Multiple Intelligences (MI) In Education And Multiple Intelligences In Agriculture (MiA) – The Bests Are Yet To Be!

The idea of “multiple choices” is prevalent neither in E­ducation nor in Agriculture neither in the Philippines nor elsewhere – as a Teacher and Agriculturist, I have always wondered why. I came to know about Multiple Intelligences (MI) in 2011(?) when I learned about Cahbriba Alternative School (CAS) and sent my children there  - Neenah, Edwin and Ela – to study via the new educational paradigm called “Multiple Intelligences” (MI) that was brainchilded by Harvard psychology professor Howard Gardner. Here is my list of MI:

1. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”),
2. Creative Intelligence (“Thinking Smart”), added by FAH,
3. Existential Intelligence (“Life Smart”),
4. Interpersonal Intelligence (“People Smart”),
 5. Intrapersonal Intelligence (“Self Smart”),
6. Mathematical-Logical Intelligence (“Number/Reasoning Smart”),
7. Musical Intelligence (“Music Smart”),
8. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”),
9. Spatial Intelligence (“Image Smart”), and
10. Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (“Word Smart”).

I sent my children to Cahbriba, and Neenah cultivated her Body Smarts; she is now into Dance – while Graciela cultivated her People Smarts; she is now a high school teacher at the Potter’s School in El Nido, Palawan.

Today, I think of “Multiple Intelligences” when I scan my personal list of the world’s Regenerative Agriculture (RA) practices totaling 13:

(1) Cover Cropping,
(2) Crop Rotation,
(3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry),
(4) Green Manuring,
(5) Intercropping,
(6) Multiple Cropping,
(7) No-Till Farming,
(8) Organic Fertilization,
(9) Ratooning,
(10) Rotational Grazing,
(11) “Three Sisters” Planting,
(12) Trap Cropping, and
(13) Trash Mulching.
(bottom image from natural.com)

Now then: I call my RA list Multiple Intelligences Agriculture (MiA) to parallel Harvard psychology professor Gardner’s list of Multiple Intelligences shown above.

With MI, individual students’ learning becomes a pleasure;
with MiA, individual farmers’ earning becomes a treasure!

I don’t know but: Equally, both RA and MI are being brushed aside, bypassed, ignored, neglected, overlooked, or shrugged off! By our agriculture columnists, educators, universities, department heads, and legislators.

That science has long been neglected and declining in England, is not an opinion originating with me, but is shared by many, and has been expressed by higher authority than mine. – Charles Babbage

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. – Oscar Wilde

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Edmund Burke

Ignore the noise of the world, and you will find the symphony within. – Kiat

When you ignore the negativity around you, you give power to the positivity within you. – Jay Shetty

Each of the 13 MiA practices guarantee Very Low Costs=Very High Returns (VLC=VHR)! The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) is neglecting Filipino farmers by not declaring an MiA-based PH Agriculture and providing all sorts of assistances – technical and financial – to the farmers. Chemical agriculture is very high costs-very low returns (VHC=VLR). MiA: No expensive chemicals, neither fertilizers nor pesticides. We must choose VLC=VHR over VHC=VLR!

Our DA leaders should connect MiA with the fact that the Philippines remains the #1 rice importer in the world!@517

Is My Alma Mater UP Los Baños Waking Up To The Urgent Need For Regenerative Agriculture? UPLB – “Sustainable Agriculture Is Regenerative Of The Poverty Of Farmers!”

Reading Ana Vera G Oleta’s article, “UPLB Establishes Two National Consortia For Academic And Research Initiatives (28 Oct 2024, University of the Philippines Los Baños, uplb.edu.ph), I am heartened with the news of UPLB’s new initiatives for national academe and research programs:

“UPLB spearheaded the establishment of two national consortia aimed at enhancing education, research, and sustainable development in the country through the promotion of academic collaboration among higher education institutions (HEIs).

“The two new national consortia are the Philippine Consortium for Cooperative Education and Research (PCCER) and the Philippine Human Ecology Consortium (PHEC).”

