My 2020 Challenge to Investigative Journalists – Show That Organic Farming Can Help Solve Farmer Poverty!

Self-taught in Communication/Journalism, uniquely, I am the first and so far the one-and-only recipient of the UP Los Baños Alumni Association's "Outstanding Alumnus for Creative Writing" 2012. Since 2007, I have blogged at least 5,000 long essays, a minimum of 1,000 words each, in science and creative thinking. 

With such credentials, as a science writer and consistent-insistent blogger dedicated to the new PH Agriculture with the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie, today I am challenging the likes of Maria Ressa, TIME Person of the Year 2018, or any PH journalist, to do investigative journalism and show that organic farming can help solve farmer poverty.

You don't know? Investigate!

Business Diary Philippines says organic farming is #1 among the "Top 100 Most Profitable Business Ideas" in the Philippines[1](source of image above).

"Top 100 Most Profitable Business Ideas" That, Mam, is only lip service – you have to prove it, not just pronounce it!

You will have to visit an organic farm, and write about it. And visit another farm, and write about it – especially a different crop. And visit another, and another, and another.

No Mam! That assignment is not like taking a candy from a baby. It's easy to say – it's difficult to show in black and white. You will need all your investigative journalism friends and agriculturists in high and low places to carry out this assignment – if you will.

Here is Gail Momblan reporting 04 December 2019 from Iloilo City from the 12th General Assembly of the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities, and Provinces of the Philippines, LOAMCP-PH, the group claiming that "the thrust on organic agriculture is synonymous with good governance and can be one way to address the insurgency problem in the country."

How? Investigate!

Ms Momblan says, "In a press conference on Wednesday here, Rommel Arnado, National President of LOAMCP-PH, underscored that organic agriculture can decrease the rate of poverty and address other concerns in a locality."

How? Investigate!

Ms Momblan also says, "Among the concerns that can be answered through organic agriculture are poverty rate decrease, the establishment of farm-to-market roads, regeneration of the soil, and solid waste management."

How? Investigate!

I say Miss Momblan is mixing the unmixable! Or is she? Organic farming does not require farm-to-market roads, or does it? You will have to show that the regeneration of the soil and solid waste management are all parts of organic farming and how they all contribute to poverty reduction. Or do they?

You know, Ms or Mr Investigative Journalist, one of the big problems in organic farming is the requirement for Organic Agriculture, OA, Certification – and the cost is huge: from P100,000 to P160,000 per commodity. That is, if you are growing rice and corn, you pay for not just 1 but 2 OA certificates! That is why I said in an earlier essay, "In other words, to become rich, a farmer has to become rich first[2]!"

Investigative journalists, use you head – you have to investigate intelligently!@517

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[1]https://businessdiary.com.ph/13978/top-100-most-profitable-agribusiness-ideas/

[2]https://iparadigmshifts.blogspot.com/2019/12/why-very-few-organic-farms-in-sea-in-ph.html

For Agribusiness Not To Be Bloody, Sulong Pilipinas Must Be Tulong Pilipinas! Also, Must Be Digital

Finally! Someone saw and said it so. The agriculture sector is like a "sleeping giant" that needed "waking up," Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez said during the 2019 Agribusiness Summit held 17 December in Lanang, Davao City. That is to say:

In PH agriculture, the big potentials are there – alternatively, the big problems are there. (bird-flag image from Sulong Pilipinas Facebook page[1])

That was during the 10th-year Summit under "Sulong Pilipinas," a project of the Department of Finance, DoF. This Summit saw partnership with the Department of Agriculture, DA, as well as Department of Trade & Industry and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Public and private stakeholders were invited to Davao to work together. In the words of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie, this was towards "transforming traditional agri-fishery farms into inclusive, resilient and globally competitive agribusiness enterprises[2]." In the words of Secretary Dominguez, this was "how public-private partnership works. The government side delivers the medium. The private sector delivers the content. It is a productive symbiosis."

The strong partnership called for has as participants government, business and development partners, academe, youth organizations and others, where Sulong Pilipinas "seeks to build a truly inclusive economy, and work towards a comfortable life for all Filipinos."

