms become more resilient.

SA, biodiversity & resilience SA cannot prosper without reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) which accounts for about 18 % of GHG emissions. Forests are the farms’ headlands. SA includes agro-forestry and watershed protection; improvement of soil and water quality; and sustainable livelihoods for forest communities and indigenous peoples. So-called ‘net green’, based on monoculture industrial tree plantation, is inconsistent with SA and sustainable forestry.

SA, biodiversity & resilience SA and organic farmers deserve to be compensated for doing a great job for securing our food system and building a zero-waste society for all of us. SA knowledge, science and technology (KST) is being freely shared around the world and undergoing continuous improvement. This should be duly credited as a bottom-up contribution in UN negotiations and agreements.

So much left to do Goal: No landless and homeless family---Land rights, land justice, land reform to cover all of 30 M hectares plus coastal zones Public disclosure of all landowners and property (urban and rural) Land use policy based on National Forest Assessment 2005 and LADA Land Degradation Neutrality thru Sustainable Land Management and other conservation practices (IWRM) Expand the scope of organic agriculture to cover all farming areas, review the fisheries and forestry policies Review the National Greening Program (NGP) in relation to NBSAP (biodiversity conservation) Review Mining Act and other laws on extractives Review the energy and infrastructure policies Increase public spending on public goods: WASH, rural roads, drainage and flood control Review the NCCAP, LCCAP, and DRRMPs

Chemical agriculture is a dead end Chemical agriculture is a dead end. Sustainable agriculture is the future. Let’s go organic! Thank you! iserrano@prrm.org