As an Agriculturist who never stopped learning – a UPLB alumnus (BSA major in Ag Edu, 1965) and teacher (Civil Service Professional, 1964) – I remain interested in these subject areas: Education, Research and Ecology. And so I note that:

“Through these consortia, member institutions are poised to make substantial contributions to national development by promoting innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability in their respective fields.”

I note particularly sustainability, which is in sharp contrast with regeneratability. Since its founding in 1908, UP Los Baños has been espousing sustainable agriculture via chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides – you can only sustain your agriculture if you keep using such chemicals!

Unfortunately, such sustainable agriculture has sustained the poverty of millions of Filipino farmers!

Why? Sustainable Agriculture is very high cost while yielding very low returns (VHC=VLR). The reason millions of farmers keep borrowing from usurers (the notorious “5/6 Scheme” – borrow 5 and pay back 6 within 2 months. Note: Urea P1,581, Complete P1,603, and Ammonia P823 (PhilRice, philrice.gov.ph).

Now, when can those poor Filipino farmers rise from Poverty to Prosperity?

Not by Chemical Agriculture (CA) but surely via Regenerative Agriculture (RA)!

Here is my  personal list of RA practices:

(1) Cover Cropping, (2) Crop Rotation, (3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry), (4) Green Manuring, (5) Intercropping, (6) Multiple Cropping, (7) No-Till Farming, (8) Organic Fertilization, (9) Ratooning, (10) Rotational Grazing, (11) “Three Sisters” Planting, (12) Trap Cropping, (13) Trash Mulching.

None of those practices require chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides. They are all low-costs. Very low cost=very high returns (VLC=VHR): 

(1) RA practices are not scientist-dependent on knowledge of how to practice them.

(2) RA does not destroy the fertility of the soil; on the contrary, it adds to it!

(3) RA practices are easy to master, nothing complicated.

(4) RA practices do not attract insects – crops are not palatable to them. So, no infestation, no need to apply any kind of pesticide.

(5) RA practices grow healthy crops – the health-conscious consumers would gladly pay for them!

No, PCCER people – you do not have to believe me; I urge you go and conduct so many researches on Regenerative Agriculture yourselves. You can be sure knowledge will set you free!
(image from sg.images.search.yahoo.com)

“Know that you don’t know. That is superior.” – Lao Tzu.

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand” – Frank Herbert

HEis, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?@517

For Ricky Lee, To Write Is To Be Free. For Frank A Hilario, To Write Is For Farmers To Be Free From Poverty!

Pauline Miranda says, “For Ricky Lee, To Write Is To Be Free” (30 Oct 2024, Lifestyle.Inq, lifestyle.inquirer.net). In my case, to write is for the Filipino farmers to be free from poverty. When you are a writer, you are free to choose why you write after all.

Ms Pauline says, “What truly makes (Lee’s) career as a writer fulfilling is in how it frees him:

“Every act of writing ay isang act ng pagpapalaya ko sa sarili,” he says. “Mahiyain akong tao, since childhood. May feeling ako na nakakulong ako sa… being unworthy, feeling inferior, or kung ano man ’yong mga problema ko at depekto. May feeling akong ganon. … Pero every time na nagsusulat ako … nagiging ako ’yong ibang tao na hindi ako. So nakakalaya. … nakakalaya ako in so many ways when I write.

We write for our respective kinds of readers, of course. Differently, Ricky Lee writes to open the hearts – I write to open the minds. Writing frees Ricky Lee’s opinion of himself as a limited human being. Writing, I hope to free the Filipino farmers’ opinion of themselves as limited human beings!
“Creativity is a wild mind with a disciplined eye” (image from sg.images.search.yahoo.com)

For whatever reason you write, you should learn to be creative. Ricky Lee’s creativity comes from his desire to free himself from feeling unworthy – into feeling socially worthy. My creativity comes from my desire to free others from their unfree thinking! And to look for leaders with the Vision to steer the people from Poverty to Prosperity with intelligence and without bloodletting.

Ricky Lee is into fiction. Frank A Hilario is into nonfiction – the science of agriculture.

