Climate activist on a bike tour around Mindoro

On his bicycle, Jon Jon Sarmiento, more commonly known as climate activist “Farmer Jon”, tours around Mindoro to teach about the climate crisis. This is why he calls his educational campaign ‘Padyak Touro: Krisis sa Klima’.

As an environmentalist for over 20 years, Farmer Jon aims to reach all the sectors in society, especially farmers and fisherfolk who he believes are in the frontline facing the severe effects of climate change. Farmer Jon also promotes sustainable practices including organic agriculture with a farm that he started in 1998 and eventually made suitable for changing weather patterns.

“We cannot fight Mother Earth; climate change is something we cannot fight nor stop. It is our activities as humans that widely destroy our environment. We, humans, need to stop, and begin living sustainably,” Farmer Jon said in an interview.

For Farmer Jon, the climate crisis is not just a theory or something that one reads from a book.

He is calling the attention of the government and its agencies and institutions to take action about it. He insists that climate change is more serious than the current pandemic.

“As a farmer, almost everyday we experience the impact of climate change,” Farmer Jon said. “If we can place the whole country on lockdown due to a pandemic that kills millions of people, why aren’t we declaring a climate emergency for an ongoing event that can kill not just humans but plants, animals, and their habitats as well?”

Farmer Jon chose to use a bicycle as his means of transportation to go around Mindoro and raise awareness about the climate crisis because cycling reduces his carbon footprint. Fossil fuel-powered vehicles, on the other hand, contribute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions causing climate change. 

He also teaches different practices and innovations to address issues in agriculture. Visiting local communities made him see better the reality behind the effects of climate change on vulnerable sectors such as farmers and fisherfolk. On top of that, he found people that are aware but do nothing to educate others nor change their lifestyle to be sustainable.

Farmer Jon identified the youth as his top priority to educate. He believes that they have a vital role in creating a better and greener future for all. He is demanding the youth to be aggressive, vigilant, and to make a stand for this climate crisis because their generation will suffer a lot and the next will collapse.

In 2015, Farmer Jon attended a Climate Conference in France as a representative of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development. In a visit to a barangay that is frequently affected by floods, he noticed that the people of that barangay have low understanding about climate change and how it will affect them. Local officials thought that this phenomenon is normal and not an emergency.

Aligned with his Padyak Touro work, Farmer Jon also aims to create sustainable and ecological food systems for Mindoro. On February 22, 2021, their proposed ordinance on this matter went through its third and final reading with the Sangguniang Bayan of Sablayan. 

Farmer Jon has also been part of ALAMIN (Alyansa Laban sa Mina), a group calling for the closure of mining projects and operations in Mindoro.

Having faced many deniers of climate change, Farmer Jon believes that these people have already cut off their relationship with the environment therefore they are not able to fully understand nature and care for it.

 “We are no longer in a normal situation because of climate change,” Farmer Jon emphasized. “We should level up and put our hearts into protecting the environment.”

This article was written by Edciel Lontoc from Occidental Mindoro as a final requirement of AYEJ.org and the US Embassy’s “Green Beat Islas: An Online Environmental Journalism Training.“