THE basic role of women in the country’s agricultural sector is now gaining attention, and their importance has started to be recognized.
Following this development, it is vital that gender perspectives should be incorporated in crafting policies and systems in the agriculture sector of the Philippines.
It can be noted that women play a vital role in both cash crop and subsistence production, including raising small livestock.
To feed their families, women usually cultivate gardens and subsistence crops, which are mainly rootcrops.
Filipino women are usually equipped with major decision-making power with regards to allocating the family’s earnings, how much of the harvest to sell, and what to feed their families.
To recognize the role of women, a webinar was organized by the International Potato Center (CIP) in collaboration with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) and the Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS).
The DOST-PCAARRD says that the webinar will primarily focus on the “Role of Women in Developing a Climate Smart Seed System in the Philippines.”
To be specific, the webinar will focus on the participation of women in seed production and how women can contribute to the development of a climate smart seed system.
During the scheduled webinar, the panellists will also discuss the role of women in the establishment of the National Seed Technology Park, which will be spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture (DA), under the leadership of Secretary William D. Dar.
The organizers said that the park aims to assemble all key players in the seed industry in an effort to ensure affordable, quality, and certified seeds that are readily available for the farmers.
Secretary Dar will serve as the keynote speaker, and will be joined by four panellists: DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora; DA-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) Deputy Director Dr. Rosana P. Mula; Emily M. Oro, the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction’s (IIRR) acting Asia Regional Director and concurrent Country Director for the Philippines; and Dr. Mary Ann P. Sayoc of the East West Seed Public Affairs Group.
Dr. Ebora will be providing a situationer regarding the importance of women’s role in Philippine agriculture.
While Dr. Mula will be discussing the government perspective on women and seed system; Ms. Oro will share their work in communities on agrobiodiversity conservation and crop museums in schools, and Dr. Sayoc will be providing the perspective of the private sector.
In addition, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Professor Emeritus, Dr. Agnes C. Rola, will be providing the synthesis, while CIP Regional Director for Asia Dr. Samarendu Mohanty and CIP Project Coordinator for Asia Dr. Sampriti Baruah will serve as the moderators.
According to the DOST-PCAARRD, the webinar will be held this coming August 19, starting at 1:30 p.m. and can be accessed via Zoom.
Those interested to participate in the webinar can register at https://bit.ly/Aug19webinar.
For more information about the webinar, please feel free to visit: https://cipotato.org/event/webinar-role-women-developing-climate-smart-seed-systems-philippines/./PN
