by Rene V. Carbayas
ISABELA CITY, Basilan – Grow a
seed and you’ll not grow hungry. Teach people to fish so they can stand and
feed their young. More than armed confrontation, the military here believes in
this model of peace and development.
For conflict-ridden island province,
government relief goods could only last a day or two, but when people know how
‘catch fish’, they can rebuild their lives and survive.
Hardly, many folks in Basilan could venture on
sustainable farming with the sporadic armed conflict and confrontations
experienced mostly by the people in farm-rich communities and hinterlands.
Basilan has one of the best soils for agriculture, evident by multi-national
companies then that established the rubber and coconut industries.
As the armed conflict escalated with the
dreaded Abu Sayyaf bandits, many farmers shied away from tilling the lands. By
then, Basilan grew dependent of vegetables and goods from outside its shores.
But the three-week long Zamboanga Siege in
2013 has taught Basilan with lessons the hard way. The island-Province was cut
off from the mainland after government forces blocked sea routes to prevent
rogue MNLF elements from destabilizing Zamboanga City. Nothing goes in or out
of the Province – including food items.
Since then, food security has become a
political agenda. Local Government officials has been boosting of the great
potentials in developing agriculture in Basilan.
But it is with the knowledge and commitment of
its men and women, the 4th Special Forces (SF) Battalion of the
Philippine Army takes the lead in reintroducing the local populace in the art
of farming.
The 4th SF Battalion launched the
‘Seed the Future’ project about three months ago in Basilan where they
encourage Basilan folks to venture into farming and agriculture to boost
socio-economic activity and food security in the island province.
1LT Ron Villarosa, Public Affairs Officer, 4th
Special Force (SF) Battalion said that the Seed the Future project starting out
as a community-based project, which was conceptualized to catalyze the
advancement of the local agriculture industry through the resource integration
of different government agencies, non-government organization and other
stakeholders to facilitate learning, skills development and application of crop
production technology to achieve a self-sufficient and sustainable local
agricultural industry. “Sustaining Food Security – Transforming Communities” is
the project’s tagline.
Recently, the unit opened its doors to
“affordably” fresh vegetables last week where loads of yield was harvested in
its one hectare model farm, with consumers from nearby towns of Lantawan,
Maluso, and even as far out as Sumisip, lining up for the fresh products.
“We have seen these methods being introduced
by many agricultural authorities. However promising, theories being discussed
to farmers are yet to be practiced in Basilan, until now,” LTC Andrew B Bacala
Jr, Commanding Officer of the 4th Special Forces Battalion said.
- The model farm for vegetable production is spearheaded by the 4th Special Forces Battalion in its camp yard. It is done in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries–ARMM (DAF-ARMM), Bureau of Plant Indusrty (BPI), United Workers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (UWARBMC), the Isabela City Water District (ISAWAD) and Nagdilaab Foundation Inc. The activity forms part of the unit’s peace, security and development initiatives under the Seed the Future Project.
“A hectare of cultivated land could easily
employ ten farmers, which translates to ten families being fed with enough
appropriations to send their kids to school. Imagine how many people could
benefit from the program and its implications to the improvement of Basilan in
ten years – all that may well start from this project,” LTC Bacala added who is
himself a practicing farmer and came from a farmer-family in the highlands of
Mountain Province.
Bacala said that by providing socio-economic
opportunities, “we hope to transform their communities from fighters to farmers.
Beyond fighting, the Special Forces are here to build communities. We are here
to make a difference.”
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