The Department of Agriculture (DA) through its Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System underscored the role of Filipina agripreneurs in bridging gender gaps and breaking barriers towards agricultural development, economic progress, and national transformation during the culmination of the 2024 National Women’s Month celebration.
During the symposium titled “Empowering Growth: Women in Agripreneurship” held at the DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management Convention Hall last March 22, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. acknowledged the tireless efforts of women in the agri-fishery sector.
“They are the mothers, sisters, and daughters who tirelessly cultivate our crops, tend to our livestock, and provide nutritious food to our tables. Beyond this, women serve as beacons and guides as we face the challenges of the modern times. Through their perseverance, we see hope and strength to change traditional views and create a more inclusive and equitable society,” the agri chief emphasized in a statement read by Assistant Secretary for Consumer and Legislative Affairs Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra, who is also the Vice Chairperson of the DA-GAD Focal Point System.
The symposium highlighted three successful women-led agri-enterprises representing the crops, livestock, and fisheries subsectors: Costales Nature Farm, Sta. Maria Dairy – Catmon Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and Mangan by Iman, respectively.
Costales Nature Farm is an eight-hectare family-owned farm in Majayjay, Laguna that specializes in organic agriculture, farm business school, and agri-tourism. According to owner Josephine Costales, the farm promotes zero-waste farming, multi-cropping, crop rotation, utilization of microorganism technology, and other sustainable agricultural practices.
Aside from being a certified organic farm, Costales Nature Farm is an Extension Service Provider under the DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), a Training Center for Organic Agriculture Production accredited to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the first Department of Tourism (DOT)-accredited Farm Tourism Destination in the Philippines. It also co-founded the Samahan ng Organikong Industriya ng Laguna (SOIL) Agriculture Cooperative which, with the support of the DA, became the first certifying organic body in the CALABARZON Region.
Meanwhile, Sta. Maria Dairy – Catmon Multi-Purpose Cooperative is an agricultural cooperative, dairy processing farm, and feed milling enterprise based in Bulacan. Its fresh milk, yogurt, cheese, and other processed dairy products can be found in local grocery stores and supermarkets. Its Board of Directors Chairperson Emeliza Laurenciana shared that since the merger between two local farmers’ associations, the cooperative has been tapped by the DA-National Dairy Authority (NDA) and the Department of Education (DepEd) as a supplier of fresh milk for their School-Based Milk Feeding Program. In 2023, it received its Halal-certified status from the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines.
Co-founded by Panglima Sugala Vice Mayor Dayang Iman Sahali and Alyssa Sahali Tan in 2020, Mangan by Iman is an indigenous-led, and woman-led and owned social enterprise that offers culture- and community-based food products from post-war-torn areas in the Philippines. Mainly based in the coastal province of Tawi-Tawi where 80 percent of the population depend on seaweed farming for a living, it offers healthy vegan food products—mainly seaweed-based—by tapping local seaweed farmers and rural women. The award-winning enterprise also benefits indigenous students as it also conducts outreach programs and other similar projects in partnership with the United Nations and other aid-providing institutions.
DA Undersecretary for Attached Agencies and Corporations and DA-GAD Focal Point System Chairperson Usec. Agnes Catherine T. Miranda shared that the three enterprises are proof that the passion and determination of women in agriculture are capable of building “an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive whether in crops, fisheries, and livestock subsectors.”
“We pay homage to women’s historic accomplishments, leadership, and resilience. We have witnessed firsthand that women entrepreneurs can drive economic growth—but only if they are able to realize their rights and if we work in partnership with businesses, government, and civil society groups to improve their opportunities and outcomes in the value chain. And when we speak of women’s economic empowerment, we refer to women’s economic rights including equal access to, ownership of, and control over land, property, productive assets, and resources including finance- and capacity-building and access on an equal basis as men to decent work and full productive employment,” she added.
Aligned with the “WE for Gender equality and Inclusive society” recurring theme from 2023 to 2028, this year’s NWMC bears the sub-theme, “Lipunang Patas sa Bagong Pilipinas; Kakayahan ng Kababaihan, patutunayan!”
According to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) the themes reiterate the current administration’s vision of “a Bagong Pilipinas where women are given equitable opportunities and not hindered by gender biases and discriminatory stereotypes,” therefore giving Filipina women and girls a multitude of opportunities to unleash their full potential as productive members of society. ### (Krystelle Ymari A. Vergara, DA-AFID)
