FOOD AND WATER SECURITY COMBINED

Without meaning to, Fr. Nards Guiritan of the Diocese of Butuan might have invented a two-in-one strategy that combines the assurance of food and water security for the people of his diocese now, and for generations to come. This might sound an old idea, but Fr. Nards is now aggressively pursuing this approach with new vigor. Actually, Fr. Nards is not new to this kind of work, for so many years now, he has successfully combined food and job security projects with a similar two-in-one combination. Not owning any land of his own, he “borrows” idle lands from willing landowners and plants crops on them thus giving jobs to his farmer beneficiaries and giving them food eat as well. Now alarmed that fresh water supply is running out in the communities within his diocese, he sought the blessings of his bishop to plant and grow fruit trees in the denuded mountains around him. Since I grew up in one of those communities, I know for a fact that we have lost the water supply simply because we have lost the forest cover in our mountains. Targeting both the indigenous people and the landless farmers in the diocese, he is again “borrowing” land not only from the government, but also from the willing landowners. I suggested to him to try the “lease-purchase” or rent-to-own approach, and he liked the idea. Now I am asking volunteer lawyers to create the legal framework for him. For sure, we can do this in other dioceses also. 12/24/2023