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Meet Hal, Our New Philippines Executive Director!

Apr 21, 2023 | Staff Introduction

Join us in welcoming Hal Atienza as our new Philippines Executive Director!

Hal has been a social development NGO practitioner for the past three decades building resilient sectors and communities through social accountability and participatory governance. He most recently was an Independent Development Consultant as an accompanier, resource-person, and facilitator-trainer for capacity-building activities, strategic planning workshops, and organizational development and management processes.

Hal is based in Cebu City, and we are thrilled to have his expertise and leadership as we head into this next exciting stage of our growth and work in the Philippines.

Welcome to the team Hal!

Message from Sherry Manning, Founder and CEO welcoming Hal.

“We are thrilled to have attracted such an experienced and passionate newPhilippines Executive Director to guide us into our next chapter of work in the Philippines. Hal brings decades of experience in growing and building successful NGOs and community organizing networks. I know that under his leadership our continued growth and success will be transformational. A very warm welcome to Hal from the entire GSS Community!”

Message from Bea Crisostomo, Philippines Board Chair welcoming Hal.

“On behalf of the Philippines Board of Directors, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Hal as the new Philippines Executive Director. We are thrilled to have you on board and are confident that your experience and expertise will help us continue to grow and have a deeper impact. We are excited to see what we can accomplish together and are grateful to have you on board!”

Here is more about Hal:

What are you most excited about experiencing at GSS?

Seeds are the bearers of food. Saving our seeds is also saving our food culture. Seed saving is the core of regenerative farming and biodiversity. I have been working with farmers for many years. Community seed banking has always been the clamor of marginalized farmers. And I have found that excitement and reason to work with GSS. It espouses natural and organic seed saving, growing, and protection.

What is one strength you are excited to bring to GSS?

Running a country program demands a different set of skills and capacities. My experience and background in community organizing, organizational development, program management, governance, and leadership development encompass my abilities and desires to make GSS relevant and sustainable.

What is your favorite book?

I believe in the “The Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Paulo Freire. But my romantic side always loves watching the Clint Eastwood movie and reading the book by Robert James Waller, “Bridges of Madison County” including the photo collection book of its character, Robert Kincaid.

What is your passion?

Ever since college, I have been passionate about being with people, working with them, and for them, whom Khalil Gibran described as the deprived, oppressed, poor, and exploited (DOPE). My favorite nook is the kitchen because I love cooking and preparing food for my family. They love my signature penne pasta with tuna in a creamy sauce and the aromatic honey-glazed chicken. I also enjoy tending to my ornamental and herb plant collections.

What do you want to achieve in this role?

I hope to sustain what the founder has started in the Philippines’ seed-saving program and become the model for expansion work and mainstreaming worldwide. That way, we can make seed saving a global movement to address food security, food sufficiency, and food sovereignty.

Welcome to the GSS team, Hal!

Farmer Letty Bisco On Her Experience As A Woman Farmer

Mar 29, 2023 | BASS, Farmer Features

In celebration of International Women’s Month this 2023, we are honored to feature Letty Bisco on our blog. Known to the GSSP Community as “Manang Letty”, she is currently the President of the Benguet Association of Seed Savers (BASS). Manang Letty was one of the students of the very first seed school ever conducted by Global Seed Savers Philippines (at the time, we were still known as Friends of ENCA). Along with her other classmates during the 2015 seed school, Manang Letty became a founding member of BASS. She has been instrumental in bringing seed-saving practices to several farms in the Cordilleras and is a beacon of hope for many who know her.

Continue on to the interview below to learn more about Letty’s experience as a woman farmer.

Why is farming any different for women? In your family, did women farm or are you a first-generation woman farmer?

Traditionally the woman’s role in the family is working at home, and managing household chores. But since no one is taking the farming role, I took the initiative to continue working at my family farm. There are some difficulties for women to work in farms given the difference in physical strength compared to men.

I had to hire help for the heavy tasks on the farm which adds to the cost of farming. Being the woman owner of the farm though, I had the financial freedom to spend my own money. I also have the freedom and control over the farm and I don’t have to answer to a boss since I am the sole owner.

I realized this sense of financial freedom when I assumed responsibility as the sole breadwinner in the family due to the passing of my husband. I continued farming even in his absence.

