Agriculture is one of the key sectors in our country and at the heart of it are the women whose dedication, resilience, and innovation are not only transforming the face of farming but also inspiring generations to come.
“I am reminded by a quote that a woman is the full circle and that within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. This is indeed true for our women in agriculture, whose boundless determination and resilience, nurtures our families, our communities, and our land,” said Grow Asia Head of Partnerships Amy Melissa Chua.
In celebration of the National Women’s Month, the Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA) in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) convened key stakeholders in the agriculture sector to celebrate efforts and achievements, raise awareness about gender equality issues, empower women, inspire change, and promote inclusivity in the agriculture sector. The event, titled "WE Can Do It! Empowering Women in Agriculture," aligned with the national theme "WE for gender equality and inclusive society," and emphasized the significance of Women and Everyone, as well as Women Empowerment.
The event—supported by Unilever Philippines, Morination Agricultural Products Inc., Monde Nissin Corporation, Mister Donut, Jollibee Group Foundation, SM Foundation, Haverson, Pilipinas Kaneko Seeds, AGREA, and Urban Farmers Philippines—aimed to identify gaps in the implementation of programs and projects on women empowerment and foster synergies among the stakeholders to achieve one of PPSA’s objectives: to empower smallholder women farmers through collective impact. Around 60 multi-stakeholder partners from government agencies, agribusinesses, academic institutions, and the private sector joined the event.
WOMEN IN AGRI MATTERS
PPSA, a country chapter of Grow Asia in the Philippines, is implementing the ASEAN Green Recovery through Equity and Empowerment or the AGREE Project. The project’s Gender and Climate Study reveals that women’s labor is often underpaid and undervalued. Moreover, the Food and Agriculture Organization reports that only 36 percent of working women are employed in agri-food systems globally. Data on the widening food insecurity gap between men and women in agri-food systems urges us to act now.
“Women in the Philippine corn value chains often earn lower incomes and face increased food insecurity. Imagine the situation of women in other value chains and even in less privileged sectors and nations,” said PPSA Country Director Angel Bautista.
Echoing this, The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Philippines and the European Union’s Gender Champion Her Excellency Marielle Geraedts emphasized the Embassy’s commitment in championing women’s empowerment. The Embassy supports programs that empower and capacitate women farmers in the country.
“We also need to rethink the way we design our food systems to make it efficient to feed an ever growing population as well as recognize that gender inequality still persists in the sector. Hence, there is a need to address these gaps in terms of inclusivity of women in the agriculture sector to ensure that we do not leave anyone behind as identified by SDG 1 – Zero Hunger, specifically ensuring sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices and SDG 5 - Gender Equality,” said Ambassador Geraedts.
EMPOWERING THROUGH COLLABORATION
PPSA, Grow Asia, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Philippines encouraged support for women in agriculture through multi-stakeholder partnerships and collaboration.
“I see champions of women’s empowerment in the PPSA network who inspire inclusion and strive to make this world a better place for women. They are a great reminder that when we advocate for women’s seats at the decision making table, we can uplift the lives of women from all walks of life,” said Bautista who also enjoined stakeholders to support PPSA’s Women’s Cohort which seeks to champion women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector.
Her Excellency Geraedts highlighted ways on how Netherlands and the Philippines can work together in uplifting women in agriculture.
“The Netherlands can play an important role here by providing agricultural technology across value chains that would work towards enhancing the overall efficiency of the agriculture sector, benefiting food production and distribution as well as building partnerships that could facilitate useful exchanges and learnings.”
The event also featured talks by AGREA Agricultural System International, Inc. and AGREA Farm Estate Founding Farmer, CEO, and President Cherrie Atilano, Philippine Commission on Women Deputy Director for Operations Ma. Kristine Josefina G. Balmes, and OFW Natural Organic Garden President Rose Dalina.
For more photos of the event: https://bit.ly/PPSAWomensMonth