Going Bananas

GOOD Morning farmers and friends. If you were suddenly transported into the presence of God and you NGARD a prosecuting attorney listing all the reasons you should be sent to hell, how would you plead? The apostle Paul said “ for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”. (ROM 3V23) that makes us guilty as charged. What is the penalty for our sin?” The wages of sin s death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6 v23). What could we say in our defense?” God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, (Rom 5 v8). Because Jesus became our substitute, the penalty has been paid. But we must accept his forgiveness as a gift. The only requirement is that we recognize our need and accept his offer. Lets pause for prayer: Lift up your eyes, discourage one, The Lord your help will be, new strength will come from him who said, “ for rest, come unto me”. For he right spiritual focus, fix your eyes on the Lord.

Our topic: In my research last week I came across an article which I felt was worthy of a mention in my column. I know I'm a foreigner but I felt a tingling of pride when I read the when I read the words of encouragement for the Bohol farmers. Her it is, would you believe, in Bohol , the Guio-Ang Multi-Purpose Cooperative in the town of Guindulman is competing with large commercial farms exporting bananas. The great thing is, the feeling among members of the Cooperative is that they have the edge. Why? Because their bananas are grown organically. Some of the cooperatives farmers till and tend the crop while others pack and look after off farm activities such as the export side of the business. This friends, is what I call cooperation in motion. If more town were to adopt this kind of system, it would put Bohol on the road to becoming the leader in agriculture. They have just finished a shipment, would you believe to Japan, this amounted to just over 600 kilograms, small compared to the exports of larger companies, but not bad for a group of 20 farmers benefiting from agrarian reforming. To me, its still a lot of bananas.

To start a business such as this or any other venture, you must have a starting point. So these wise folks asked for assistance from Patsarrd. This is the people's fair trade assistance center, It's a non-government organization, it played an important part in getting the venture started, As did the Department of Agrarian Reform. It was and is the place where farmers learn about project management. So you see friends there are people to help you, All you have to do is to ask! One of the members, Mang Adong, said that the cooperative and its farmers were quite optimistic about the future. And they were already making plans. He said, the Japanese probably have he highest standards for quality food in the world so if we can continue to meet their requirements, I think we can satisfy the demands of many other countries as well. I take my hat off to these farmers, they are really trying to help the economy of their country. They take great care to ensure the 100 percent organic status. All the farmers in the cooperative use only organic fertilizers.

They do all the mulching and weeding by hand and use only botanical herbicides and pesticides, at the farm, they wear rubber gloves when handling the bananas and take meticulous care during packing, with these standards and an excellent product, the Guino-Ang farmers are headed for success. The Philippines-Australia technical support for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (Patsarrd) assist farming communities to benefit from Agrarian Reforms. Success in each community is due in large part to finding a marketing Niche, a local partner, a strong community organization-such a s workers cooperative; and government and private sector support. As a result of the efforts of Patsarrd and other supporting organizations, poor rural Filipinos have an opportunity to earn extra income through off-farm business venture. More than this, the spirit of self-reliance and sustainability learned and achieved through partnership with government and private sector is proving a prime motivating factor. The Patsarrd business venture show clearly the contribution of Australian aid is making it possible for the poor to help themselves. Well, I hope you found this interesting this week. I enjoyed the research.