Food for the Body, Food for the Mind, Food for the Soul: An organic food fair celebrating 10 years o
The 10th year of PNFSP is indeed a milestone. Thus, the special day was celebrated with various activities with the dual objective of showcasing to the public the various initiatives of PNFSP’s members and Secretariat on sustainable agriculture and indigenous knowledge; and to educate the people on the benefits of organic agriculture on people’s health and the environment.
It was celebrated last August 29, 2015 at the Quezon City Memorial Circle with the theme: “Food for the Body, Food for the Mind, Food for the Soul”. The event was an organic food fair and festival of best practices on sustainable agriculture and appropriate technology. It was an historical event for PNFSP which was attended by its network members, allies, and friends with over 100 attendees.
The event started with a Liturgical mass headed by Fr. Ben Alforque, MSC and Rev. Bong . Prof. Edward Deveza, PNFSP’s Chairperson gave the Welcom Remarks while Estrella Catarata, PNFSP’s Executive Director, presented the Rationale for the occasion. The new PNFSP logo was also unveiled, and a video of the Network’s programs and projects was also shown. It was then followed by the launching of the book “Food in Peril” which was a collaboration of PNFSP and Ibon Foundation. Each member received a complementary copy, signifying the vital role they play in the struggle against large-scale destructive mining projects. After that, the simultaneous activities of the different tents were held.
Food for the Body
Activities included here were selling of organic products and organic foods which the network members brought with them from their respective regions. It showcases different cultures and practices and promotes organic and diverse products. Indigenous foods were brought by the members as well to showcase, such are Pinikpikan and Iteg from Cordillera, tapioca suman from CARAGA, and Kadios-Baboy-Langka from Panay. These were made available for food tasting. By-passers truly enjoyed the different food cultures. Some even encouraged the members to make the event a regular weekend organic market.
Food for the Mind
This tent had a series of lectures with an assortment of topics and speakers: Among them were: Rowena Buena who shared the MASIPAG experience of SEED banking and rice seeds propagation; Jun Castillo of Phil. Coconut Industry Movement who gave a short input on the potentials of the Coconut Industry in the Philippines”; Edgar De Mayo from the Panay Fair Trade Center discussed the experiences of PFTC on socio-economic enterprises; Fr. Richie Gomez, MSC introduced the practice of Bokashi; Dr. Susan Balingit gave a lecture on healthy lifestyle; Dr. Romy Quijano of PAN-Phil also lectured on food safety, elaborating on the toxins in our food; and Nona Andaya-Castillo of Nurturers of the Earth discussed about earth-friendly parenting, being a vegetarian, and breastfeeding. A workshop on making organic fertilizers was conducted by PNFSP’s Agriculturist, Antonio Balonga Jr.
Food for the Soul
This sought to relive the various traditional cultures and practices such as cultural arts through actual performance and film shows as well as wellness practices that included yoga, meditative exercises, and prayers. Network members focused on indigenous people, namely TFIP and CWEARC, lead this activity. They wanted to show the spirituality that has guided the Filipinos in preserving nature, human relationships and health in their interaction with the environment, with each other and with one’s self. Part of the activity was demonstrating the ritual of Rice Wine making.
The whole day activity ended with a Solidarity Night, wherein each regional member had cultural presentations and solidarity messages. According to Catarata, “This activity opened our minds to different cultural practices and had strengthened the relationship of one another. And I may say, we are indeed ready to face the challenges that we may encounter in upholding the right to food for the next 10 years.”
