Bordagol Rice discoverer honored by Norwegian government

Eulogio Sasi Jr., the discoverer of the “Bordagol” rice was honored by the Norwegian Government (shouldn’t it be Philippine Government?).

I chose this name because the character, ‘Bordagol’ in the cartoon strip has a good trait and was able to save their planet. I thought that like the cartoon character, this plant could help us farmers because according to our elders, if a rice plant possesses purple tillers, it is resistant to disease, he said during the launching of the global seed vault last year.

“Bordagol” is a komiks charater whose role was to save his planet.

Here is the story from The Manila Times.

Norwegian govt honors Pinoy farmer

A Filipino farmer from North Cotabato was again honored on the first anniversary of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway for showing the world that simple farmers like him upheld biodiversity through their indigenous knowledge.

Norway Minister of Agriculture and Food Lars Peder Brekk cited Eulogio Sasi Jr., who, despite only four years of formal education, was blessed with thousands of years of local agricultural know-how that was passed down to him from village elders.

“One year ago, when the Svalbard Global Seed Vault was officially opened, this room was filled with more than 150 invited guests representing 33 countries and five continents. Among them were the president of the European Community, Mr. Jose Manuel Barrosso; the Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Mr. Jacques Diouf; and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai. All contributed to our program, sharing their insights into the importance and impact of crop genetic diversity. But at this moment, I would like to mention another person who was present that day. One of the most memorable voices of that seminar, Mr. Tay Gipo—a subsistence farmer from the Philippines,” Brekk said, using the name that Sasi was more known for.

Sasi spoke during the opening conference of the Global Seed Vault on the Arctic island of Svalbard on February 25, 2008. He passed away on February 16, 2009, a few days before the first anniversary of the opening of the seed vault, at the age of 64 in President Roxas, North Cotabato, in southern Mindanao.

In a speech, Brekk said Sasi’s legacy remains in the fields of the Philippines, where his “Bordagol” is grown by his neighbors and their neighbors.

“Like other rice growers in the Philippines, Mr. Gipo switched to high-yielding, improved varieties in the late 1960s. But, he and his neighbors still struggled with pests and diseases, like the tungro virus. During a particularly tough year, he noticed one plant in his field that did not succumb to the virus. He literally had to pull the plant from the mouth of a farm animal who was planning to have it for a snack—he saved the seeds, replanted them and the next season he harvested 25 kilograms just from the seeds of that one plant. With his incredible success, the rice he himself named “Bordagol” was born,” he added.

Preserving a legacy

Brekk said that Sasi’s legacy remains as well in Svalbard, where seeds of his “Bordagol” are safely stored for the future.

“I mention his name for two reasons. One to illustrate how the field-level knowledge of our farmers continues to be the most important element of crop conservation. But also to keep his memory alive. Because just days ago we received word that our fellow agriculturalist, Tay Gipo, passed away this month at the age of 64,” he added.

In 1985, Sasi developed the rice variety that was resistant to pest and diseases. He named it “Bordagol,” a comic character from a children’s funny comics.

“I chose this name because the character, ‘Bordagol’ in the cartoon strip has a good trait and was able to save their planet. I thought that like the cartoon character, this plant could help us farmers because according to our elders, if a rice plant possesses purple tillers, it is resistant to disease,” he said during the launching of the global seed vault last year.

Simple story

Franco Esdrelon Jr., SEARICE Mindanao Program coordinator based in President Roxas, North Cotabato, said that “the simple story of Tay Gipo brought home the message to all governments about the role of farmers in seed conservation. He reminded all of us that the seeds being deposited in the Global Seed Vault and all the genebanks are products of generations of farmers’ knowledge and innovations across the world that are entrusted to this generation and for the future generation.”

Esdrelon worked with “Tay Gipo” and other farmers on conservation and development of agricultural biodiversity through promotion of farmer-breeding, use of local seeds and sustainable agriculture in President Roxas and in other farming communities in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental, also all in Mindanao.

“Tay Gipo has left a daunting challenge to the heads of governments in his speech during the opening of the seed vault last year. He posed the challenge that farmers’ contribution to agricultural biodiversity be recognized and supported,” he said.

SEARICE is a nongovernment organization based in Southeast Asia calling on the government to adopt strategies that will strengthen farmers’ access to production resources and technologies that reduce their dependence on external inputs particularly seeds.

Isn’t it kind of frustrating when Filipino achievements were acknowledged by other countries and not by our own government? There’s something wrong going on here.