“Introducing The New Filipino Farmer As Realist, Innovative, Idealist” – William Dar

We are looking for the New Filipino Farmers, young and old, “an investment made with the combination of realism, technological innovation, and idealism that marks the character of The New Filipino” – Secretary of Agriculture William Dar.

Inset: I chose a senior to represent the farmer able to use a modern gadget, here a cellphone, with simplicity and intensity – my photograph taken 27 May 2017, illustrating my 16 January 2018 essay, “The Old Man And The C[1]” (Essays For My Family, Blogspot.com).

My farmer is old, but he is into innovation – he shows Mr Dar is not dreaming when he talks about The New Man and The New Challenge when he launched DA’s celebration of “World Food Day” on Friday, the day before 16 October 2021:

The budgetary reforms that we have proposed would turn our support programs into a far more successful investment in the future of our country – an investment made with the combination of realism, technological innovation, and idealism that marks the character of The New Filipino.

“New Filipino” he says, not simply “New Farmer.” Mr Dar is thinking holistically – at the very least, each family member and each local government unit must think as the farmer with a new perspective. He says:

Typhoons are our norm, yet we do not have to be so desensitized. We have to fight, foremost, desensitization, complacency, and stubborn traditionalism in implementing measures to boost our resiliency.

Those 3 enemies of The New Filipino must be confronted:
desensitization – He must learn to care;
complacency – He must learn to cultivate productive habits; and
stubborn traditionalism – He must learn to adapt to modern times. (He must at least approximate “The Old Man And The C” that I saw.)

He speaks of increasing the DA budget, and urges everyone to strongly support the “OneDA Reform Agenda for the Transformation of Philippine Agriculture” for all Filipino farming communities, evolving “ways to catch up with the changing world.”

The OneDA Reform Agenda serves as the department’s guide in increasing farmer productivity and profitability. The Agenda has 4 pillars – Consolidation, Modernization, Industrialization, and Professionalization – to be realized via 18 key strategies:

1.     Bayanihan Agri-Clusters

2.     Collective Action/Cooperatives Development

3.     Province-Led Agriculture & Fisheries Extension System

4.     Mobilization & Empowerment of Partners

5.     Diversification

6.     Credit Support

7.     Technology & innovation Including Digital Agriculture

8.     Farm Mechanization & Infrastructure Investments

9.     Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Measures

10. Food Safety & Regulations

11. Agri-Industrial Business Corridors

12. Global Trade, Export Development & Promotion

13. Post-Harvest, Processing, Logistics & Marketing

14. Agriculture Career System

15. Education & Training: Agribusiness Management

16. Youth & Women Engagement

17. Ease Of Doing Business & Transparent Procurement

18. Strategic Communications.

This year the DA budget is miniscule at 1.6% of the national budget, compared with figures in neighboring countries: Malaysia 2.3%, Indonesia 3.4%, Thailand 3.6%, and Vietnam 6.5%.

So, Mr Dar proposed a budget increase to P91 Billion in 2022 from P90 Billion in 2021 to propel PH’s Agriculture forward. Necessary New Investment for Necessary New Filipino Farmers!@517

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[1]http://essaysformyfamily.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-old-man-and-c.html