Resiliency In The Midst of Climate Change

Sow hope with us as we help our very own Filipino Farmer's.

The Philippines is the fourth most climate-vulnerable nation and Southeast Asia’s largest producer of GMO crops with 70% of the country dedicated to agricultural land. Because of this, we believe the work and models being developed in the Philippines are of the utmost importance. The ability to impact the agricultural system and relinquish smallholder farmers’ dependence on large bio-chemical agricultural companies and helping farmers to prevent further catastrophic damage from our changing climate is paramount. Climatic realities like Typhoon Mangkhut that hit the Northern Philippines last September, demonstrate the need to change and implement more sustainable farming practices.

Climate resilience is the ability to anticipate and adapt to expected climate disturbances and their impacts by making social, ecological, and economic adjustments. Due to the effects of climate change, it is becoming increasingly more important to build climate resilience in our communities. In 2018 after the devastating impacts of Typhoon Mangkhut BASS farmers were instantly able to access our seed library and begin replanting right away. The seed libraries played a critical role in climate resilience for farmers after the devastating impacts of Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018. This typhoon wiped out land and caused loss of crops for our farmers and others in the community. Our farmers were instantly able to access the seed library and begin replanting right away after the typhoon because they had a seed library.

WHO WE ARE AND OUR MISSION? Global Seed Savers works on a grassroots level to help return farmers to the collective indigenous knowledge and practice of seed saving. Through encouraging smallholder farmers in the Philippines to return to the practice of growing and saving their own seeds, we are providing farmers with the tools and support needed to be independent, self-sustainable, and to restore sovereignty over their food system and their lives. We do this through our comprehensive programs - technical and educational training, seed saving and establishing seed libraries, and encouraging organic and sustainable farming practices. Since 2015, Global Seed Savers has conducted over 2,000 hours of technical training programs in six different regions of the Philippines. Advancing our mission to empower farmers to have ownership over their food system and access to traditional, organic seeds and food.

OUR SMALL HOLDER FARMERS AND WHY CARE TO KNOW THEM? Smallholder farmers are those who farm on 10 hectares of land or less. To put this in perspective, 10 hectares is the equivalent of 100,000 square meters, or about 1/35 the size of Central Park in New York (which is almost 3.5 million square meters).

Smallholder farmers produce the majority of the world’s food, but also the majority of smallholder farmers are women. At Global Seed Savers, over 70% of the farmers we work with are women and all of our senior leadership roles are held by women. Smallholder farmers are the most important people in the world’s food system but are also the ones with the least power compared to the large companies that monopolize agriculture systems. We are actively working to change this by improving seed and food sovereignty for smallholder farmers.

Seed sovereignty is at the core of our work, and we believe it is essential to healthy food systems in the Philippines and across the world. To define, Seed sovereignty is farmers’ rights to save, plant, and exchange a variety of open-source seeds. In line with this, Global Seed Savers’ mission is to create local food sovereignty in the Philippines. La Via Campesina describes that, food sovereignty as the right of people to define their own food and agriculture systems, and the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food.

Will you help us reach our goal on sowing more seeds of hope to our local farmers in the Philippines?

We are raising funds to execute our programs and initiatives on providing trainings, help setting up seed libraries and more.

HOW TO GIVE

Donate via this page with a card or pay-pal or make a local bank transfer to the account below:

Global Seed Savers Philippines, Inc., BPI Baguio City Session Road Account #:0573-3706-27

Thank you and may Godbless your generosity.

At your service, Harry Jr, Paulino Cebu Program Coordinator No Seed -No Food- No Food- No Life