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Participatory Corn Breeding: A Farmer Field School Guide to Seed Conservation and Management is an instructional manual that integrates the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach into participatory corn breeding to strengthen and diversify community-based corn seed systems. By empowering smallholder farmers as active seed producers, breeders, and custodians of plant genetic resources, the manual promotes sustainable, agroecological farming systems while contributing to long-term

Protecting Philippine Agriculture While Pursuing Trade Agreements The Philippines has legitimate national interests in protecting farmers' seed systems, agricultural biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, and food security. While international trade agreements are important, these objectives should not require the country to adopt legal obligations that reduce its policy space beyond what international law requires. North-South FTAs serve as the primary mechanism encouraging d

Photo from: Department of Agriculture (DA) As biodiversity loss continues to threaten global food systems, the need to rethink how food is produced has become increasingly urgent. While agriculture is often identified as a contributor to climate change and environmental degradation, it is important to emphasize that the challenge lies not in agriculture itself, but in the widespread use of conventional production systems that depend heavily on synthetic inputs, degrade soils,

In the Philippines, farming is often seen as the last resort, something you do as a fallback, the occupation you pursue when everything else fails. But in this story, we get to know a farmer who chose farming long before farming ever had to choose them. “Kahit katiting, hindi ako nagsisi na tumigil ako sa pagsakay ng barko. Mas masaya ako ngayon bilang farmer.” (“Not even a little bit, I don't regret stopping sailing the ship. I'm happier now as a farmer.”) For Butz Buerom, g

Slideshow from left to right: Signing of the ordinance in Barangay Camingawan (May 8); Barangay Tagukon, Kabankalan City (May 9); Barangay Tabunan, Bago City (May 11); Barangay Mailum (May 13), Bago City; Barangay Bacong-Montilla, Bago City (May 12), and Barangay Minoyan, Murcia (May 14). Ray Allan Gomez, a farmer from Kabankalan City, is determined to have traditional seed varieties documented at the barangay level. He aims to prevent the loss of traditional varieties of ric

“Kung iti-train mo na sila in their early years, kahit bata pa sila, kaya na nila magtanim. Kasi sa simpleng malunggay, sa simpleng alugbati, kangkong, makikita na nila na, ay, kaya ko palang magpatubo [ng pananim]” [If you train them early, even as young children, they can already learn how to grow crops. Through simple plants like malunggay, alugbati, and kangkong, they realize that they are capable of growing their own food.] Learning is often seen as something gained in

In Thanh Am Village, Can Tho City, Khiet Tam Cooperative Farm blends recycling, efficient resource use, and machinery support with ecological balance at the heart of its agroecological practices. On the third day of the learning exchange, participants visited Khiet Tam Cooperative Farm in Can Tho City to share knowledge and experiences on rice production, particularly on the low-carbon rice model. The activity began with a welcome from the cooperative leaders and local author