[BUKIDNON VIEWS] MAAYONG UGMA: BUKIDNON 2023: Fr. Rey Raluto’s Aspirations for sustainable food production

MALAYBALAY CITY (BukidnonNews.Net) Environmentalist and Jesus Nazareno (Libona) parish priest Fr. Reynaldo Raluto offered his aspirations for sustainable agriculture in Bukidnon for the Maayong Ugma: Bukidnon 2023 initiative. 

Fr. Raluto is among those who responded to the call by BukidnonNews.Net to speak up through the initiative for citizens aspirations for the province of Bukidnon and its people.

“Together with other Mindanawons, I hope the Department of Agriculture (DA) would take the lead in sustainable food production to:

1.Spare the groundwater, rivers and lakes from chemical and industrial agriculture.              

2.Prioritize ecologically-sustainable agriculture and food production (including livestock).

3. Arrest the over extraction of groundwater and surface water abuse/misuse by effective urban/land use planning and governance that recognizes the land-water continuum. What happens to the forest, and the unregulated developments/land use necessarily impacts groundwater, the rivers and seas. 

4. Empower local communities to become self-sufficient and economically productive. Recognize marginalized sectors as active partners in economic development that does not breed nor further exacerbate poverty.”

MAAYONG UGMA: BUKIDNON 2023 is a crowd sourcing initiative of BukidnonNews.Net for Citizens Aspirations for Bukidnon province and its peoples. The initiative is a continuation of previous efforts on Reporting Governance, through interaction with citizens via virtual and in-person engagement under the Piniyalan Reporting Governance Community Project. Piniyalan is Cebuano for someone entrusted or made as steward. Bukidnon Views is the opinion section of BukidnonNews.Net.