The Pinakbet Strategy

IN a time of recession, just as the country is beginning to feel now with the impact of the global financial crisis hitting home, there will expectedly be a slowdown in the production of goods which leads to massive lay-offs of employees and laborers. That means a double slap for the people — food supply will be low as manufacturing goes on a downtrend and prices of goods will likely go up as available supply in the market is reduced, and at the same time cash will be in short supply for many households as unemployment increases. We already are seeing and feeling this happen. And it is going to get worse before it gets any better.

But the people do not have to go hungry during this depression. Our government should not risk seeing the people, especially those who have less in life, go hungry. When a hungry family becomes desperate, commission of crime becomes an inevitable option, and the net result of a domino effect will not be difficult to imagine. Food security must be made a priority. And there are simple programs or projects that the government — our local government units especially — can initiate with the community in full participation.

One strategy that comes to mind would be a pinakbet solution. There is no metaphor here. It means literally that: producing and promoting pinakbet as a basic dish in every household. Pinakbet could truly be a homegrown vegetable delicacy with the ingredients produced on any empty lot. It is a complete meal by itself with the variety of vegetables in it: talong, kamatis, okra, ampalaya, among other variations, plus a pinch of bagoong, and with pieces of pork, shrimp or fish thrown in.

The bigger scheme is to ensure availability of this viand to all Pangasinan homes by assigning a particular vegetable (for the pinakbet) to specific barangays utilizing empty lots, and all harvested produce can be brought to one trading center of the municipality where growers can barter their produce with other vegetables. The pork, fish and shrimps should also be available for barter as well. The family planters will no longer necessarily need cash to cook pinakbet if the town is able to implement the barter concept for pinakbet.

Perhaps taking some lessons from Villasis town which recently celebrated its first Pinakbet Festival (an impressive and ingenious expansion from their previous Talong Festival), the provincial government can take the lead in adopting and implementing the Pinakbet strategy. The cost to government will mainly be the purchase and distribution of seeds, some clay pots if needed in areas where there are no idle lands, publication of a primer on how to plant and nurture the vegetable plants, and drawing up guidelines on setting up and operating a barter center.

The affluent and the landed, meanwhile, can surely be expected to be generous and lend their idle plots for pinakbet production.

With everyone chipping in their efforts and resources, food shortage should be the least of our worries in this period of worldwide crisis.

The Pinakbet solution will not only make people productive but beat a potential food crisis as well.

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments