Organic Aquaculture: Restoring Natural Production Systems, Changing Lifestyles, and Raising Quality of Life

In today’s world dominated by ‘fast food’, ‘fast money’, and ‘fast habits’, people have obviously taken for granted the quality and safety of the food they eat. What seemingly matters most is not the acceptable safety standards of the food we eat, but just to be able to go through the meal and live another day.

Unknown to people, however, is that the quality and safety of the food they eat have been the subject of intensive studies and critique by concerned communities, institutions and groups which have noted the increase in illnesses and untimely deaths caused by the consumption of food containing toxic substances. Also subjects of criticisms are the unsustainable agricultural and environmental practices related to food production as well as the unfair trading practices of many countries, including the Philippines.

This trend has apparently been compounded by “globalization” where global travel and trade have increased significantly, and consequently the transmittal of biological, chemical and physical toxins in traded food and products, and the rapid contamination of people by all kinds of virulent diseases.

To avert the trend, and promote the best practices in organic farming systems and food safety standards, the German Technical Cooperation-ENRD in cooperation with German DED, Philippine government, and a number of non-government organizations and people’s organizations in Asia and Philippines, have recently gathered in the 1st Philippine Organic Aquaculture Symposium held in Bacolod City, to share the best experiences and insights in the subject fields particularly in the promotion and development of organic aquaculture production.

Dr. Kai Kuhlmann, aquaculture consultant of the DED who was requested by the OPA of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental to survey and promote Organic Aquaculture in the province and region, said that in contrast to conventional aquaculture, organic aquaculture is an overall system of farm management and food production that focuses on best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, preservation of natural resources and application of high animal welfare. It guarantees stable prices of all goods exported to the e.g. European markets and job security for local farmers upon certification of quality standards and being labeled as organically produced products.

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