Farmers in Negros Occidental Show Why Community Seed Registries Matter

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 rice, corn, and vegetables in his community.

Ray remembered that his mother once participated in a seed barter, giving seeds of a traditional corn variety, locally known as the kapuno, also known as macapuno. His mother and fellow farmers exchanged their traditional seeds for a hybrid corn variety that was heavily advertised to them at the time. 

As the kapuno variety eventually disappeared from the community, the hybrid seeds they received showed poorer adaptability and lower resilience as compared to farmer-saved traditional seeds.

“Hanggang ngayon hinahanap ko yung kapuno na corn. Nawala na talaga yun at saka maganda yun. Si Nanay di na nagtabi kasi binigay na lahat [sa barter]. Ang nanay ko naakit [sa hybrid corn seeds] kasi ina-advertise,” Ray Allan said.

Like Ray Allan, many farmers face the risk of their planting resources being used without proper recognition or protection against misappropriation. In the Philippines, 80-90% of all planting material is sourced from farmers’ own-saved seeds, which are increasingly endangered by being restricted as stronger intellectual property rights on seeds are pushed by seed corporations. 

Ray Allan (center, first photo), together with SEARICE staff, successfully worked with the council on the signing of the community seed registry. Alongside fellow members of TIFAS (second photo), they developed an inventory of seeds they hope to formally document through the registry.

As the president of Tugas Integrated farmers Association (TIFA), Ray Allan and his members created an inventory of their seeds for formal documentation at the barangay level.

Similarly, other farmer groups also lobbied for the passage of barangay ordinances  recognizing the community seed registries across Murcia, Kabankalan City and Bago City. As a result, several barangays across these areas passed resolutions in support of farmers’ seed systems this May.

The participating barangays include:

• Barangay Camingawan, Kabankalan City

• Barangay Tagukon, Kabankalan City

• Barangay Tabunan, Bago City

• Barangay Mailum, Bago City

• Barangay Bacong-Montilla, Bago City

• Barangay Minoyan, Murcia

Many farmer leaders saw the ordinance as a positive step towards strengthening the protection of their varieties against possible misappropriation or monopolistic ownership.

Jerry Dionson explains to the council the significance of a community seed registry in protecting farmer seed systems.

According to Jerry Dionson, president of Tabunan Small Farmers and Irrigators Association (TSFIA) in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City, such ordinances highlight the need for policy and implementation support in the barangay and local government units.

“Mas maganda yung ma-proteksyunan kasi kami kawawa sa huli, kami yung nagdevelop ng mga binhi na angkop sa topograpiya tapos wala naman kaming proteksyon sa mga malalaking indibidwal or companies,” Dionson said.

Meanwhile, Butz Buerom, president of Tabucol Farmers Association (TFA), said that a community seed registry helps prevent the misuse of seeds by formally recognizing farmers’ knowledge of each varieties’ characteristics. 

“Proteksyon siya sa farmers, ito'y pagbibigay tanaw nalang din sa effort ng farmer breeder dahil kung kukunin lang ng ibang tao ang seeds magiging balewala ang effort ng farmer breeder,” Butz said.

For Jessie Aplaon, president of Camingawan Lomboy Pinamus-an Tamlang Farmers Association (CALPTFA), local ordinances can help instill awareness among the youth about the essence of protecting plant genetic resources, especially now that traditional varieties are already declining.

“Ma-po-protektahan namin ang mga binhi, ma-iipon namin ang mga varieties, mado-document, para sa future, ang mga kabataan, maging aware din sila [sa traditional varieties],” Aplaon said.

Billy Flor, president of Mailum Minoyan United Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (MMUFAMPC), encouraged other barangays to adopt similar ordinances that protect farmer seed varieties and to support documentation of seeds through an inventory at the barangay level.

“Bilang isang mangunguma, dapat ma-proteksyunan ang ating mga varieties na hindi mapapangalan sa iba,” Flor said.

Community Seed Registry and the Role of Local Governance

A community seed registry (CSR) is an inventory list of seeds maintained by farmers and recognized through a barangay ordinance. It serves as documentation that farmers in the community are actively using the listed varieties as planting materials.

CSR is also intended to ensure that the seeds remain identified with their communities of origin and are not appropriated for monopolistic  ownership of other parties.

Under Section 72 of the Philippine Plant Variety Protection Act (RA 9168), farming communities and bona fide farmer organizations are encouraged to maintain an inventory registry to help protect local seeds from misappropriation or unfair monopolization, which can be institutionalized through a barangay ordinance. 

Officials from the six barangays have expressed their support for the ordinance, stating that it is a means to protect farmers’ rights and ensure food security in their respective communities. 

Tabunan Barangay Captain, Maria May C. Suarez, emphasized the need to support farmers to sustain food systems within the community. “Yung bago lang naming napirmahang resolution, yan po yung nagpapakita kami ng support, full support sa mga farmers namin dito sa Barangay Tabunan,” Suarez said.

Collaboration of farmers and local officials. Barangay Captain Maria May Suarez expressed the barangay's willingness to work with farmers in strengthening the protection of their rights to seeds. 

“Sa pagpirma namin, kami mismo ay may tungkulin or responsibility sa pagprotekta ng mga seeds. Kami mismo mag-protekta at mag-kampanya sa mga program ng gobyerno at [non-goverment organizations] tulad ng SEARICE,” Kapitana Suarez added.

Melchor Sayco, barangay captain of Barangay Mailum, explained that the ordinance will help in ensuring that the seed varieties are properly recognized and not subjected to monopolistic ownership by other groups. 

Meanwhile, the barangay council members from the participating areas also expressed their support for farmers in formalizing the inventory of farmers’ varieties. Eduardo Belleza, barangay kagawad, emphasized the advantages of traditional varieties and the need to document them in an inventory

“Base sa aking obserbasyon, traditional ito na mga binhi, pagkatapos matanim ang mga binhing ito, kaya itong matago at matanim ulit sa susunod na cropping season dahil ang mga binhing ito ay dapat na maprotektahan para hindi ito maangkin ng ibang seed growers,” Belleza said.

Support for farmers’ rights at Bago City LGU

SEARICE met with Mayor Mayette Javellana to push for a biocultural protocol protecting farmers’ seed rights and community-developed crop varieties. 

In a courtesy call with the Bago City Mayor, Marina “Mayette” Javellana, she expressed her full support for initiatives that promote farmers’ rights and welfare in their city, which is recognized as the rice granary of Negros Occidental.

“It’s really very exciting to hear stories of what our farmers are undergoing, like developing their own seed. Whatever way we can protect our city, we will support it and will endorse this to the city council so they could study what is best for our farmers. We will do that,” Mayor Javellana said.

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SEARICE collaborates with the government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society organizations to advocate for policies that recognize, support, strengthen, and institutionalize community initiatives on sustainable agri-food systems across Southeast Asia. It also implements projects that promote agroecology, conserve agrobiodiversity and empower farming communities.

SEARICE’s policy work on community seed registry in Negros Occidental is part of the project “Engendering Access of Smallholder Farmers to Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for Conservation and Sustainable Use,” funded by the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Through this initiative, farmers in Negros Occidental  are supported in strengthening their access to local seed systems through local ordinances that protect their rights over plant genetic resources.