Agri-women leaders in conflict areas reignite calls for agri dev’t, transformative peace

Author: DA-AFID | 5 November 2025

Women leaders from conflict-afflicted communities inspired policymakers, public servants, civil society members, academicians, and peace advocates as they looked back on how agricultural interventions not only improved their quality of life but also brought peace, security, and progress back to their communities.

During the Harvesting Hope: Women Breaking Barriers in Conflict-Affected Agriculture, a round-table discussion by the Department of Agriculture-Gender and Development Focal Point System (DA-GFPS) Program, four women from various parts of Mindanao shared their stories of resilience and hope at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City last October 29.

Recounting how she had to rebuild their home and livelihood after being displaced by armed conflict, Crystal Ali Solaiman of Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat called for the need to address existing challenges that hamper women's success, promote women's visibility, especially in the field of agriculture, and ensure equal access to resources for a more equitable and sustainable development.

Initially doing buy-and-sell, Solaiman started venturing into nipa and banana consolidation as well as value-adding to support her family. She formed the Women's Nipa Hut Organization, which eventually reorganized into the Palimbang Entrepreneurs and Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (PEARBCO) to also help men and rebel returnees succeed in their respective agricultural ventures. Representing the SOCCSKSARGEN Region, she was hailed the National Winner of the 2019 DA Search for Outstanding Women (SORW).

Retired public servant Amenah S. Taratingan, who hails from Munai, Lanao del Norte, narrated her journey as a mediator between the government and the rebels to assist the latter in their transition and return to their communities through the From Arms to Farms Program of the DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI). Her efforts as a farm technician and Farmer's Field School (FFS) trainer empowered rebel-returnees as they started their lives anew with dignity through organic and sustainable agriculture.

Among Taratingan's mentees was Inoya Dansal Mangompia, who also experienced living in fear due to the all-out war in their community in 2001. After being invited into the From Arms to Farms Program, she received farm inputs and training on modular planting and production of bamboo, coco coir, and vegetables. Mangompia also led the Farmers and Entrepreneurs Association of Munai and became an active member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Women Auxiliary Brigade (BIWAB).

Zanayra Limbo Sarip also bared how being the wife of a rebel commander made her assume both father and mother roles to their five children at the time of conflict. After her husband surrendered through the From Arms to Farms Program, the couple gained new opportunities in agriculture, including opening their farm into an FFS. When her husband passed away, Sarip took over his leadership roles in order for his dream to live on. She managed their FFS and led the Laningding Community Farmers' Association, promoting the Maranaos' delicacies and farming methods.

"Empowering women is not just a matter of equity; it is a cornerstone of peace and prosperity. When women have equal access to resources, knowledge, and decision-making, communities become stronger, food systems become more secure, and peace becomes more enduring," shared DA-GFPS Secretariat Head Director Annray V. Rivera.

Harvesting Hope: Women Breaking Barriers in Conflict-Affected Agriculture was one of the breakout sessions during the second day of the Philippine Conference on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), which was led by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).

Aside from exploring the narratives of women in conflict-affected agricultural areas, the DA side event also highlighted government interventions as means to break systematic barriers in agriculture and achieve transformative peace and development. It aimed to contribute to the identification of key policy recommendations and strategies that support women's leadership in agriculture as a pathway to peace and sustainable development.

"Empowering women with all support-everything from inputs to giving them spaces to make a living-is what the DA wants. The DA recognizes that empowering women in agriculture is essential to lasting peace. Women thrive; therefore, communities flourish. This is the transformation and vision that is tied to our security agenda, and this is the kind of peace that we have to sustain," said DA Undersecretary for Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Mindanao Concerns Engr. Zamzamin L. Ampatuan.

Further elaborating on the Department's commitment, DA-ATI Director Engr. Remelyn R. Recoter assured that the agency will remain steadfast in its promotion of equity and women empowerment alongside institutional partners to successfully establish agriculture as a foundation for lasting peace.

"Agriculture is far more than producing food-it is a pathway to recovery, empowerment, and peace-building. In places once divided by conflict, it is often through farming and fishing livelihoods that communities began to heal and recover. We have also seen how women in agriculture stand at the forefront of this transformation as farmers, leaders, innovators, and peacebuilders. Their resilience inspires us to ensure that our agricultural programs are not only inclusive but also responsive to those who are working in fragile and conflict-affected areas," she expressed. ### (Krystelle Ymari A. Vergara, DA-AFID)