Permaculture Summit in Bohol Spurs Food Security Drive Led by Women, Farmers

Virginia Sernada presents her permaculture design.

Tagbilaran City - From universities and farmlands, a thousand biodiversity gardens and compost pits will flourish. The global organization Women's Federation for World Peace International, UN Office and its partners in Cebu and Bohol concluded a successful and promising Permaculture Education Summit and Immersion Tour in January 2026, showcasing the UN paradigm thinking global, acting local.

With a renewed commitment to localized, institutionalized environmental action, the future may be abundant with the return to regenerative technologies. That is, if people buy into the idea and there is institutional support.

In the quiet serenity of Carmen's Chocolate Hills, a UNESCO Geopark, rural women leaders have gathered to reinvigorate their lives by intensifying sustainable farming practices. They have started the campaign to create food banks to nourish their school children with organic food.

Head of delegation Merly Barlaan, vice president of WFWPI and UN Relations Offices give surprise cash awards to be best permaculture designs of women farmers in Bohol. Agriculturist Jayrell Adanza said that the Department of Agriculture is supporting the women’s groups to create food banks to ensure healthy food for school children.

Through the municipal agriculture office, led by the indomitable municipal agriculturist Arlene Cabusao, farmer leaders have been trained to apply permaculture on their own patches of land.

Cabusao was one of the scholars of Women's Federation for World Peace International, UN Office who trained for permaculture through the University of the Philippines. The mind shift to transform the Earth through permaculture has been remarkable.

A recognized leader at the Department of Agriculture, Cabusao has stirred Carmen's rural folk to go back to the forgotten sustainable farming practices.

"Murag sayon ra kaayo tan-awon ang among kakugi. Pero lisud kaayo ning akong buhat sa sinugdanan," Cabusao confided. (It looks like we are doing an easy task. But it was difficult in the beginning).

Cabusao’s leadership by example. Teaching rural women some ube (purple yam) pastries to enhance land productivity and incomes.

In her over 30 years of work with farmers, Cabusao said that sustainable farming makes life abundant. "Dili na gyud nila mahurot og kaon ang ilang abot, makabaligya or makapanghatag na sila." (With sustainable farming, farmers won't be able to consume all they have produced. They will have to sell or share food.)

In a recent campaign, Cabusao's team chose three farmers to have designed the best permaculture farms. Virginia Sernada, Victoria Anino, and Fernando Oyangorin were trained and won the best designs from among their group called D'Achievers. They received $500 each from WFWPI for their efforts, without knowing of a cash reward.

Agriculturist Jayrell Adanza, also a WFWPI permaculture scholar, said the farmers group will create food banks from their farms and share organically grown crops to local schools.

Victoria Anino and Virginia Sernada were happily surprised by the cash awards they received. Both their designs met the criteria of Earth care, fair share, and people care. "Nalipay gyud ko." "Salamat kaayo. Makapadayon gyud mi ani." They said.

In Cebu, long-time permaculture experts Roberto Bajenting, Joel Lee, and Rey Balatayo are rolling their sleeves for partnerships with the Cebu Institute of Technology University to educate young people on regenerative sustainable technologies.

Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival (middle) with (l-r) Mitty Toma, WFWP UK and Middle East chairperson, Merly Barlaan, Sen. Arenales Arguello, Marivir Montebon, Sen. Carmen Quintanilla Barba, and DA Information Officer Liezl Lopez.

Mayor Nestor Archival had given the go signal for environmentalists to use the city’s 1000 sq. meter upland property for sustainable agriculture, especially in the face of the city’s urgent need to manage urban wastes and ensure food security and public safety.

WFWPI UN Relations Director and Vice President of Administration Merly Barlaan, a native of Carmen, said that her organization is forging partnerships in the localities to create a larger impact for environmental action.

The pioneering permaculture education and immersive tour was participated senators of the Kingdom of Spain, Sen. Maria Arenales Serrano Arguello and Sen. (ret.) Carmen Quintanilla Barba.

WFWPI is set to institutionalize permaculture in Hawaii and Ecuador this year. It has 128 member organizations worldwide and has a General Consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council.

Sen. Maria Arenales Arguello of the Kingdom of Spain with Merly Barlaan harvesting sweet organic corn at the permaculture farm in Montesunting, Carmen, Bohol.