Lyna Mohamad
The Eco Chat series of events continued yesterday with Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam’s (BIBD) SME 360 series of sustainable nation campaign focussing on food consumption and production.
The event featured Head of Crop Industry and Agricultural District Development Division at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism Hirman bin Haji Abu; Tree Lane Farm and Eco-Agro Farm Manager Alwi Sufian; Shell LiveWIRE Brunei Business Counsellor Bobby Hassan; and Ground Up Innovation Labs for Development (GUILD) founder and Chief Innovation Officer Muhd Ibnur Rashad as speakers.
They shared how the COVID-19 outbreak has significantly impacted food production and supply chain as well as deliberated regulatory policy and efforts to steer food production and consumption towards sustainability.
Hirman said awareness and understanding of sustainable farming practices need to be raised to gain more support from customers and consumers.
He said, “They need to understand what the whole sustainable movement is about understanding and supporting responsible food production and good practices.”
With this, he added, they will be more inclined to choosing local products that are produced with more sustainability and responsibility.
Bobby, meanwhile, suggested that Hari Peladang Sedunia be reintroduced to raise awareness and highlight farmers following good farming practices.
Alwi suggested new initiatives be launched to promote sustainable food production and consumption by both public and private sectors to encourage customers to buy more sustainably produced farm goods. Muhd Ibnur, on the other hand, said such initiatives need to be simple and appealing as well as viable.
The Eco Chat series is conducted in partnership with Community for Brunei and ASEAN Youth Advocates Network (AYAN) Brunei to be a catalyst for change and education by starting a conversation and educating the public through industry experts and stakeholders.
The series of talks cover climate crisis, sustainable development goals, plastic pollution and fast fashion, featuring speakers from BIBD, Brunei Climate Change Secretariat, Green Brunei, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd and Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd.
The Eco Chat series continues tomorrow with a discussion on gender equality.
