East-West Seed Foundation & Agri- Experts Advocate for Regenerative Agriculture, Crop Diversity to Improve Food Security in the Philippines

Philippine farmers face a significant risk of going hungry, despite being so close to where their food is grown, according to the East-West Seed Foundation. The cause of the problem is specialization in only one crop to maximize land, leading to a lack of crop diversity. Farming a range of crops and animals is necessary to avoid such situations and help ensure that communities have access to affordable, nutritious food.

The World Food Programme notes that around a quarter of Philippine agricultural households face food insecurity, compared to just 9% for non-agricultural households. To address this issue, experts recommend regenerative agriculture, which involves intercropping and agroforestry to cultivate and use trees and shrubs alongside crops and livestock. Livestock integration also plays a key role in this approach.

Regenerative agriculture helps to preserve the environment while ensuring that the agri-ecosystem remains productive. However, the shift to regenerative agriculture from monoculture, harmful tillage practices, and chemical farming requires a significant investment in time and planning. The Philippines may face additional challenges, with limited diversity in food beyond rice and high meat consumption.

Eufemio T. Rasco, Jr., the Chair of the Agricultural Sciences Division of the National Academy of Science and Technology, suggested that the most environmentally destructive form of agriculture in the Philippines is rice production. Meat also has a more substantial environmental footprint than plants or fish, so he recommends a shift to a more plant-based diet.

According to Ma. Elena P. Van Tooren, Executive Director of the East-West Seed Foundation, regenerative agriculture is a more advanced form of organic or natural farming that requires greater planning. Many farmers are hesitant to adopt organic or natural farming methods and procedures due to perceived commercial limitations. Ms. Van Tooren believes that organic or natural farming can help pave the way toward regenerative agriculture.

Nestlé, a global food and beverage manufacturer, sees regenerative agriculture as feasible in the Philippines. Its NESCAFÉ Plan, which helps smallholder Robusta coffee farmers increase yields and earnings, implemented Project Coffee+ in the provinces of Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat from 2018 to 2022. The project aimed to help 1,500 farmer participants approach farming as a business beyond subsistence levels.

Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs at Nestlé Philippines, Inc., Jose Uy III, explained that 83% of the country's coffee is grown in Mindanao, where the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Region XII are two of the most food-insecure regions. The project taught farmers techniques such as composting, intercropping, agroforestry, and cultivating cover crops to help strengthen resilience against climate change, increase harvests, and promote coffee agriculture sustainability.

The training allowed farmers to become agripreneurs, and they now practice farming as a business. Participants' average production increased from 235 kg/hectare in 2018 to around 900 kg/hectare in 2021. As more farmers adopt these practices, the country's agriculture sector will become more robust, improving food security.