Personally, as an indefatigable blogger and Internet hound, I am also intrigued by what Ambassador Babe Romualdez has to say, that the report from the iPrice Group, a meta-search website, is that[3]:

The Philippines is already ripe for further growth, especially since it's ranked among the top 10 countries in the world by mobile Internet usage and most time spent online, according to We Are Social and Hootsuite's annual digital research. This growth may be fueled by the rising e-commerce platforms and activities in the country.

I say digital is where innovative minds should go. With "rising e-commerce platforms and activities" – even remote farmers can tap the markets anywhere in the world anytime.

One of the recommendations of Sulong Pilipinas 2019 is this[4]:

... In different fields (including in medicine), the Department of Science and Technology, with the private sector, should make grants available to (digital) startups and enable technology transfers.

Not only digital. I say the grants should also cover innovative technical startups by entrepreneurial youth and adults, the number being limitless.

Of the 10th Summit[5]:

This collaboration between DA and DOF with private sector stakeholders is expected to make for a more robust agribusiness sector founded on Dar's eight paradigms of the 'New Thinking' for agriculture, which includes modernization and industrialization, among other crucial elements in sectoral transformation.

Excellent!

"The best is coming," Ambassador Romualdez says. I agree.

Now then: I say that for Sulong Pilipinas (Advance Philippines), to bring about the change everyone wants nationally, and sooner, it must transform itself into Tulong Pilipinas (Assist Philippines) – PH farmers and fishers must be assisted economically by the public & private sectors, and technically via the Internet, to rise from poverty to prosperity – and stay there!@517

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[1]https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Sulong-Pilipinas-204147682951661/

[2]https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/12/15/agriculture-to-highlight-sulong-pilipinas-2019/

[3]https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2019/12/22/1978877/phl-agriculture-best-coming?fbclid=IwAR1ERehIdl3S8sJ4CYmOAszRo_UAv-UDausfCzTPp3VHzAZ3sJi6l6eGjuE

[4]https://www.dof.gov.ph/index.php/advocacies/sulong-pilipinas/

[5]https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/12/15/agriculture-to-highlight-sulong-pilipinas-2019/

PH School & Home Gardens – How Good Are They? ComDev Vs DevCom Views

The report, "The School-Plus-Home Gardens Project in the Philippines: A Participatory And Inclusive Model For Sustainable Development" authored by Blesilda M Calub & Co, published by SEARCA (undated), says the Gardens Project was a collaboration among SEARCA, UP Los Baños, and DepEd District of Laguna. It was piloted in 5 elementary public schools (Grade 4) in 5 towns and 1 secondary school (Grade 7) in the provincial capital. 

Selected quotes from the report:

... Today, many parents take pride of their home gardens and even volunteered in the maintenance of the school garden, which is the complete opposite of their attitude before.

Pupils showed improved knowledge in naming vegetables and classifying food items according to food groups and nutrients. They also improved their attitudes on the benefits of eating vegetables.

Separately, Frank D Gorrez, an agronomist, UPLB alumnus, and who has been a consultant of the World Bank, UNDP, FAO and ADB, including Church organizations, emailed me his 1,100-word August 2019 report of his own volunteer work, his manuscript titled "Training & Technology Transfer Systems (3TS) Concept & Implementation Guidelines (A School Agricultural Development Program). His has been "tutoring staff of Shalom Science Institute high school in both classroom and hands-on growing rainfed rice and vegetable varieties during his staggered visits in 2016, 2017 & 2018" in Banago. Balabagan, Lanao del Sur, Mindanao. He scheduled monthly activities for rice, corn, vegetables, and fruit tree crops. His 3TS concept "utilizes the school as a permanent teaching/learning venue for students by establishing garden demonstration plots for testing, evaluating, production of good and high yielding (crops)."

I will now look at those 2 different garden types with the eyes of a journalist engaged in Communication for Development, ComDev, which I invented and published in the technical journal Sylvatrop of the Forest Research Institute, FORI, when I was Editor in Chief in the late 1970s. I offered ComDev in contradistinction with Development Communication, DevCom. The difference: Dedicated, ComDev pushed communication entirely for development; detached, DevCom pushedcommunication with or withoutdevelopment as a goal.

