Indigenous knowledge as a global solution: Lake Sebu hailed as the first FAO Village in the Philippines

An indigenous community in Lake Sebu that has safeguarded traditional crop varieties, protected forests and lakes, and passed knowledge from one generation to the next has become the first in the Philippines to receive the FAO Villages Recognition, joining a growing global network of rural communities whose local solutions are helping shape the future of sustainable agrifood systems. 

The FAO Villages Recognition Initiative launched in 2025 honors rural communities that are advancing sustainable agrifood systems, conserving biodiversity, preserving food traditions and local knowledge, and fostering inclusive rural transformation. Agrifood systems encompass the interconnected components involved in the journey that brings food and non-food agriculture products like abaca from farm to consumers. 

"[This] recognition acknowledges that rural communities are the living heart of agrifood systems preservation and transformation, and Lake Sebu perfectly embodies this vision," said Mario Samaja, who spearheaded the development of the FAO Villages Recognition Initiative.

The T’boli and Ubo-Manobo indigenous groups of Lake Sebu were cited for their stewardship of heirloom rice and traditional crop varieties, forests, lakes and traditional knowledge, which was strengthened through years of collaboration among the indigenous communities, the municipality of Lake Sebu, the provincial government of South Cotabato, national government agencies, academic institutions and development partners. 

In Sitio El Lumet, Barangay Luhib, Lake Sebu, one of the most remarkable achievements of this collaboration has been the conservation of 102 traditional rice varieties. Community seed banks, participatory rice breeding and improved seed conservation technologies were introduced to ensure that this unique genetic heritage continues to strengthen food security and climate resilience for future generations.

Farmer Nonito Malingay from the T’boli and Ubo tribes, whose community has helped conserve more than one hundred heirloom rice varieties, reflected on what this work represents: "Our traditional crops are not just food. They are our life. They are our ancestors’ legacy, and our children’s inheritance. They are our living treasure."

The partnerships have also transformed local livelihoods. Investments in demonstration farms, rice micro-mills, farm equipment and capacity development improved productivity and market opportunities. Women-led enterprises created new value from traditional crop varieties through post-processing, creating new sources of income that enable T’Boli women weavers to continue pursuing the art of T’Nalak weaving, which forms a large part of their culture. Known as dreamweavers, T’Boli women receive guidance from Fu Dalu, the god of abaca, in weaving their T’Nalak designs.

For Chita Sulan, a T’boli farmer and T’Nalak weaver, heritage conservation has served as an opportunity to empower women and create better livelihoods.

"I learned that being a woman is not a hindrance. When our enterprise was built, I stood up for our women members so we will have our processing center," said said Sulan, who serves as President of the Lake Sebu Indigenous Women and Farmers Association, composed of over 100 women weavers and farmers.

As the first Philippine member of the FAO Villages global network, Lake Sebu now joins more than 300 recognized villages worldwide. The community's achievements demonstrate that some of the world’s most effective solutions for sustainable agrifood systems are already being practiced by rural communities that have learned, over generations, how to live in harmony with nature while preserving their cultural identity.

FAO Representative in the Philippines Lionel Dabbadie believes the significance of this recognition extends far beyond Lake Sebu: "Some places are recognized for what they have achieved. Others are recognized because they hold solutions the world urgently needs. Lake Sebu is both."