Back in the early days of parenthood, I remember merely working in the household doing domestic chores. I was confined at home. It was a liberating experience when I did farming because I could choose to go out of the house anytime, and that I also have control over my earnings. I’m not a first generation farmer since my mother was a farmer too. These days, however, I am the only woman farmer in the family. I am also the only farmer since we don’t have any men farmers either. We all received education, which influenced my siblings to pursue other things other than farming. I thought, such a waste of our land if I don’t take on continuing farming.

What do you consider a successful year at your farm?

When the climate is stable, the harvest is good. When there are no calamities, the yield is optimal. I recall 2015 when the climate was favorable. There was rain all year-round and not a single major typhoon struck my farm. Because of that, production was high, and my farm sales were also high during that year.

What, for you, is the next step for women farmers?

Women farmers have to be open minded with agricultural innovations. They have to maintain their commitment to farming. Farming is not simple, you need to learn how to forecast what are best crops to plant, and when to plant particular crops. This is tedious and scientific which requires patience. I say it is scientific because you do trial and error. You need to experience and learn for you to get better results.

If you could share one piece of advice with the future generation of women in agriculture, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid of taking risks in experimenting and experiencing new things, because only in this way will you explore what are the best methods in farming. For future generations of women farmers, take hold of that concern and love for your family as this will guide you in your farming; this will translate into you finding ways to practice healthy and safe food production.

What is Ecofeminism?

Mar 29, 2023 | Ideas

While agriculture is a male-dominated industry, the reality is that women produce 60 to 80 percent of the food in most developing countries. Women also manage water, sources of fuel, and food, as well as forests and agricultural terrains in most communities. This highlights an important fact: food sovereignty cannot be achieved without the voices and perspectives of women.

The crucial links between women and the environment are well-ensconced in various international agreements. For example, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) addresses a number of environmental issues that affect women. Meanwhile, the Beijing Platform for Action, an outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women includes an entire chapter on women and the environment, and the need to actively involve women in environmental policy- and decision-making.

Ecofeminism brings the discussion of the critical connection between women and the environment to a deeper level. It asserts that the oppression of women and the exploitation of the environment are interconnected.

Ecofeminism is founded on four main principles:

Both the oppression of marginalized groups and the exploitation of nature are connected by the same cause: patriarchal dominance exacerbated by capitalism. Ecofeminism understands that the same mindset that treats women as objects to be dominated and controlled is the same mindset that treats the earth as a resource to be exploited and plundered.
We must replace our culture of domination and oppression with an ethic of care, an approach to morality that is grounded in the feminine characteristics of caring and nurturing. It underscores equitable decision-making that prioritizes care for others.
All forms of oppression are unacceptable and interconnected. True environmentalism is all-encompassing. It offers solutions that consider the differing needs of people from different races, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds. Only by understanding these connections can equitable change happen. If an environmental solution further marginalizes any class of people, then it is not an acceptable solution.
The people most affected by environmental destruction, women, particularly indigenous women and other women of color, must be the ones to lead the movement. Ecofeminists, such as Katherine Wilkinson of Project Drawdown believe: “If what we’re talking about is the transformation of our economy and society, it’s going to take transformational leadership to get us there. And that looks like leadership that’s more characteristically feminine”.

In a biodiverse country like the Philippines, ecofeminism provides a unique perspective for promoting sustainable and equitable development. Here are some of the ways that ecofeminism has manifested in the Philippines:

Women-led conservation efforts: Women in the Philippines have been at the forefront of conservation efforts, particularly in protecting forests and marine ecosystems. For example, the Innabuyog, an alliance of indigenous women’s organizations in the Cordilleras has been leading initiatives to protect land, life, and rights. Aside from protecting forests and biodiversity through community-led conservation and sustainable livelihoods, the women of Innabuyog aims to “[reclaim] the indigenous women’s historical and significant role in defending ancestral land, life, resources, and dignity”.

Gender-responsive climate policies: Ecofeminism recognizes that climate change disproportionately affects women and marginalized communities. In the Philippines, the government has started to integrate gender perspectives into its climate policies. The Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System which is being employed by all government institutions for example, ensures that climate change adaptation and mitigation measures are gender-responsive and take into account the different needs and roles of women and men in the community. The government has also recently updated the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Plan which provides for the “participation of women in local councils including agriculture-related organizations or associations for their voices and experiences to be considered in local development”.

