“Digitally Sustaining Our Future” Is What ICAST 2024 Says. “What About Conserving The Past?“ This 83-Year Old Asks

Today Tuesday, 26 March 2024, I saw Rea Cruz Reyes’ Facebook post about an international conference on agriculture; intrigued, I asked for a copy of the report, and Ms Rea emailed me a summary in 475 words about the event. At the outset, I must congratulate the organizers of the event.

Via Ms Rea:

The Philippine Association of Agriculturists Region III-Tamarind Chapter, and Pampanga Agricultural State University (PSAU) held [the very] 𝟏𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 (𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒) with the theme: "Digitally Sustaining Our Future: Exploring The Application of Emerging Technologies For Food Security And Sustainability" on March 13-15, 2024 at the Royce Hotel, Clark, Angeles City, Pampanga.

I especially note: “Food Security and Sustainability.” Very broad – and necessarily so. Not the very limiting “Rice Sufficiency” that certain other PH leaders are pursuing. Sufficiency: No, not only rice.
(Rice image from shutterstock.com)

The 2024 ICAST conference brought together leading experts, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field of agriculture and technology. The conference aimed to explore innovative solutions and strategies for addressing global challenges related to food security and sustainability in the digital age.

• Emerging Technologies in Agriculture: Various presentations and discussions centered around the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and precision agriculture into agricultural practices. These technologies offer promising opportunities to optimize resource management, enhance productivity, and mitigate environmental impact.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A prevalent theme throughout the conference was the importance of data-driven decision-making in agriculture. The utilization of big data analytics and predictive modeling enables farmers to make informed decisions regarding crop management, pest control, and resource allocation, ultimately improving yields and efficiency.

“Data-driven decision making” – I suppose ICAST 2024 discussed data gathered from practices in modern farming but not from practices in traditional farming that are included in the term “Regenerative Agriculture” (RA).

RA is what the keynote speaker spoke about:

Keynote Address by Dr William D Dar, a renowned expert in agricultural technology,  a senior adviser for the Go Negosyo Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program (KALAP) and a former Secretary of Agriculture; delivered [an] inspiring keynote address on the transformative potential of regenerative agriculture in achieving food security and sustainability goals.

Call me old-fashioned, but I note: “The transformative potential of regenerative agriculture in achieving food security and sustainability goals.” Regenerative Agriculture (RA) includes, in my list, the following:
1, Compost application
2, Cover cropping
3, Crop rotation
4, Farm crops + tree crops
5, Green manuring
6, Intercropping
7, Multiple cropping
8, No-till farming
9, Organic fertilization
10, Ratooning
11, “Three Sisters”
12, Trap cropping
13, Trash mulching.

The number “13” is intentional on my part, to warn the reader that s/he is treading on “dangerous” grounds. Those 13 are all old technologies or practices and not mentioned because the conference was on “emerging technologies.”

My challenge is for the ICAST to conduct another conference, this time on exploring the application of old practices in agriculture towards defeating modern climate change!@517

“A Good Education Begins At Home” – Those Teachers Say. “GMRC Begins In Grade School” – This Teacher Says

Allow me to say first that I was educated to be a teacher – BS Ag Edu, UP Los Baños, 1965, weighted average 2.36. I have been engaged in teaching high school students at the Asingan High School in my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan, and college students at UPLB and Xavier University College of Agriculture. I passed the Civil Service exam for teachers at its first offering, in 1964: 80.6%. The next year, I was #2 with 90.5% in the qualifying exam for Pangasinan teachers, where #1 was 90.6% (female, from UP Diliman).

The above quote says completely (shared on Facebook Sunday, 24 March 2024, by Virginia Barraquio):

A good Education begins at Home. You cannot blame a school for not nurturing values in your child that you have not instilled.

I teacher disagree!

I say:

Teachers, especially for the elementary grades, go to school to teach children how, among other things, to behave. Parents are not necessarily taught how to teach their children good manners and right conduct (GMRC) because their own parents may not have learned GMRC themselves! (And no, the Catholic priest does not require parental knowledge in GMRC to marry people.) Among other things, it is the duty of the teacher to teach GMRC to the children!

Lei Sison says “'Magic Words Like Please and Thank You' Must Be Learned at Home, Say Education Professionals” (2019, Smart Parenting, smartparenting.com.ph). “It's important to teach kids good values even before they start schooling.”

