LEADING a healthier life is beyond consuming more fruits and vegetables. It is also further than getting a good heart rate or practically maintaining a well-balanced sugar intake. A healthy life significantly means being committed to eat naturally grown and untreated food.

Past the question of what you eat, one should also ask a rather equally relevant issue: Is the food you take safely nurtured for consumption?

This is where the concept of organic food production comes in. For us in the countryside, this is no longer an estranged concept because an organic revolution has already kicked off in Negros. And by far, the demand for organic produce has drastically became higher, with an increasing number of Negrenses becoming not only health.-conscious, but more so, aspiring to lead an organic way of life.

That is why, weekends in Negros have never been these healthier, thanks to the local front-liners in championing organic food production for staging organic markets during weekends.

The Organik na Negros! Organic Producers and Retailers Association (ONOPRA) has been at the forefront in shifting the lifestyle of every Negrense to patronizing locally grown organic products. To the group, securing a healthier lifestyle is a challenge everyone should embrace. In reality, to stay fit, live longer and practically remain youthful depends on what we eat. That is why organic markets are gaining more attendance lately.

Last weekend, ONOPRA and The District Northpoint-Ayala Mall kicked off the first of its three organic market weekend installments. It featured more than 50 exhibitors, showcasing organic fresh produce, vegetarian dishes, free range poultry products and local artisanal food. Handicrafts made by local artists, some clothing and textile displays and an array of organic farming suppliers lined up to showcase their contributions in making Negros the countrys next organic food bowl.

Apart from displays, short talks on organic lifestyles, slow food preparation and even silk manufacturing courtesy of OISCA are also valuable attractions.

What also caught my attention was the display of a community-based business organization that advocates in conserving and protecting blue crabs in the island. The Coastal Food and Deliveries Association of Hinigaran also advocates in empowering local fishermen to strategically market their seafood and direct it to consumers. During the weekend, a group of barangay leaders from Pontevedra town checked on the exhibit of Hinigaran fisher folks to learn from them.

With this, a strategic collaboration between two groups, without a doubt, will surely open more business opportunities and increase the demand in the future. This is a realization of the goals of ONOPRA and its president, Ramon Chin-Chin Uy Jr. in championing local organic production and collaborating with start-ups. We help each other. Our commitment is to open doors for local farmers and producers to grow their business, Uy stressed.

Jeannie Santos, marketing associate of The District Northpoint-Ayala Mall, said, Through this Organic Market, we give emphasis on health and wellness and make organic food and items directly available to the consumers. We also want to support the local farmers of Negros.

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Shifting to organic lifestyle