Food fuels a nation’s most important asset—its people. Without proper food and nutrition, hunger goes up, productivity goes down, and a nation ends up in shambles. Contentment—or discontent—of the citizenry lies on a government’s ability to feed its people, on how it secures food for the future, and how it grows food that weathers any crises or natural disasters.
As far back as 1992 during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the United Nations called on countries to prioritize sustainable development in order to put food on everyone’s plate. “Agriculture is at the heart of the solution of the sustainability issue. If we improve agriculture and food systems, we can improve the livelihoods and health of people,” the UN said.
It is in this same vein that the country marks “Filipino Food Month” or “Buwan ng Kalutong Pilipino” every April. Presidential Proclamation No. 469, signed by President Duterte in 2018, designated this month to “appreciate, preserve, and promote our vast culinary tradition and treasures… and to ensure their transmission to future generations and to support the various industries, farmers, and agri-communities which benefit from them.”
With this, among the lead agencies marking this month-long event includes the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Tourism (DOT), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), which have lined up a series of events anchored on the theme “Pagkaing Pilipino, Susi sa Pag-unlad at Pagbabago.” The theme highlights the importance of Filipino food as key to our growth and change as a nation.
A big factor to attain food security is to support our local food producers — the farmers, harvesters, and fisherfolk. Without them, where would we get our food? It is a simple question that should encourage each and every Filipino household to utilize a portion of their market budget to purchase produce from local sources. And each one could start by supporting the “Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita,” which is part of the Filipino Food Month.
The Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita, launched by the DA prior to the pandemic, is a market system which sells major agricultural goods at reasonably low prices to help Filipino households. Kadiwa, loosely translated as “one idea, one thought,” links farmers/ fisherfolk to the consuming public. During its launch, DA Secretary William Dar said that the project ensures that “farmers get the best prices for their goods, while providing affordable, safe, and nutritious food to the consumers.”
During this month, the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita will “see action” all over the country, such as in Baguio, Tuguegarao, Angeles, Los Banos, Lipa, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro.
In an event that formally launched Filipino Food Month, Chef Jam Melchor, founder of the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement, reminded Filipinos that this month is not just about celebrating Filipino cuisine, but more importantly, honoring the people who produce them — “from the cooks in the kitchen to the farmers and fisherfolks who provide the ingredients” — and stressing the importance of not wasting food and making a conscious choice to buy local produce.
In this light, food is elevated from merely being a universal language or a form of welcome greeting, it is about the present – the livelihoods of people depend on it; it is about the past – our culinary history must be remembered and passed on; and it is about the future – we have to ensure sustainability in our food production to feed the future generations.
Food, ultimately, is about connections not only among diners, but also between the farmer and the consumer, and between our plate and the land.