The Land of Promise
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Update: Meeting of minds offers new hope to a sustainable future for the Land of Promise
The reality of the impact of the global pineapple industry on the environment and local people was tackled at a three day symposium organised by Fairfood in Davao City in Mindanao, the Philippines. Together with various stakeholders in the pineapple industry we discussed emerging issues on sustainability for the industry, workers, and affected peoples alike. Participants at the conference prioritised the top 10 issues affecting the pineapple industry and brainstormed on additional research and new courses of actions. The speakers provided a background on some of the issues related to the environmental, social, and economic aspects of Fairfood International’s sustainability agenda to create a more informed context for the discussions. Freedom of association, pesticide use and land rights are some of the major concerns. One of the indigenous leaders at the conference said “This conference opened our eyes and minds to the windows and doors of hope. This also ensures the availability of effective mechanisms for the indigenous people to pursue an economic, social and environmentally sustainable programme.” Fairfood International strives to do just that – enable Mindanao, the Land of Promise, to live up to its name for generations to come.
The Land of Promise project
The Philippine island of Mindanao, also known as the Land of promise, is home to an extraordinarily rich biodiversity. However, despite its rich biodiversity, the economy and the exports from Mindanao are mainly dominated by a crop that is not natural to the island: the pineapple. And the production and trade of these pineapples are not always carried out with regard to the land and its people. For the next three years Fairfood International will challenge the pineapple industry to restore the balance between planet, people and profit on the island of Mindanao.
A study on the plantations in the Philippines found that workers, including pregnant women, were forced to work for 11 hours a day. Furthermore, on many plantations, workers are under constant pressure to increase production and accidents often occur. There are numerous cases reported of big pineapple producing companies trying to prevent workers from organising and joining unions. Another issue in the pineapple sector is the intensive use of pesticides. Studies show that there has been an overall loss of biodiversity in pineapple producing areas in the Philippines, because of the use of agro-chemicals and the occupation of huge land areas by only pineapples plantations. For the next three years Fairfood International, with help from the Dutch Postcode Lottery, will encourage the pineapple industry to become more sustainable, on Mindanao and in the rest of the world. We strive to enable Mindanao to become the Land of Promise for generations to come.
Dutch Postcode Lottery
The Dutch Postcode Lottery contributes to a greener and more just world by generating structural support for charities that commit themselves to issues pertaining to human rights, nature and environment. Besides that, the Dutch Postcode Lottery also strives to gain acknowledgement for the work of the charities they support. 50 percent of the lottery’s income goes to the 81 organisations that the Dutch Postcode Lottery supports.
Read more about the Land of Promise
More information
Further developments on the project and campaign will appear here soon. If you are interested in knowing more you can contact one of the following people:
| Heleen Lansu manager land of promise campaign +31 6 27243109 heleen.lansu.fairfood heleen.lansu [at] Fairfood |
Darcie Renn manager land of promise research +31 627242935 darcie.renn.fairfood darcie.renn [at] fairfood.org |
Britt Pols manager special projects +31 634949056 britt.pols.fairfood britt.pols [at] fairfood.org |
Hana Ivanhoe manager advocacy +1 415 889 0670 hana.ivanhoe.fairfood hana.ivanhoe [at] fairfood.org |
