Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren Legarda has vowed to champion the welfare of farmers and fisherfolk as the country strongly pursues self-sufficiency and food security.

At the recently-launched AGRI2022 Online Forum, Legarda also cited the successes in agriculture reached by her province as it saw significant increase in palay production (27.4%) and yield (3.8%) in 2021.

“With the exceptional support of the government: from providing seeds, tools, equipment and market access, self-sufficiency in agriculture can be achieved,” said Legarda who is a candidate for senator under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Antique has become one of the very few provinces to achieve a “rice self-sufficient” status. “I note that we are the only country in the ASEAN region that is a net importer of food. This is unacceptable, as our country is rich in resources and we have more than 10 million hardworking small farmers, forest settlers, and fisherfolk,” Legarda stated.

Now seeking a return to the Senate, Legarda stressed the need for the sector to benefit from scientific research and innovation, especially for climate-resilient technologies.

“During Typhoon Odette, Del Carmen in Siargao was miraculously spared from storm surges because it is home to 4,871 hectares of mangroves,” she said.

“We need to work with and alongside natural processes. Nature-based solutions, such as planting mangrove greenbelts, have been very effective in preventing further loss and damage. Our farming and fishing communities could benefit from policies and plans that build with nature,” Legarda stressed.

The House official also drew attention to the community production of seeds, which are locally adapted to the soil and climate, or the use of integrated solutions such as integrated duck-rice farming.

On scarcity of water, Legarda noted that: “if we had healthier soils, we can prevent erosion or run-off.

For example, if our farmers used the straw from their palay and applied it to their rice fields, the straw is converted to organic matter. They would be close to achieving one (1%) percent organic matter, which translates to about 50,000 gallons of water retained.”

The Deputy Speaker said she is a proud backyard farmer. She saved and started her own seeds, utilizes mulching and a rainwater catchment for irrigation, and grows her own food.

In the Lower House, the veteran solon has co-authored and filed House Bill 8385 or the Integrated Urban Agriculture Act, which seeks to promote and institutionalize urban agriculture as a sustainable land use system.

She is also the co-author of the Rural Farm Schools Act under Republic Act 10618.

Additionally, Legarda called attention to the plight of women farmers, who comprise 27.3 percent of workers employed in the agricultural sector but who remain undervalued if not invisible. “Support to the sector should also include support to our women farmers, who have less access to productive resources than men do.”