"We Need Triple A Reportage For Agriculture" – Frank A Hilario: Advanced, Appropriate, Accessible!

Given that we have a new Secretary of Agriculture in the person of Man of Science William Dar (superimposed image, PhilStar), and given that his language is more Science than you can digest in 5 minutes – we journalists have to go back to school!

Mr Dar says we must "reinvent and reorient Philippine agriculture" ("There Is Hope For Philippine Agriculture," 15 August 2019, Manila Times, manilatimes.net). So, are you ready for the New Philippine Agriculture?!

First, get acquainted with Mr Dar's language just starting 13 June 2019 in his Times columns; here's my collection (selected):

⁽¹⁾ access to credit

⁽²⁾ access to market

⁽³⁾ agribusiness

⁽⁴⁾ agripreneur

⁽⁵⁾ agritourism

⁽⁶⁾ agroforestry

⁽⁷⁾ alternative sources of income

⁽⁸⁾ artificial intelligence

⁽⁹⁾ balanced nutrient management

⁽¹⁰⁾ block chain

⁽¹¹⁾ capital base

⁽¹²⁾ cash crop

⁽¹³⁾ catalyst

⁽¹⁴⁾ climate change

⁽¹⁵⁾ competitiveness

⁽¹⁶⁾ countryside heroes

⁽¹⁷⁾ crop diversification

⁽¹⁸⁾ cropping intensity

⁽¹⁹⁾ data analytics

⁽²⁰⁾ developing markets

⁽²¹⁾ digital and disruptive technologies

⁽²²⁾ disaster risk reduction

⁽²³⁾ drone agriculture

⁽²⁴⁾ economically viable

⁽²⁵⁾ economies of scale

⁽²⁶⁾ enterprise development

⁽²⁷⁾ entrepreneurship

⁽²⁸⁾ environmental degradation

⁽²⁹⁾ farm consolidation

⁽³⁰⁾ farm mechanization

⁽³¹⁾ farm size

⁽³²⁾ financial literacy

⁽³³⁾ food security

⁽³⁴⁾ food sufficiency

⁽³⁵⁾ genuine competitiveness

⁽³⁶⁾ grassroots-level innovation

⁽³⁷⁾ gross domestic product

⁽³⁸⁾ harvesting rainwater

⁽³⁹⁾ high production cost

⁽⁴⁰⁾ high-value crops

⁽⁴¹⁾ inclusive development

⁽⁴²⁾ inclusive growth

⁽⁴³⁾ industrial revolution

⁽⁴⁴⁾ innovation

⁽⁴⁵⁾ interplanting

⁽⁴⁶⁾ integration

⁽⁴⁷⁾ liberalized rice imports

⁽⁴⁸⁾ low productivity

⁽⁴⁹⁾ market development

⁽⁵⁰⁾ massive information and communication campaign

⁽⁵¹⁾ mechanization

⁽⁵²⁾ non-farm activities

⁽⁵³⁾ off-farm activities

⁽⁵⁴⁾ organic farming

⁽⁵⁵⁾ organic research

⁽⁵⁶⁾ paradigm

⁽⁵⁷⁾ postharvest handling

⁽⁵⁸⁾ proactive partners

⁽⁵⁹⁾ product value addition

⁽⁶⁰⁾ productivity

⁽⁶¹⁾ profitability

⁽⁶²⁾ prosperity vs poverty

⁽⁶³⁾ regeneration

⁽⁶⁴⁾ research and development

⁽⁶⁵⁾ resiliency

⁽⁶⁶⁾ resource pool

⁽⁶⁷⁾ rice self-sufficiency

⁽⁶⁸⁾ science and technology

⁽⁶⁹⁾ service-based facilities

⁽⁷⁰⁾ shelf life of farm produce

⁽⁷¹⁾ smart agriculture

⁽⁷²⁾ state colleges & universities

⁽⁷³⁾ sustainability

⁽⁷⁴⁾ taking risks

⁽⁷⁵⁾ technical assistance

⁽⁷⁶⁾ technical feasibility

⁽⁷⁷⁾ value chain

⁽⁷⁸⁾ viability

⁽⁷⁹⁾ youth entrepreneurship in agriculture.

No, you do notdiscuss them one by one – you integrate any number of them at any time.

At this stage, I say, information workers and journalists must understand such language to be able to help actively in modernizing PH Agriculture and emancipating the farmers from poverty. Otherwise, their communication is only words jumping from one paper to another.

Me? I have been paying attention to Mr Dar in the last 12+ years starting when I became an international consulting writer for ICRISAT, based in India, of which he was Director General from 2000 to 2014. ICRISAT did publish 7 books authored by me.

I do not blame anyone because Mr Dar's "New Thinking for Agriculture" (his term) has been neither anticipated nor studied in journalism or communication classes, nor discussed in knowledgeable circles.

On my part, if someone funds me, I will write that Triple A Language For PH Agriculture book in 57 days, plus execute the necessary ready-to-print format (pdf). Email frankahilario@gmail.com@517