In time of its 16th Founding Anniversary, the Foundation for the Development of Agusanons, Inc. (FDAI) inaugurated Hygeia Organiques: Home of Organically-Grown Products. The Blessing and Ribbon Cutting were done on September 29, 2020, 4:00PM at the location of the facility: National Highway, Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur – in between the D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
The said inauguration is significant to FDAI’s existence in many dimensions.
1. It demonstrates that sustainable agriculture does work.
There are talks that sustainable agriculture is maayo lang kung walay estudyante ang pamilya, maayo lang kung ipangunsumo ra ang abot sa umahan.
Of course, we have marshaled data, arguments, and technology package to counter such talks.
But as the cliché goes, TO SEE IS TO BELIEVE. So, para sa pipila diha nga pabasahon sa pulong SEMENTO masipyat jud, ang pagbasa SEMENTERYO, tara na sa Hygeia Organiques kay daghang mga organikong produkto nga makapa-abtik, makapa-lagsik sa atong kalawasan ug makapa-tin-aw sa atong panan-awan. Para maka-SEE jud ta ug maka-BELIEVE pa…
2. Green consumers can now have a place to avail of their daily needs.
Like organic black rice, pink rice, red rice, brown rice, white rice, and upland rice. There are even corn grits, kamote, gabi, kalibre.
Ooooppsss, delete the kalibre, others may think pwede sila ma-kalibre if muadto sila sa tindahan or makapalit sila’g pick-up truck nga CALIBRE (NAVARA) sa Hygeia Organiques.
As far as I know, it is only in Agusan del Sur that balanghoy or kamoteng kahoy or cassava is called kalibre. Yes, kalibre or balanghoy or kamoteng kahoy or cassava is available at Hygeia Organiques.
There are indeed varieties of products that green consumers – even vegetarians – could enjoy at Hygeia Organiques. See photos of some of the available products….
3. Socially-responsible consumers can now have a place to go
With the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) rearing its ugly head, fresh palay is now priced at P12 – P13 a kilo. Indeed, the intended positive impacts of RTL are evident only among rice traders and to some extent consumers.
Ordinary, marginalized farmers – as always the case – are again in the losing end. For what gain could they get if their fresh palay is priced at P12-P13 a kilo? Nothing especially when pestilence, floods, and charge-to-crop scheme are put into consideration.
We buy the fresh palay of our farmer-partners at P20.00 a kilo because we are committed to do so even if the prevailing price in the market is to be at its lowest. But we could not continue doing so if Hygeia Organiques is patronized only by a few. Hence, if one patronizes Hygeia Organiques, he/she helps organic farming families enjoy improved quality of life.
Also, we make it a policy that for certain amount of purchase of our products, a peso goes to our Educational Trust Fund; which will be used in the continuous implementation of our Child Sponsorship Program and College Scholarship Program. Our Child Sponsorship Program involves almost 3,000 children and is implemented in partnership with Kindernothilfe Germany/Philippines while our College Scholarship Program is implemented in partnership with Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education.
4. In time of the opening of Hygeia Organiques, Project Certificates are to be awarded to 10 Women’s Organizations that we nurture from the very start of their existence.
These are livelihood projects aimed at augmenting the income of local women so that they could have enough money for food and educational needs of their children.
Also, produce of some of these projects are to be displayed at Hygeia Organiques, one way of ensuring sustainability of these livelihood activities.
We have heard many stories of livestock dispersal that went wrong: INGON NI SIR, DILI PWEDE IBALIGYA ANG BAKA, AKONG GITESTINGAN, NAHALIN MAN….. INGON NI MA’AM DILI PWEDE IHAWON ANG BABOY, AMONG GILITSON KAY AKONG BIRTHDAY, NAKAON MAN LAGI…
Before we release the funds for these livelihood projects, we did considerable amount of social preparation. We just hope enough na to.
5. We will turnover Day Care Center Project Certificates to some Cluster Level Associations of Self-Help Groups. This is in support to our Child Sponsorship and College Scholarship Program, aimed at developing children in their early age in order that they can hurdle the rigor of college schooling.
As experienced, only a very low percentage of the high school graduates whom we facilitated to get college scholarship made it.
Lisod man lagi pasaron ning College Entrance Exam kay ang mga questions masabtan, matubag sa bata based man na sa iyang exposures, experiences. Maayo’g gifted child tanan. Kato ganing na-valedictorian, na-honor kay sige’g tagaan og gift sa nanay ang adviser. Gifted child ang tawag ana…
This Day Care Center Projects are implemented in partnership with Sun Life Foundation.
6. We welcome Dr. Joy C. Capistrano, ASSCAT President, as another important stakeholder in the growth of organic agriculture in the Province of Agusan del Sur.
ASSCAT has various resources at its disposal but appears untapped in this field of work. We are glad that Dr. Joy expresses her support by agreeing to deliver a message in the occasion.
ASSCAT At Its Best, indeed.
But the inauguration was attended by a few FDAI Staff only. Again, because of SARS-Cov-2 or COVID-19.
While everything was well-planned out already and the speakers already confirmed their attendance, Agusan del Sur was to experience the worst COVID-19 situation thus far, what with recorded and officially-declared local transmission. As the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur implemented measures to arrest the spread of SARS-Cov-2, we decided to cancel the program/activity.
But with anti-COVID-19 protocols fully considered, FDAI proceeded with the opening of Hygeia Organiques: Home of Naturally-Grown Products.
Hope to see you at Hygeia Organiques in the very near future.
Keep Safe Agusanons/Caraganons/Mindanawons!!!
