The Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) will hold a seminar titled “Advancing Gender Equality, Sustainability, and Inclusive Society: Role of Permaculture, Community Forest Development, and Native Trees as Sustainable-Based Livelihoods in the Philippines” on 21 March 2023, at 2:00 PM at the Centennial Center for Digital Learning (CCDL) as part of the UP Open University’s celebration of #NationalWomen’sMonth, #InternationalWomen’sDay, and #InternationalDayofForests.

Esteemed speakers with specializations in permaculture and inclusive community forest development will grace the event. Forester Karl Abelard M. Villegas, an assistant professor from the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS), will share the challenges, opportunities, and ways of engaging women in the development of Philippine native tree planting in the Philippines. The second speaker, Ms. Nenieveh “Weng” Glinoga, a permaculture designer and owner of Glinoga Integrated Farm, will elaborate the role of women in permaculture, while the last speaker, Ms. Nida Collado, the vice president of the Community-Based Forest Management People’s Organization (CBFMPO) Federation, will discuss the role of women members of the CBFMPO Federation in Palawan in forest protection efforts and forest-based livelihood activities.

This event is in accordance with the United Nations’ International Day of Forests, which is celebrated annually on March 21 with this year’s theme “Forests and Health.”

Interested participants may register for free at https://bit.ly/FMDSSeminar21 until 17 March 2023. The event will also be streamed live via UPOU Networks, UPOU Networks Facebook page, and UPOU Networks YouTube.