Now then, speaking from the vantage point of ComDev, I see that the SEARCA Gardens Project and Mr Gorrez' own 3TS volunteer work are excellent initiatives for school and home gardens. However, both fall short of their avowed ultimate goal of sustainable development, which has 4 aspects: (1) technical feasibility (2) economic viability, (3) environmental soundness, and (4) social acceptability. I can see clearly that they have not addressed the issue of #2. In the main image above, part of the project's conceptual framework, read "Economics." Both initiatives do not look into the economics of such gardens, and that is unfortunate. We have to teach the gardeners costs & returns. These initiatives must make sure the gardeners get the values they added by marketing their produce directly to consumers, not merchants. Otherwise, these gardens are sustaining the lives of traders, not those of the producers! Contrarian development.

Indeed, the SEARCA Gardens Project and Gorrez' 3TS have much work left to do towards sustainable development!@517

Is Nescafé Philippines Brewing Local Coffee Farmers Into Entrepreneurs? There Is The Hustle!

On Christmas Eve, BusinessMirror says the news is, "Nescafé Plan: Transforming 1,500 Farmers Into Agripreneurs[1]." (field image from Philcoffeeboard.com[2], mug image from Oberlo[3]). Really?

Under the Plan, "Benrose 'Ben' Subasco has metamorphosed from subsistence farmer to coffee-based agripreneur." Harvesting only 150 kg/ha coffee in 2013, his harvest grew to 2.3 metric tons/ha in 2018 – a fantastic growth of 15 plus times! Ben is now a Nescafé Plan Coffee Ambassador, linking the company with farmers, "inspiring them to adopt best practices in coffee farming." So far, so good.

In the Philippines, Nescafé started manufacturing coffee in 1962, or 57 years ago. I wonder why Nescafé launched the so-called Nescafé Plan only in 2010, after almost half a century!? Actually, it was "a global initiative to help ensure a sustainable supply of quality green coffee." To increase its supply, Nescafé helps the farmers increase their yields. The increase in supply also means the increase of income of coffee growers. Quid pro quo.

Under the Plan, each year an average of 8,000 Filipino farmers are trained in full coffee production, BusinessMirror says. "The program is regarded as one of the more successful stakeholder engagement models in the local coffee industry."

I note: "stakeholder engagement" – it is profitable to Nescafé, of course. Is it profitable to the coffee growers? More than that, does the engagement result in continuously improving sustainability of the farming as well as the farmers? By "sustainable," I mean characterized by being (1) technically feasible, (2) economically viable, (3) environmentally sound, and (4) socially acceptable. We can assume that the Nescafé Plan is sustainable in terms of criteria #1, #3 and #4, but does it meet the requirement of criterion #2?

The BusinessMirror report says that net incomes of participating farmers have increased from P30,000 in 2018 to P90,000 in 2019. A fantastic 300% increase, welcome news anywhere!

As a result of Project Coffee+, the farm of Arnold Abear of Maramag, Bukidnon has become the model for intercropping coffee, abaca and ginger. And he has successfully inspired the coffee farmers in his village to form the Bagong Silang Farmers' Association with 39 members, with him as Chair.

Another successful coffee grower that BusinessMirror points out is Ben (mentioned  above) of Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, who "has metamorphosed... into a coffee-based agripreneur." And today, "Ben now buys and consolidates coffee in his area."

Now, I see a major problem there! Where Ben has been successful as a coffee grower, he has also been successful as a coffee trader. As a merchant or middleman for the other coffee farmers, he is denying them their fair share from the values they have added to the produce from growing to harvesting. It's the same story – the merchant determines how much the producer earns, and how much more the merchant earns himself.

This is entrepreneurship for the merchant – but not the coffee grower. The final hustle of entrepreneurship for farmers is marketing, and the Nescafé Plan is not minding it, and the merchants love it!@517

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[1]https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/12/24/nescafe-plan-transforming-1500-farmers-into-agripreneurs/?fbclid=IwAR2vUDBu9ZhApi-BSyr7tr6qAv7geV7f7bLbCny4L9aH9ZyhrdFci6OqQIU

[2]https://philcoffeeboard.com/from-bean-to-brew/

[3]https://www.oberlo.com/blog/what-is-entrepreneurship

Baro A Tawen, Baro A Namnama: Adda Ani, Adu Kita!

