News From The Field: 
Seed Library Launched in Tublay
We are thrilled to share the news that the Benguet Association of 
Se ed Savers  (BASS) has officially launched their Seed Library in the Philippines. This project has been many years in the making and it is the first ever collaboration  between an International NGO (Friends of ENCA Farm), Local Government Office (The Municipality of Tublay), and Farmer Association (BASS).

 Friends of ENCA Farm helped organize the now  20- member farmer association   over the course  of the last two years. BASS aims to save, replant,  and share their  own seeds just as their ancestors  did, while also adopting new, ecologically  sound technologies. We know that  seed saving is a form of insurance against food  insecurity. It is also a tangible way for farmers to  counter the loss of food diversity and the  environmental destruction that comes with  industrial agriculture.

 We are certain that this seed library will be a  model community initiative that will positively  impact the lives of many farmers for years to  come. We have lost more than 90% of our food diversity in the last 40 years due to the influx of synthetic seed and the rise of bio-chemical companies. Today 3 major chemical companies own the majority of the world's seeds.... not farmers. The opening of this farmer-led and farmer-owned and operated seed library is a direct effort to ensure that the power of food is returned to those that know it best; farmers like the dedicated members of the Benguet Association of Seed Savers. 
Successful Seed School Held at Kai Farms
 
Farmer facilitators Ma'am Ester and Ma'am Connie from Benguet Province. 
On Saturday, June 3rd our local team, which included Karen Lee Hizola our Philippines Program Manager and two of our Seed Saving Farmers  Ma'am Ester Caga and Ma'am Connie Sottero,  facilitated a one-day Seed School at our new partner farm, Kai Farms located near Tagaytay (12 hours from Benguet Province). 

30 participants attended the training and included from Kai  Farm staff and local environmental and organic farming activists. This was the first opportunity for our Seed Savers to teach Seed School and design curriculum to meet a diverse audience of farmers, academics, and activists. We are thrilled to see our farmers step into this new leadership role and look forward to our continued collaborations with Kai Farms and other partners who are interested in Seed School throughout the Philippines. 

Happy Graduates of Seed School at Kai Farms! 

Upcoming Events

Environmental Charity of the Month 
at Berkeley Untapped  Entire Month of July 

Special 15% Happy Hour  July 20th 5pm-8pm

We are the Environmental Charity at  Berkeley Untapped  for the  entire month of July!  Drop by for some delicious drinks and be sure to put your token in our bucket, we will get $0.25 of each drink. 

We will be hosting a special happy hour on Thursday, July 20th starting at 5pm. Drop by for some drinks and be sure to tell them you are there for us and we will be gifted 15% of your bill! 


Volunteers Needed  for Colorado Dragon Boat Festival 
July 29th-July 30th, 2017
@Sloans Lake Park in Denver 

We are excited to be a non-profit partner during the  Colorado Dragon Boat Festival for the third year in a row. We will be working a snow cone booth and earning funds to support our small-holder farmers in the Philippines. 

Sign-up for a volunteer shift at our booth HERE, or plan to drop by the festival and purchase a snow cone or two to support our farmers! 
Earth Day Roadmap Crowd Funding Campaign Success!!!


Thanks to 61 generous donors we raised over $7,000 and won  an additional $7,500 in bonus grants from CrowdRise during our annual campaign last month! This means we well surpassed our goal of $10,000 raising over $14,000!!!  

These funds will enable the newest members of BASS to build more climate resilient infrastructure and help us launch seed saving initiatives with new partners and farmers groups throughout the Philippines. 

Thank you for your incredible generosity which helped make this possible!! 

Friends of ENCA Farm| www.encaorganicfarm.com

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