The NVC (Negrense Volunteers for Change) Food Processing Center, a long dreamt of farm based pre-processing plant, built to boost the livelihood of famers and their families in a remote 100-hectare area classified as an ancestral domain in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, was inaugurated on Tuesday, June 10.
The center was built with the Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology of Base Bahay Foundation Inc., supported by the Hilti Foundation.
This structure is a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration, Millie Kilayko, NVC president, said.
This also serves as a commitment of the Hilti Foundation, BASE, and NVC toward sustainability, she said.
The NVC Food Processing Center in San Carlos City*
They are committed to supporting livelihood, enabling the members of the community to thrive and be self-sufficient, and building disaster-resilient and environment friendly structures, a plaque at the processing center states.
Indigenous Peoples belonging to the Bukidnon Organic Farmers Association (BOFA) in barangays Prosperidad, Rizal and Nataban of San Carlos City farm about 15 hectares of their 100-hectare ancestral domain, their head Merco Obas said.
There are about 43 farmers who till the land, he said.
Obas thanked NVC and Base Bahay for making their dream a reality and pledged to take good care of the processing center.
NVC purchases the vegetable produce of the BOFA farmers for its Mingo Meals, nutritious complementary meals for undernourished children and for disaster relief.
The BOFA has been delivering its produce in large vehicles to the NVC processing plant in Bacolod City.
Kilayko said with the NVC Food Processing Center, which will be operated by the wives of the farmers, right at the heart of the BOFA farming community their produce will no longer have to be transported to Bacolod.
The farm produce will be cleaned, dehydrated and pulverized at the center and the compact finished products will require less trips to transport them to Bacolod, reducing the carbon footprint, she said.
The processing center will also provide added income to the villagers with the wives working at the processing center while their husbands farm.
The waste from the processed vegetables will be converted to fertilizer and the seeds can be used for replanting, Kilayko said.
If the processing of the vegetables is done in Bacolod, all that would go to waste, she said.
“We’ve long dreamt of a farm based pre-processing plant which will allow NVC Foundation’s farmer-suppliers to deliver Mingo ingredients to the Bacolod plant in dehydrated form thus saving carbon footprint but with added value,” she said.
To be delivered soon are the tools and equipment for the processing center to be donated by Sunlife Foundation, Kilayko said.
Training onsite will be conducted for the farmers’ wives who are envisioned to operate the plant, she added.
Maricen Jalandoni, Base Bahay President and Hilti Foundation Asia Liaison, said they build affordable socialized homes using cement bamboo technology.
They also engage in other social projects, she said.
“This is part of what we call economic empowerment under Base Bahay Foundation and the Hilti Foundation – under his program we look for partners who are really involved in the community by creating more livelihood and making the community more economically or financially independent,” she said.
She said they used their cement bamboo technology for the NVC Food Processing Center because it is more environment friendly and has less carbon footprint yet it is strong – it is typhoon and earthquake resilient, with a lifespan of over 50 years.
They chose to support NVC because it is really focused on communities and their livelihood, she said.
Jalandoni said she saw Kilayko’s passion for working with the people and genuine concern for improving their lives.
“They (NVC) are a very professional organization to work with so we have a shared vision and values,” Jalandoni said.
The participants at the NVC Food Processing Center inauguration* Ronnie Baldonado photo
Also at the inauguration of the NVC Food Processing Center was Liberty Alarcon of the Negros Occidental provincial government’s Technology and Development Center whom NVC has asked to help the farmers further value add on their produce to boost their incomes.*