A New Year, A New Hope. To celebrate I have this new blog Adda Ani, Adu Kita – the name is a take-off from the slogan of the new PH Agriculture with the innovative leadership of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie: "Masaganang Ani, Malaki Ang Kita" (Abundant Harvest, Rich Income, my new translation). That comes with his "New Thinking for Agriculture" with the embedded 8 paradigms to put thoughts into technologies & systems: 1) Modernization of Agriculture, (2) Industrialization of Agriculture, (3) Promotion of Exports, (4) Farm Consolidation, (5) Infrastructure Development, (6) Higher Budget & Investments for Agriculture, (7) Legislative Support, and (8) Roadmap Development.

The whole idea is abundance, richness, profusion, wealth, prosperity for everyone. (Thank you Shutterstock^[1] for the opulent word cloud!)

Today, only when you have more in harvest do you have more in income. The relationship is physical: If you have more to sell, you have more to earn. It is the merchant who gains much from the value chain; the poor farmer remains poor while the merchant gets richer!

I say, if PH Agriculture have farmers' associations, coops that truly work for their welfare, then:

Adda Ani, Adu Kita!

In 4 words, in Ilocano, that defines true entrepreneurship! It means:

As long as you have a harvest, you are assured of much income deserving of your labors!

Get A Harvest, Get More!

Your Grains, Your Gains. That is to say, so much grains, so much more gains – so much harvest, so much more income.

How does it work? Simple. Whatever you harvest, you are assured of getting more than the usual, because marketing is in the hands of the producers themselves, not merchants.

This is The New Economics, I dare say. Actually, it's old economics – minus the Merchants of Venice.

Adda Ani, Adu Kita – How do we assure that?

We get the merchants out of the picture, then we get the new merchants in – the producers, the group of farmers themselves, which will work in their favor. I favor the Coops, not the Farmer Associations. By and large, each coop is well-organizedand has a Board that ensures fairness; by and large, each association has a dictatorialPresident.

I love the idea of Common Service Facilities, CSF, of the Department of Agrarian Reform, the DAR, that I came across with when I was a consultant for a UMIC project with the DAR, with UPLB Professor Rene Rafael C Espino as Project Leader – the CSF was lodged in a selected cooperative where all the equipment could be found, not distributed among members of the coop or farmer association. For good management, the equipment must be under complete control.

How does the coop with the CSF assure Adda Ani, Adu Kita? Economies of scale. What about the package of technologies to use? The coop must see to it that the member farmers practice the package of technologies that the coop has proven or believe to be good for the coop members.

New Year, New Hope. Have this harvest, have this much more income!@517

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[1]https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/word-cloud-abundance-green-letters-on-132951059

Revolution Or Reformation? How Relevant Is Your National Hero?

Intellectual awareness: This is my 9th or 10th revision of this essay, now completely different from the original intent and content – except that it is still about Jose Rizal, our National Hero. If he is not your National Hero, sorry about that! But now I have a surprise hero, and you will meet him towards the end of this essay.

First, which side is your Jose Rizal? (above image from Flying Ketchup[1])

I am looking into the Facebook page containing the speech delivered by lawyer Michael Camilo Datario at Dagupan City's Rizal Park on Rizal Day. In the text of 1,418 words, he doesn't know but he mentions me.

The Facebook page of the Public Information Office of our City Government posted the announcement of our celebration of Rizal Day, and there was a comment... from a netizen asking if we already have a speaker for the event, and that had he been near he would have volunteered as he has a different view of Rizal. 

That's me! But first, here's more of him. Mr Datario makes 2 major points (my words):

(1)   That Rizal in opposing the Philippine revolution, is not worthy of being the National Hero.

(2)   That Rizal is an American-sponsored hero.

Of heroism, Mr Datario says:

The national revolution is invariably the one period in a nation's history when the people were most united, most involved, and most decisively active in the fight for freedom. 

No Sir! The Filipinos were not united in their Katipunan Revolution. Jose Rizal himself opposed it, yes. 

Still, the Spaniards had him executed. Because the friars were not using their heads! They did not recognize it but Rizal was pursuing a different kind of transformation of the Filipino, and I wrote about it in my book, indios bravos! Jose Rizal As Messiah Of The Redemption, published 2005. He was for Reformation.

