Pernod Ricard Philippines, Inc., WWF-Philippines and Partners Construct First Food Shed in Luzon
June 2019
Staff from Pernod Ricard Philippines, Inc., WWF-Philippines, U! Happy Events and MUAD Negros pose for a photograph in front of the newly constructed food shed in the GK Village of Pilillia, Rizal – the first of its kind in Luzon. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
Hope builds for the sustainable futures of rural communities as the first food sheds rise in Luzon, with the help of WWF-Philippines and its partners.
Pernod Ricard Philippines, Inc. partnered with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines on the 6th of June, 2019, for the construction of a food shed in the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Village of Pililla, Rizal. This marks the first time an organization in the Pernod Ricard network has partnered with WWF.
The partnership between WWF-Philippines and Pernod Ricard Philippines, Inc. was made in celebration of “Responsib’ALL Day,” a day where member organizations of the global Pernod Ricard network embark in activities to promote sustainability in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Now on its ninth year, “Responsib’ALL Day” is focusing on SDG 12 on Sustainable Consumption, which the food shed was designed to promote. As part of their commitment to SDG 12, Pernod Ricard Philippines incorporated recycled materials into the food shed. These include re-purposed glass bottles and PET bottles, scrap PVC pipes and re-used plastic and steel drums that would otherwise end up in landfills or as pollutants to the environment.
Work begins on the food shed as volunteers get started with their assigned tasks. When completed, the food shed will provide food and livelihood security to the community of the GK Village of Pililla, Rizal. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
The food shed is the latest technology aimed at food security to be rolled out by WWF-Philippines. By incorporating various agricultural technologies such as vertical farming, crop diversification, and a capillary system for constant irrigation, each food shed reduces the amount of land needed for farming while providing communities with nutritious food and enough surplus to turn a profit. The technology was first developed by the Federation of Multi-Sectoral Alliance (MUAD) of Negros, a federation of farming groups, NGOs, and communities that provides technical consultancy services to WWF-Philippines.
Present at the food shed construction alongside staff from Pernod Ricard and WWF-Philippines was the event’s co-organizer, U! Happy Events. A team from MUAD Negros was also present, offering their experience with erecting food sheds. Representatives from GK gave their support to the project, while village residents participated in the construction of the food shed. As partners, GK will oversee the implantation of the project with the completion of the food shed.
Old glasses are painted white on site. As part of their commitment to sustainability, Pernod Ricard donated many of their used bottles, to be made in to container gardens and installed as part of the food shed. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
“What we’re doing, this Responsib’ALL day, is about bringing attention to sustainability and responsibility,” said John O. Sullivan, Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Philippines, Inc., addressing the volunteers. To further their sustainability efforts, the company donated several glass bottles to the food shed. These were then cut, painted and repurposed into container gardens, which were installed as part of the food shed.
“What we have just built this morning is a prototype and the very first food shed in Luzon that we want – that we hope – can be replicated and multiplied, so we can create more climate-resilient communities, more food secure communities, not just for today but for tomorrow,” said WWF-Philippines Food Systems Project Manager Monci Hinay, who has overseen livelihood and food security projects in rural communities across the Philippines. He and his team, together with the support of MUAD-Negros, helped bring food shed technology from the Visayas to Luzon, and hopes to see them rise all over the country.
A Pernod Ricard Philippines, Inc. employee pats down soil around an eggplant sapling. WWF-Philippines works with partners like Pernod Ricard to bring food and livelihood security to communities across the country. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
“We in Gawad Kalinga believe that no Filipino family should be left behind. This will be possible not because of us, but because of our partners, who make projects like this happen,” said Noli Puig Jr., Gawad Kalinga Coordinator for Rizal. The construction of the food shed saw partners from a wide variety of sectors come together for the sake of providing food security. Partnerships such as the one between WWF-Philippines and Pernod Ricard bring hope for food security for communities all across the country.
Together, let's #ChangeTheEnding!
For more information, please contact:
Communications & Media Manager Mr. Dan Ramirez (dramirez@wwf.org.ph)
