Oriental Mindoro farmers are pooling their ideas to address urgent agricultural issues and forge long-term solutions.

The Roxas Farmers' Forum was inaugurated in San Mariano, Roxas by Mayor Leo Cusi Sr., that has as participants representatives from government agriculture agencies, financial institutions, and technical specialists.

The forum was conducted at Amor's Place in San Mariano, Roxas, in collaboration with the Mindoro Business Council and Mindoro Outstanding Ventures, or MOVE.

In his introductory remarks, Mayor Cusi emphasized the importance of agriculture to the economic, social, and environmental development of the municipality

He cited the significance of adopting a triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability, which includes economic prosperity, social welfare and environmental stewardship.

Dismantling the shackles of poverty

Despite their unwavering dedication to cultivating fertile lands, persistent destitution among farmers was one of the central themes that permeated the forum.

Participants expressed concerns regarding the high costs of agricultural inputs and the meager returns from their produce sales.

This raises the fundamental question: should the focus be solely on reducing input costs, or is increasing farm gate prices the key to increasing income levels?

From conversation to actionable recommendations

Recent conversations between local producers in Roxas prompted a paradigm shift in the agricultural community.

Participants came to the conclusion that it was time to move on from merely discussing obstacles to actively developing concrete solutions.
Thus, the Roxas Farmers' Forum was established to bring together all agricultural sector stakeholders for the purpose of formulating actionable recommendations.

An integrated approach to agriculture

The primary purpose of the forum was to advocate for an organized and all-encompassing cultivation strategy.

Numerous potential actions, such as composing letters of request, proposing policy changes through resolutions, and submitting project proposals, were investigated.

The overarching objective was to resolve comprehensively the complex challenges facing the agricultural sector.