At the highest points of the pandemic, local farmers faced the worst effects of it all. As a farmer pointed out to us, “They are afraid to come out and be exposed at the market. The people are also anxious to buy from us. Therefore, there had been a surplus of crops and most of it was left to rot in the province due to failure in transporting it to Manila.” Farmers struggle to adapt and stay resilient because of social and economic constraints, leaving them to fend for themselves and end up with little or no return of investment in capital and hard labor.

The Philippines is also no stranger to dangerous typhoons brought by the ever relevant climate crisis. Typhoons cause significant damage to the farmers’ fields and even more so when multiple typhoons emerge consecutively. Farmers struggle to rebuild their fields, as strong winds and rain flatten their crops and destroy the land and infrastructure farmers plant on.

Creating an Initiative

According to Greenpeace, more than 2 billion small farmers produce 70% of the food we eat, so small farmers play a pivotal role in our food system. So, our school has strived to empower the agricultural sector and give farmers a better platform. 

Because of what we have set out to do, the farmers with which we’ve collaborated have greatly benefited from this program. Furthermore, they’ve expressed their gratitude and told us that:

“With the help of the students, teachers, and other staff, our income for the first week was 70,000 pesos per week compared to our income before when we barely had enough to meet our daily needs. We were forced to be in debt in order to survive.” 

It’s our goal as a school community to continue empowering those who are largely disadvantaged due to social and economic barriers, to come together and engage with different communities in making a difference, and to influence others to think with sustainability in mind.

by Georgina P. Ravelo