Ricky Lee wants his name known and admired throughout the educated world of the Philippines and even abroad; I want not my name known but the social ideas I espouse: Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages (ComDev2), which is the title of the blog where this appears). For Ricky Lee, let me say he is after communication for development of vibrant readers.

As a creative writer myself – having authored and blogged at least 40,000 essays in the last 24 years – google for “Frank A Hilario” if you wish. Going digital, I don’t need publishers for my works.

I repeat: I write to help free the millions of Filipino farmers from their poverty, which even my alma mater, UP Los Baños (UPLB) has neglected in all of her 116 years (1908-2024)!

“Pag nagsusulat ako, at marami akong characters nasulat, and feeling ko nag-succeed ako, nabasa ng iba at nagustuhan nila sa book fair, nagpapa-autograph sila, I feel that I’m seen. I feel that I’m validated as Ricky. I feel that nabuo ako. That’s why I write.”

I Frank A Hilario write not to validate myself, not to validate those farmers themselves, but to validate their poverty and, for the poor farmers to appreciate their poverty and appreciate the fact that they can free themselves – without resorting to violence!@517

The Old & The New Plows – Even Soil Scientists Have Not Learned Our Farming Lesson Of Natural Fertility!

Our farmers – and agricultural scientists from Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao – have yet to learn how to farm so that the richness of the soil comes out naturally and welcomes the seeds/seedlings and grow them splendidly!

The old PH plow is gone; the new plow, called “rotavator” is here and now, and yet the new is being used as the old was – burying the fertility of the soil, out of reach of roots of crops!
(image sources: top, kahimyang.com; bottom, youtube.com)

No, farmers and farm scientists do not realize any of that! No, the farmers don’t read history; and no, the scientists don’t read old science either!

81 years ago, in 1943, American gentleman farmer Edward H Faulkner came out with his book Plowman’s Folly. I now quote history (undated, goodreads, goodreads.com):

It was on July 5, 1943, when Plowman’s Folly was first issued, that the author startled a lethargic public, long bemused by the apparently insoluble problem of soil depletion, by saying, simply, “The fact is that no one has ever advanced a scientific reason for plowing.”

I repeat: “The fact is that no one has ever advanced a scientific reason for plowing.” I am sure: There is no scientific reason for plowing!

“Soil depletion occurs when the components [that] contribute to fertility are removed and not replaced, and the conditions [that] support (the) soil's fertility are not maintained” (Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org).

Soil depletion = soil fertility depletion. Up to this date, we cultivate the soil so that its natural richness is buried: We plow the soil under (we think, “the deeper the better” – and of course, along with the weeds and/or crop refuse; that is, the deeper, the worse we bury the soil fertility! That is true in farms and gardens.

No Sir! The Australian inventor Arthur Clifford did not realize, and now the Japanese makers of the rotavator have not realized how much the rotavator can wake up the fertility of the soil if the machine is operated “knowledgeably.”

Almost 60 years ago, I came up with the best way to use the rotavator to automatically bring about that soil fertility that awaits the seeds or seedlings we plant on the field. This was proven by the experience of my beloved brother-in-law Ensor Casasos in my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan.

On 09 April 2024, I wrote “Fertilizer Zero Yet, Yields Zoom Yes!” (Yaman Rotavator, blogspot.com):

Am I dreaming?

Yes! I’m dreaming of a rotavator design that cultivates the soil and simultaneously and in the same rotary motion mixes soil and weeds and/or crop refuse into a natural plant fertilizer. The best natural fertilizer you can make with a machine!

By the way, “Yaman” in Tagalog means “Wealth” while in Ilocano it means “Thankfulness.” Either language, you are rich with the rotavator used in the way I discovered it.

So then I have come up with a project proposal to propagate all over the Philippines my concept of the Yaman Rotavator. I am now looking for a funding agency.@517

Why Is There No Nobel Peace Prize For Development Journalism?

 In 2021, Filipina journalist Maria Ressa co-won the Nobel Peace Prize with Russian Dmitry Muratov “for their longstanding efforts to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia,” Berit Reiss Andersen, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said (08 Oct 2021, Rob Picheta, CNN Business, Champions Change, edition.cnn.com).

