For the past few months the world is in distress and people are strained. We are all battling with this unseen enemy but how are we going to face and deal with this Corona Virus that is damaging our economy because of lockdowns, damaging our freedom because of community quarantine, damaging our society because of social distancing and any other form damaging because of restrictions that are imposed upon us as a form of measures to save lives. Because of these restrictions people whined that they will be killed not by the virus but by hunger.
As the Municipal Organic Agriculturist of Kauswagan Mr. Adelino F. Rico said, “during this time, farming plays a very important role in sustaining the daily needs of each and every family”. In this mode of quarantining, the Municipality’s Resolution: Sanggunian Bayan Resolution No. 258-2018 entitled “Resolution Requesting for the Institutionalization of Household, Communal and School Gardening, A Way of Ensuring Food Always in the Home (FAITH) of the Municipality of Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte” in 2018 is in time and true enough that the Municipality was able to ensure that Food is Always in the Home of every Family in Kauswagan.
The Kauswagan practice is not just to ensure food security but food safety as well. And this is why organic garden in every household, communal garden in the community, and school gardening has been their 10-year advocacy in progress. Currently, most of the people are worried how to feed their families and at the same time how to take care of their immune system because of the Covid19 outbreak, though everyone is affected, in Kauswagan it is not that troublesome having the fresh, good and safe harvest to feed their people.
To enforce food security, Mayor Rommel Arnado together with his team, initiated the “Kauswagan Organic Mobile Palengke” facilitated by the staff of the Municipal Agriculture Office. This is where middle class families can buy their healthy food at a low price apart from the food packs they received. Depending on the products that have been harvested, different menus are cooked and distributed to different barangays to be able to provide healthy food.
Another noteworthy initiative that was conceptualized by Mayor Rommel Arnado, with the help of the Municipal Agriculture Office during this period (Pandemic) of war against deadly virus, health crisis, hunger and restraints, the organic gown products of the farmers are bought by the Kauswagan LGU together with the food packs they received. The organic products either root crops of fruits bought from the farmers are then distributed house to house.
According to Mr. Adelino Rico, Municipal Agriculturist of Kauswagan and an ESSA council, this is the approach of the Municipality in helping the farmers dispose their produce, share healthy food, combat Covid19 and in a way protect the Kauswaganons.