Communication for Development of Vibrant Villages (ComDeV2)

22 October 2020

“Always Tired & Always Poor” – The PH Farmers Whom Maeca Czarina Pansensoy Of Rappler Believes She Knows

Young Miss Maeca Czarina Pansensoy – a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University in Business Management,with Honors (from LinkedIn) – wrote Monday, 19 October 2020, an opinion piece, published by the independent-minded journalist group Rappler.com, titled “Palaging Pagod At Palaging Hirap: The Story Of The Philippine Farmer” (my translation: Always Tired & Always Poor). Awkward.

I call it “awkward” because it purports, without saying so, to summarize the life & times of Filipino farmers beginning we don’t know when – Miss Maeca does not preface title and first sentence with a time period of years. And she summarizes such life & times in only 460 words including title!?

I think her first paragraph says it all for her thesis:

Our farmers struggle with a history of injustice. They have been forced to till land they do not own, sell their produce at prices unequal to their labor, and carry a whole sector on their already aching backs – for a country that has forgotten to listen to them properly. As our country strives to move forward, we have forgotten to bring its foundation along.

“Our farmers struggle with a history of injustice.” Yes, Miss Maeca, the Filipino farmer has been forcedto cultivate the field he does not own, otherwise where will he & his family get their wherewithal?

They have been forced to “sell their produce at prices unequal to their labor.” Tell you what, Miss Maeca, please understand that:

(1) Low prices are the dictates of the market, and farmers need to understand and appreciate that in order to help themselves!

(2) Additionally, the farmers’ labors are uneconomic, or wasteful of resources, such as of seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, and irrigation water. I know all that personally, as I am a farmer’s son and BSA major in Ag Education graduate of UP Los Baños, 1965.

(3) “And carry a whole sector on their already aching backs” – Ha! You produce food for those who cannot; now, why are you not well-compensated? Aside from your wasteful habits as a farmer, the merchants take advantage of you! (image of “empty pockets[1]” from Noun Project)

So, as a farmer, you have 2 enemies: Yourself and the Merchant! Do you recognize yourself there? Do you understand that you are a profligate farmer – wasting resources when you should not?

(4) “For a country that has forgotten to listen to them properly.” If you are referring to the activist farmers, Miss Maeca, yes, we have not been listening to them properly, thank God. You know why? They’re wrong!

Miss Maeca, your farmers insist on land ownership as principal requirement for productivity. How many farmers are rich because they are landowners?

Instead of ownership, our Secretary of Agriculture William Dar is propagating the idea of farm consolidation (see my essay, “A Revolution Of Our Times! Landownership Out, Bandownership In[2],” 29 September 2020, Brave New World). Why? Economies of scale.

Miss Maeca, sometimes one can achieve success alone. But much sweeter it is when many succeed together!@517

[1]https://thenounproject.com/term/poverty/

[2]https://bravenewworldph.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-revolution-of-our-times-landownership.html

21 October 2020

Du30 And His Huge Embarrassment Of Riches

Is Du30’s record now richer with millions more of drug users listed?

Yes, and No. About PH President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s War On Drugs, this time the war has the wrong numbers! (Bad Data[1] image from Amazon.com)

Sofia Tomacruz of Rappler.comhas a story of data that are crazy the very first time you read them, as they don’t add up and the explanation given is quite another public embarrassment!

Citing what he said were government figures, (President Rodrigo) Duterte said in a recorded address, “I’d like to report to you that according to the…DDB, Dangerous Drugs Board, there are about 167 million or two out of 100 people, Filipinos aged 10 to 69, (who) are current users of drugs.”

The number of Filipino drug users has reached 167 million!

Archipelagic mistake, because there are only a little more than 100 million Filipinos as of July 2020. If 167 million were correct, it would mean every Filipino is a drug user, plus 67 million foreigners in this country who are also all into drugs!

Today Tuesday, 20 October, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified that Duterte’s statement had been the result of a typographical error. “Typo lang po ‘yun (It was just a typo, Sir/Madam). It should be 1.67 million,” Roque said during a virtual address.

1.67 million had multiplied itself 100 times!

Whose fault was it? The writer’s error, because he did not check the facts. The copyreader’s fault, because he failed to spot the mistake. The TV broadcaster’s mistake, because he did not countercheck what he received for broadcasting. That was Malacañang’s blunder, because they did not watch first to be sure.

That pass-it-on faux pas is unforgivable! This is a much embarrassed world-class blogger and Editor In Chief speaking, Filipino.

The Dangerous Drugs Board is dangerous with figures, capable of magnifying them 100 times! Or are the DDB staff Lazy Juans or Juanas, too indolent to check their facts?

What now should Du30 do about the matter that embarrassed him without measure?

One: Du30 would fire the errant DDB staff who provided the wrong numbers – s/he was careless for her/his President!