Ms Berit said. “… The pair are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.”
(Nobel image from youtube.com)

I say, yes, call attention to government errors or misjudgments via the free press – assuming that the reporter understands the development project completely first!
(journalism from gamma.app)

And I say it must be “development of communities” or as I put it, “development of villages” (note the title of the blog where this article appears: “Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages,” blogspot.com).

Watch government: “The nature, objectives and the expected participation of social leaders and the people.”

Aha! Now I realize that neither PH Pres Ferdinand Marcos Jr nor his Secretary of Agriculture Francis Tiu Laurel Jr has a program of development of the agriculture sector of my country!

That lack or presence of a development program, consisting of any number of development projects, should be the first target of any development journalism.

That is why I am calling for a Nobel Peace Prize for Development Journalism – the journalist must first understand the whole of the program before writing about it.

Sad to state, but the Nobel Prize journalisms of Russian winner Mr Muratove and Filipina winner Ms Ressa had centered on the negative,  without first understanding, and stating so, the whole of the development project that they were criticizing.

Says our source on “Development Journalism” (Iresearchnet, communication.iresearchnet.com):

“Development journalism – a term referring to the role of the press in the process of socio-economic development...

“Development journalism was conceived in the 1960s at the Press Foundation of Asia (PFA), where Filipino journalists Alan Chalkley and Juan Mercado were concerned that news organizations were inadequately covering socio-economic development. Journalists were reporting government press releases and quotes but giving little attention to detailed analysis, interpretation, or evaluation of development projects, policies, or problems.” (my emphasis)

You have the right to interpret or evaluate a project, policy or problem – only if you know the nature of development it is meant for.

Not contrarian journalism, I want Development Journalism to be independently included in the consideration of Nobel Peace Prize winners!

“Development journalism, as conceived by the PFA, implied an adversarial relationship between independent news media and the government in which reporters offer critical evaluation and interpretation of development plans and their implementation.”

Adversarial? To that I say No! There is intellectual dishonesty in reporting if the journalist does not first understand the project, where it is coming from (Strategy), what it wants to achieve (Mission), and where everything is leading to (Vision)!

So! We need a Nobel Peace Prize for Development Journalism – to encourage governments to come up with real development projects that people can support!@517

My 3 Hopeful Aggie Dreams For My Country, PH – 1, Visionary Secretary of Agriculture. 2, Farmer Poverty-Minded Institution. 3, Organic-Maker Rotavator – “Rotavator X”

 I’m 84, an Ilocano, a college graduate of Agriculture, writer in English, and a dreamer. Recently, I have been dreaming for my country PH these:

1, For the re-appointment of William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture – for his visionary leadership in the Department of Agriculture.
(image from da.gov.ph)

2, For the millions of poor farmers of the Philippines to enrich themselves by themselves via inspired holistic agriculture.

3, For an aggie institution to produce and reproduce science that enables those millions of farmers to become rich and continue to be rich.

4, For the production of an off-the-shelf intelligent rotavator that by itself produces an organic mulch and distributes all over the field even as it cultivates it!

5, For the construction of a website for a poverty-conscious PH agriculture.

1, Visionary Secretary of Agriculture

I have only one person in mind – William Dar, former Secretary of Agriculture (SOA). As of the moment, Mr Dar is the only one I believe who believes in the indefatigableness of the Filipino farmer who will surely rise from poverty with the leadership & guidance of a visionary SOA.

2, Poverty-Minded Aggie Institution

Hereby, I’m challenging the Los Baños-based bodies (alphabetically) – IRRI, PhilRice, UP Los Baños – to pursue Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Because Sustainable Agriculture has so far sustained the poverty of millions of Filipino farmers!

As I see it, the economic formula for poor farmers to become rich is simple: very low costs equals very high returns (VLC=VHR). To achieve VLC=VHR, they should adopt any number of these RA practices:

(1) Cover Cropping, (2) Crop Rotation, (3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry), (4) Green Manuring, (5) Intercropping, (6) Multiple Cropping, (7) No-Till Farming, (8) Organic Fertilization, (9) Ratooning, (10) Rotational Grazing, (11) “Three Sisters” Planting, (12) Trap Cropping, (13) Trash Mulching.
(lower image from understandingag.com)

RA includes all crops – biotech Bt Eggplant, Golden Rice are welcome!

