National 4H Convention held at CamSur

PILI, Camarines Sur (24 May) --  Agriculture Secretary Bernie G. Fondevilla told the more than 600 delegations to the National 4-H Convention that the government and the people must work together in addressing critical threats of climate change which is largely attributed to man's abuse of mother earth.

Fondevilla, who is supposed to be the guest speaker during the closing program of the 4-day event, May 17-20, 2010 held at the Camarines Sur Convention Center, here, cancelled his trip to Bikol in the last minute due to an urgent call in Malacañang.

In his message delivered by DA Bicol Regional Executive Director Marilyn V. Sta. Catalina, the DA head said that climate change is no longer a concept or an abstract thought.  It is now real. "At kayo pong mga nasa kanayunan ang pinakamatinding natatamaan ng hagupit ng pagbabagong ito sa klima," he stressed.

He said that in order for the government to achieve its agri-fishery development and modernization amidst climate change problem, there must be a stronger and sustained collaboration among stakeholders - the DA, LGUs, other policy makers and implementors, farmers, fishers, entrepreneurs and other industry players.  "That's why we in the DA always support activities of the rural-based organizations (RBOs) such as 4-H Club as it dovetail with our goal of strengthening the backbone of RBOs in our quest for a more meaningful socio-economic progress," Fondevilla pointed out.

In response to the climate challenges, the agriculture secretary bared the following:  a) encourage combined fertilization using organic and inorganic materials to improve soil condition while achieving higher yield; b) rehabilitation of irrigation facilities and small water impounding projects (SWIPs) while vigorously encouraging the proper maintenance of existing ones; c) intensification of the mobilization, upgrade and dissemination of knowledge and technologies to incease productivity and profits of farmers and fishers; d) delivery of soft credit to farmers, fishers and rural entrepreneurs to expand agri-based activities; and e) construction or provision of additional post-harvest facilities such as flatbed dryers, rice and corn milling centers, and chillers for fishery and aquaculture commodities.

The 4-H national convention is an annual event spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) through its farm youth development program.  It is attended by the farm youth, members of the Volunteer Leaders Association of the Philippines (VLAP) and the FYDP Coordinators.  There are more than 5,000 4-H Clubs organized in the barangay/municipalities in the country with about 150,000 members.