Beyond Survival Into Sustainability Of Farmers’ Rewards – Clustering In Agriculture 2020

Lockdown or not, what is the best strategy for agriculture? For Bangladesh, Shykh Seraj states categorically that “Farming Must Go On As Survival Strategy[1]” (29 May 2020, The Daily Star). Being an agriculturist, to me that is a bad policy – you must look for inspiration out of the desperation. I am Oscar Wilde’s optimist; I am thinking Beyond Survival (image from ISSUU[2]) 

And for my country, the Philippines, I find that encouragement in SEARCA Policy Paper-2 titled “Agricultural Clusters Approach To Enhance Competitiveness Of Smallholder Farms In Southeast Asia” authored by Glenn B Gregorio, Rodolfo V Vicerra, Rico C Ancog, Nikka Marie P Billedo, Rebeka A Paller, Ma Christina G Corales & Imelda L Batangantang (just out, downloadable from SEARCA website).

With SEARCA, I believe that my country should make it a national policy via the Department of Agriculture, DA, under Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie, to adopt the clustering approach in helping bring PH agriculture from Bad to Best!

What is an ideal agricultural cluster? And why is it strategic to define, design and do agricultural clustering in the Philippines, as in the rest of Southeast Asia? The policy paper authors say:

An agricultural cluster – organized either through horizontal (or) vertical linkages, is a strategic approach to operationalize the appropriate channels at a scale necessary for it to have enhanced competitive strength to connect with national and international markets.

In the cluster, we have market connections and value-adding networks that aid the product flow and development. We have an interlocking of 3 linkages. The horizontallinkage is farmer-to-farmer interactions. The vertical linkage comprises the relationships among input suppliers, farmers, common service facility, value-adders, final processors, exporter, and importer. The support linkage includes training, investment subsidies others provided to public, private, and NGO assistance service providers.

And what can we expect from aggie clustering? The policy authors say (my listing):

(1) Improved market awareness & linkages

(2) Access to inputs

(3) Increased production

(4) Minimized risks through farm management

(5) Higher product quality, with improved value chain, value addition

(6) Improved incomes

(7) Improved competitiveness.

The policy paper based those expectations from 3 case studies: in the Philippines on vegetables, Malaysia rice, and Vietnam root crops.

With ACIAR funding, MF Rola-Rubzen, R Murray Prior, P Batt, S Concepcion, RF Lamban, J Axalan, M Montiflor, F Israel, D Apara & R Bacus found in their study on “Vegetable Production In Mindanao, Philippines” that clustering had a positive effect on the volume of production, and increased output value and value of production of 6 commodities (not enumerated). “The study concluded that clustering was indeed effective in elevating the farmers’ household income.”

I have only one comment:

I would have loved it if MF Rola-Rubzen & her ACIAR-funded researchers went on to study that clustering in Mindanao for at least 5 years and recorded that in fact the farmers not only increased their overall incomes but raised the quality of their family lives and, should I say it?

They lived happily ever after!@517

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[1]https://www.thedailystar.net/country/news/farming-must-go-survival-strategy-1906141

[2]https://issuu.com/cecanure43537/docs/184935362x-beyond_survival_by_