3, Poverty-Minded Aggie Institutions

IRRI, PhilRice, and UP Los Baños – Any of them could lead the shift from Sustainable Agriculture to RA for the poor farmers.

4, Intelligent Rotavator (Rotavator X)

I have a personally proven setup for a rotavator to automatically produce an organic mulch and spread it simultaneously all over the field! It worked on my father’s ricefield in Asingan, Pangasinan, sometime in 1966 – my father’s field outyielded the neighbor farmers much, it was astounding. Of course, that is difficult to believe – so I am hereby inviting a financing institution or group to sponsor a 1-year project to develop that Dream Rotavator – “Rotavator X.”

For Rotavator X, I will need a project sponsor to the tune of PhP 1.7 million. That project will include as outputs (1) written reports of the trials, (2) digital recordings of those trials and their results, and (3) a book based on (1) and (2) and RA practices – the book will be printed as well as downloadable as digital copy online in the website “Rotavator X.”

I’m dreaming of happier days for PH Agriculture!@517

“Where There Is No Vision, The People Perish” – King James. The Filipino People Do Not Perish Because They Import Rice!

18 years ago, Cheryl Casiwan Launio asked (Jan 2006, ResearchGate, researchgate.net): “Why does the Philippines import rice?” “Where there is no vision, the people perish” – Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version). Seriously speaking: In the case of us Filipinos, we do not perish even if our President and Agriculture Leaders have no Vision, because we import the rice we eat! (images from researchgate.net, a-new-way-to-work.com/lander)

Truthfully, the Philippine’s Lack of Agriculture Vision = Lack of local rice adequate for the Filipino people!

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Got Questions Ministries says about it (gotquestions.org):

“Some have used this verse to emphasize the importance of vision in leadership. Without a long-term plan – without a vision – people are doomed to wander aimlessly.

“Of course, it is true that having an idea of where one is headed helps in getting there.”

Why does my country import rice or worse, “Why is the Philippines the World’s #1 importer of rice?” It’s because of lack of Vision & Mission of our leaders. PH President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr? in 2022, BBM replaced William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture – and BBM had no Agriculture Vision. (Read my previous article: “Again, If William Dar Were The Secretary Of Agriculture, How Good Would He Turn Out To Be Today?” (16 Oct 2024, Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages, blogspot.com).

Vision & Mission: Jen Croneberger puts them excellently in their proper places in his article “Vision, Mission And Purpose: The Difference” (04 March 2020, Forbes Coaches Council, Forbes, forbes.com):

The difference between mission and vision is present tense vs long-range big picture.

I interpret that to mean these: Vision is what you want to achieve for your group in the long run; Mission is what you will do to achieve that Vision. You need both!

I see “Agriculture-Led Prosperity” was Mr Dar’s Vision for PH Agriculture. ANN says, “Dar Addresses Challenges In Food Security In ADB Forum” (28 Oct 2019, Author Not Named, da.gov.ph):

Agriculture Secretary William Dar… called for the proactive involvement of private and public sectors in addressing current challenges in poverty, food insecurity, and rural prosperity…

He also said:

To promote farm mechanization, increase the use of better seeds, provide low interest production credit, and offer training programs to palay farmers – a P10 billion-worth Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fun (RCEF) was established.

Now I say: “Today, as the Philippines is the #1 rice importer in the world, let’s mobilize that PhP 10,000,000,000!

Before this article, I wrote, “Again, If William Dar Were The Secretary Of Agriculture, How Good Would He Turn Out To Be Today?” where I talk about Mr Dar’s “New Thinking” about PH’s Agriculture. The 2 Secretaries of Agriculture who succeeded Mr Dar did not have any new thinking at all!

Elsewhere, we are told by ANN that Mr Dar’s Vision is “A food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk” (Author Not Named, 12 Sept 2019, Edge Davao, edgedavao.net).

I earnestly request that BBM reappoint Mr Dar as Secretary of Agriculture!@517