As the country aspire in the transition towards the benefits of organic agriculture, the International Organization of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM- Asia) and League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities and Provinces during the 6th Organic Asia Congress designated Sen. Cynthia Villar as "Ambassador of the Woman in Organic Agriculture in Asia".
The Congress, one of the biggest organic events in the world, was held early this month in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte and participated in by 28 countries.
IFOAM- Asia, which has 700 affiliates in over 100 countries, named Villar for her support for the continuation of reaching majority of the Filipinos towards the healthy and affordable organic foods in the transition to the "affordable- environment friendly agricultural practices".
"As Organic Agriculture Ambassador," Villar said in a statement, "I am determined to continue promoting the transition to affordable- environment friendly agricultural practices and making available to many Filipinos healthy and affordable nutritious organic food, abandoning the use of costly and solid degrading chemical fertilizer and pesticides".
In the fulfillment of additional duty as public servant, some of the notable works Villar was engaged in, are, the passage of Republic Act 11511 or an Act Amending the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 which tend to lower the price of Organic Certification Scheme through Participatory Guarantee System. This also introduces the inclusion of Non- Government Organizations (NGOs) in the National Organic Agricultural Board.
Villar was said to pursue the passage and signing into law the Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018.
RA 11038 strengthens the purpose of RA 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992.
In the Expanded-NIPAS Law, the establishment and operationalization of the system cover, all national park, game refuge, bird and wildlife sanctuary, wilderness area, strict nature reserve, watershed, mangrove reserve, fish sanctuary, natural and historical landmark, protected and managed landscape/ seascape and old growth forests.
With a decade long of initiatives in advocating environmental- friendly agriculture, beginning in 2002, Local Government of Las Pinas, Villar’s hometown, can able to recycle up to 50 percent of their waste to organic fertilizers, causing them to save P300 Million annually, through her composting program.
She also supported home, urban and school gardening in which she has distributed free vegetables seeds and taught organic agriculture and application in farm schools in Las Pinas- Bacoor, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan, San Miguel, Iloilo and Davao.
“The project touches the lives of many vegetable enthusiasts who are interested in home gardening and farmers too because of the high cost of synthetic fertilizer,” Villar added.
The composting project initiative already has 139 composting facilities in which 89 of it are located in 20 Barangays in Las Pinas and 50 are in Vista Land Communities nationwide.