Yes, the parents must teach their children good manners like saying “Please” and “Thank you” but incidences to do so are few and limited. In contrast, from Grade 1 to Grade 10, there is much interaction among the children and teacher and, therefore, the teacher is the most likely (liable) to teach GMRC!

From Canada, ANN says (Author Not Named, 2019, LegalLine.ca, legalline.ca):

Ontario’s Education Act is the main law that governs how public school education is delivered. Section 0.1(2) of the Act states that “the purpose of education is to provide students with the opportunity to realize their potential and develop into highly skilled, knowledgeable, caring citizens who contribute to their society.”

Read again about the purpose of education – for children “to realize their potential” and “to develop into … caring citizens.”

Don’t tell this citizen of the Philippines that the teachers of Canada know more about the basics of educating the children than teachers in my country!

Instead of the parents, the Grade teachers in any country have more time spent with the children during regular days and, therefore, owe more the young ones to teach them not only reading & writing & arithmetic but GMRC!

Now, here is a 4-year old Philippine law about GMRC (Supreme Court E-Library, elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph): Republic Act 11476, “An Act Institutionalizing Good Manners And Right Conduct And Values Education In The K To 12 Curriculum, Appropriating Funds Therefor, And For Other Purposes,” which was passed 25 June 2020.

Now then, a good education begins in Grade School, not at Home!@517

Media Power Used Unintelligently – What Should And Could Be Done!?

Today, we have the traditional media: newspapers, magazines, books, And we have modern media (image from medium.com) such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter (birdie) – and Blogger (B), my favorite media, where you’re reading this now.

What is media as a whole promoting today? The answer shocks me, if not you. The media is functioning – but not performing its most powerful role! Which is? Read on!

In Iloilo City, the DSWD Field Office VI recognizes 33 media partners region-wide during the “Media Pasasalamat” (Thanksgiving) held in Iloilo City 21 March 2024 (22 March 2024, Admin, Boracay Island News Network, boracayislandnews.com, upper image). “These media partners were identified as the Most Supportive Media Outlets and Individuals who extended extraordinary support to social protection and advocacy campaigns of the Department (of Social Welfare & Development).”

Unfortunately, the news does not share what were those “advocacy campaigns” supported by media, so we cannot judge their importance – and that’s important!

Elsewhere, veteran broadcast journalist “Kabayan” Noli De Castro was honored by the Reader’s Digest as the “Most Trusted Radio Presenter” (Facebook post of “Kapamilya United” midnight of Friday, March 21). I, who had learned much from the Reader’s Digest, and an active solo blogger since 2000, am impressed – but not that much. Like: Trusted in what manner and what endeavors?

No Sir, no Ma'am! The news does not mention anything about what I consider the most important role of media: promotion of community development – as reflected in the name of this my blog: “Communication for Development of Vibrant Villages (ComDev2).

I am conservation-minded. Thus, I see & say that one of the major goals of any communication for community development is the promotion of nature-friendly programs, projects and activities that follow a basic law of Mother Nature, as I see it: “Live, and let live!”

“Supportive media outlets and individuals” – yes, but media people should go beyond being mere “Social Protection Champions” into being “Social Promotion Champions” and espouse, for instance, “Regenerative Development” or “Regenerative Capitalism”! (See my article “How Good Is ‘Sustainable Capitalism’ AKA ‘Creative Capitalism’ Vs ‘Regenerative Capitalism’”? 16 Jan 2024, ComDeV2, blogspot.com.)

Media people – Instead of simply accepting “sustainable development,” why not investigate “regenerative development?” There is a huge difference. Media people should be launching their own media campaigns.

Media people, don’t tell me you are not creative enough!

Here is Wikipedia on “social media marketing” (Wikipedia):

Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service.

Me, I am happy blogging, via Blogger.com, free, as I can go solo given my own array of digital talents that I began teaching myself some 24 years ago.

Now then, I expect the senior media people to encourage the junior media staff to practice their favorite social media in pursuit of positive social goals of that media.

Just remember to promote Positive positions (not to mention practices), not the Negative ones most media have been fond of disseminating all these years since the modern newspaper was invented in 1605 (Bing).

Too lazy the hero?@517