Regenerative agriculture and food sovereignty: Women in many cultures have been the custodians of traditional seed varieties and agricultural practices for generations, making them important players in promoting sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. This reality is evident in Global Seed Savers’ work with farming communities in the Philippines, where a majority of our partner farmers and seed savers are women.

Ecofeminism recognizes that the root causes of environmental degradation and social injustice are structural. It also acknowledges the reality women are disproportionately affected by environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, etc. Ecofeminism seeks to challenge dominant power structures that prevent us from creating a just and sustainable world.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is important to recognize the critical role that women play in addressing environmental and social issues. By integrating feminist and environmental principles, ecofeminism provides a framework for addressing these complex and interconnected issues.

GSSP and Cebu Seed Savers Renew Commitment to Expand Organic Seed Production in Cebu Province

Mar 3, 2023 | Food Sovereignty, Seed Production, Stories from the Field

In January 2023, Global Seed Savers Philippines (GSSP, as represented by Harry Paulino, our Cebu Seed Production Coordinator) and our Cebu partner farmers gathered together to discuss the vital role of organic seed production within our communities. Farmers from all around Cebu Island came to this gathering. We had participant farmers from Argao, Sibonga, Car-Car, San Fernando, Naga, Aloguinsan, Catmon, San Remegio, Bogo, and Metro Cebu.

Of the many crucial discussions we had, the most important were that of farmers expressing their deep understanding of their essential roles in food sovereignty and reaffirming their commitment to this work through seed saving.

Meet the old and new faces of Cebu Seed Savers!

During this event, twenty-eight farmers signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with GSSP and agreed to dedicate a portion of their lot (with a minimum of 20 sqm) specifically for seed production.

This MOA will ensure that our partner farmers will have sufficient sources of organically produced seeds that are locally adapted for their farm and communities. It will also support Global Seed Savers’ Community Seed Libraries which will enable other farmers in the region to have access to these high-quality, organic, open-pollinated seeds.

We are so grateful for our partner NGO, Communities for Alternative Food Ecosystems Initiatives (CAFEi) for joining us at this event as witnesses to this milestone for our Cebu Program. It is a first towards Food and Seed Sovereignty, and will surely be a catalyst for more collaboration between GSSP and other farming communities in Cebu Province.

This gathering has enabled us to appreciate how far our programs on Food and Seed Sovereignty has come. It has also allowed us to revisit the reason for our work, as well as a re-appreciation of the integral role that farmers play in these goals! Our farmer partners are the backbone of our communities – they are the stewards of our lands and seeds!

GSSP Supporter Dr. Ernie Amaranto Hosts Luncheon for BASS Farmers and Friends

Mar 3, 2023 | BASS, Other Partners, Stories from the Field

February of this year, Dr. Ernie Amaranto, one of Global Seed Saver’s most loyal supporters, came to Baguio City to visit Farmer Anita’s farm in Tublay, Benguet. During Dr. Amaranto’s visit, himself and our BASS partner farmers gathered together for a luncheon on February 11, 2023 at the Baguio County Club.

The luncheon was attended by more than 40 of our partner farmers and other GSS community members, many of whom are farmers from BASS and Tublay, two were officials from the Benguet Provincial Government, an individual from another NGO, several of our supporters, and our Former Executive Director Karen Hizola also paid a visit.

During the event, Dr. Amaranto, also fondly known in the GSSP community as “Gangster Tatay” as a heartwarming nickname, showed us a plaque for the Preserve Planet Earth which was awarded to the Mead Rotary Club. He attributes this award to the work of Global Seed Savers in the Philippines, which part of was funded by the Rotary District.

Some of the more notable events during the luncheon included a pivotal conversation with Atty. Reuben Paoad (who is the former mayor of Tublay and is currently working at the Benguet Provincial Capitol), Board Member of the Lone District of Benguet, and Chair of the Agriculture Committee. Atty. Paoad talked about how fewer edible plants there are presently in Benguet, and that we must now act to prevent this from getting worse. His words elicited a lot of questions from the audience, but we agreed to have a follow-up conversation to determine how we can collaborate in the future through a project related to food sovereignty.

More than anything, this event was an opportunity to reconnect with our partner farmers and supporters. It was a reminder of the huge work that lies ahead, and a testament of the great deed we can accomplish together as one community dedicated to seed and food sovereignty.