Bonifacio was fighting for political independence;
Rizal was fighting for intellectual awareness.

Your second point, Mr Datario, is that Rizal is "an American-sponsored hero" and I say, "So what?!" The Americans were intellectually aware.

And now, Mr Datario, allow me to prosecute an entirely different national movement that we need right now, even if you do not realize it:

Reforming, Transforming,
even Revolutionizing
Philippine Agriculture!

We must follow the example of our National Hero and use our intellect. And I am looking at the Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie as the brave, selfless reformer in this case. He comes critically and creatively prepared.

Like Rizal, Manong Willie's weapon is a sharpened mind, this time mulling the "New Thinking for Agriculture" and pushing for the: 1) Modernization of Agriculture, (2) Industrialization of Agriculture, (3) Promotion of Exports, (4) Farm Consolidation, (5) Infrastructure Development, (6) Higher Budget & Investments for Agriculture, (7) Legislative Support, and (8) Roadmap Development.

He is the New Thinker. In English, the language of the intellectually aware. For whom did Rizal write his historical novels Noli and Fili in Spanish? The intellectually aware.

Reformation, nay Revolution, always proceeds in the intellectually aware!@517

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[1]https://flyingketchup.ph/jose-rizal-manga-a-fun-way-to-learn-about-a-real-life-hero/

2020 PH Agriculture – We Begin And Thank The Lord For Little Victories Anew

To usher in the New Year 2020, let me enumerate our little victories in our national efforts to usher in a new era of PH Agriculture leading to, ultimately, the liberation of the poor farmers from the shackles of poverty. Easier said than done! But we will persevere. (main 2020 image from Shutterstock[1])

We have a new Secretary of Agriculture who is non-political, dedicated, busy as a bee, experienced, scientific, managerial, and comes from humble beginnings: William Dar/Manong Willie, Ilocano. Napudno. True.

We have a new Vision for PH Agriculture – "Masaganang Ani at Malaki ang Kita" (Plentiful Harvest & Bountiful Income). You can't have one without the other!

We have a new national agenda for action that covers everything from the ground up and from here to far. From Manong Willie, this is the "New Thinking for Agriculture" that emanates itself in 8 forces for action: (1) Modernization of Agriculture, (2) Industrialization of Agriculture, (3) Promotion of Exports, (4) Farm Consolidation (5) Infrastructure Development, (6) Higher Budget & Investments for Agriculture, (7) Legislative Support, and (8) Roadmap Development.

We have a new national methodology to bring about progress: partnerships. Born of ICRISAT, where Manong Willie was Director General 2000 to 2014. Public sector works with private sector to bring about mutually rewarding economic endeavors. Partnerships include philanthropists, civic groups.

As partners, the financial agencies have been convinced and are now actively participating in the pursuit of relevant programs and projects addressing the many credit needs of farmers, especially the poor.

As partners, the local government units have been aroused to activity for the common purpose of serving in their respective capacities the farmers, especially the poor, in matters of extending assistance as may be necessary.

As partners, the state colleges & universities have been alerted and now know they have to discover more knowledge and assemble more appropriate technologies and systems via research for development.

As partners, the mass media have been directly implored to contribute to the national efforts of waking up what Secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez refers to as the Sleeping Giant of Agriculture.

As partners, the aggie journalists themselves have been informed and implored to write about the needs for vigilance and appropriate advices according to the needs of the times, even as the rice crisis stalks the land. Mass communication in, messcommunication out!

As partners, the farmer leaders have been requested to contribute to the quiet and not continue to alarm their farmer groups as if the Du30 government is not doing anything to alleviate the situation and advance the interests of the farmers.

The Grand Vision has been conceived, and it is inclusive development, where everyone is an actor and where all in the chain receive their dues from their respective contributions to the values. Inclusive development must be expansive development, for all. (See also my earlier essay, "New Jedis Out Of Undiscovered Country – Journalism For Expansive Development[2]!")

Victory does not come easy. But there is no substitute for victory!@517

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[1]https://www.shutterstock.com/search/new+year+2020

[2]https://kitanijournalism.blogspot.com/2019/12/new-jedis-out-of-undiscovered-country.html