DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The farmer-led network MASIPAG (Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura) has just turned 40 years old. In a gathering held in Davao City last July 15, members said it’s tougher now to be a farmer, but they find their movement gives reasons to carry on.
“The government lacks support for sustainable farming and focuses more on chemical-based agriculture, which is harmful to human health,” said Dario Gurango, a farmer from Real, Quezon.
He said times were different in the past when the Filipinos’s diet consisted of food with no chemical inputs, so people lived long beyond 80 years old. Nowadays, life expectancy has shortened, and as one reaches 50, the feeling that the days are numbered He said this is mainly because of the food we eat.
Gurango said agrarian reform is one of the most pressing and longstanding battles, as small farmers could not survive without access to land.
He credits MASIPAG for supporting their fight for seed sovereignty, which ensures that farmers take back control and ownership over seeds they sow—a foundation deeply embedded in the network’s cause.
“I continue with this advocacy because I see its importance—how our future generations can sustain farming without using harmful chemicals that destroy the environment and harm public health,” said Rodolfo Cortez Jr., former chairperson of MASIPAG Visayas Region.
Climate Change and Disasters Worsen Farmer Vulnerability
Cortez went on to say that the unpredictable weather patterns as an effect of global warming are the group’s largest problem, as the shifts in weather leave an impact on organic farming, which is grounded in indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), making farming more uncertain.
Another growing threat to farm livelihoods is climate-related disasters. Lorencita “Nanay Luling” Nudo, chair of Kapantaran Women’s Organic Farmer Organization from Bicol, said her organization’s newly planted crops were destroyed recently by a massive flood in December 2024.
“Our farms were washed away. Some of our members couldn’t even leave their homes because of the flood,” said Nudo. “But we’ve started over again with seeds from MASIPAG. We’re not giving up.”
A Movement Under Pressure, But Still Standing
Leo XL Fuentes Jr., regional coordinator of MASIPAG Mindanao, acknowledged the internal and external pressures the network has faced—from past organizational splits to the overwhelming influence of corporate agriculture. Yet he said MASIPAG continues to grow.
Mindanao accounts for 52% of MASIPAG’s total membership—the largest share among all regions in the country. Despite a difficult period marked by organizational misunderstandings that began in the 1990s, particularly a push for separation by the Mindanao chapter, the issue was eventually resolved. Today, MASIPAG remains a unified and resilient network.
In addition to strong local marketing assistance, MASIPAG promotes diversified integrated farming systems. He cited the Davao program, like the weekend organic markets at Rizal Park, as an illustration of how farmers may take back control of their income. Fuentes underlined that in traditional systems, traders control the purchasing price of crops, while agri-stores set input pricing, giving farmers little influence. MASIPAG helps guarantee that farmers can establish fair prices and support themselves on their own by creating alternative markets.
The fight for farmer-led, sustainable agriculture is more important than ever, which endured through forty years of hardships and breakthroughs, said the to MASIPAG members. (davaotoday.com)