Two: Du30 would from now on require that people check beforehand what he is about to broadcast to the Filipino people, especially when big data is involved. This one made all of us Filipino citizens drug users without our knowledge and consent!

Three: Du30 would make sure that charts and/or graphs are prepared and their data compared against each other to prevent another embarrassing broadcast or announcement.

Four: DDB would form an extra-careful communications team if only to serve the media meetings of Du30 concerning or not the War on Drugs.

Five: Why not a communications person to always check any Du30’s scheduled media release, being WFH?

Having said that, let me tell you how I incorrigible writer avoid such inaccuracies as wrong number cited: Without exception, carefully I read my drafts each at least 5 times a day at different times, so I can catch myself making a mistake like multiplying my data 100 times!@517

[1]https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Data-Measure-Things-Metrics-ebook/dp/B07NCS43F5

20 October 2020

National Development – Instead Of The Gender Agenda, Inclusive Approach

The Gender Agenda:
Is Mexico another (developing) story?

My country PH is a matriarchal society; the voice of the eldest matriarch is especially heard. But not in agriculture, because this one is more science than spirit or soul. The above photograph, from Mariana Gallardo’s article “Rural Development Must Be Feminist Or It Cannot Be ” (04 October 2020, PRiME Training), displaying Mexican women harvesting rice, with someone backpacking a baby – I say shows only paid labor, not inequality.

Miss Mariana says, “To ensure sustainable rural development, it is essential that all rural development policies and programs (be) based on a gender approach.” I say, “Gender is a much limited view.” Following PH Secretary William Dar’s “The New Thinking for Agriculture,” it must be an inclusive approach. I say, “To ensure inclusive development, it is essential that all policies and programs be technically feasible, economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable.” Gender notwithstanding. (development image from ecdpm.org)

Note that Miss Mariana is talking only of rural development, that is, artificially separating it from urban development – these are yours and these are ours. Mr Dar’s thinking is on inclusive development, where the poor are also actual actors for and accumulators of prosperity as society goes up the rungs fulfilling Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Miss Mariana argues that Mexican women are responsible for almost half of rural production – this only means that many more women than men are employed in production. It is not sex that development is concerned with; I say it is the family, the smallest unit of society. That women contribute much to social progress needs only to be acknowledged, not rewarded in political power over or equal to men.

Miss Mariana says, “This (gender approach) would have a significant impact not only on the rights and quality of life of women but also on the fight against poverty and the reduction of hunger.”

I say, “The dichotomy between urban and rural is artificial, man-made.” Urban society is connected with, indeed, depends upon rural society – the urbanites get their food from the ruralites. Personally, I emphasize family rights, not men’s or women’s rights. The so-called Gender Gap is woman-made! – what is equal is not the same as equitable.

“In addition, 97% of rural women formally employed in agricultural and fishing activities carry out unpaid activities, mainly domestic chores, care work and community work.” Miss Mariana wants household activities, nursing and child care, even volunteer community work paid for one way or the other. But family responsibility cannot be measured – you do it for love of family, not money!

Miss Mariana says:

An equally alarming fact is that according to data from CONEVAL and INMUJERES approximately 90% of women living in rural localities suffer from some form of poverty or are vulnerable due to social deficiencies.

That's the problem with “sociologically” separating women from families – you do say “90% of women… suffer from poverty” but not say “90% of rural families suffer from poverty.” Yours is the imperfect picture of society: Discrimination for females and against families!@517

19 October 2020

Saka Gandahan – PH Youth Aggie Entrepreneurship Learning From Danish Folk High School

My coinage: Saka Gandahan has 3 meanings. (1) Farming made beautiful. (2) Then, make it beautiful. (3) In its beauty…

In 2 words, Saka Gandahan is a summary of what I’m thinking of how to teach Filipino youth aggie entrepreneurship, one of the small/big dreams of PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar following his “The New Thinking for Agriculture.” I explain below.

The main image above is that of a long-forgotten Danish folk high school (photograph[1] from Projects Exeter), vintage 1916. I myself had forgotten that I wrote about this type of school already 9 years ago (see my essay, “Reductionist, Long Education. The UP College Of Agriculture, 1909[2],” 05 September 2011, A Magazine Called Love). Today, I’m going to use it as a lesson for an aggie entrepreneurship course that can be offered via the State Colleges & Universities,SCUs, in the Philippines, numbering at least 100[3] (Wikipedia).

In my 2011 essay, I mention that at the University of Wisconsin, there was this holistic, non-reductionist short course of 2 years. The #6 objective of that short course sums it all for me:

To uplift the farming interests of the state, to make better farmers, and more intelligent, useful citizens.

Beautiful!

Now, what is the lesson for Saka Gandahan there? In class and field, a presentation can come out like this, comparing equivalent techniques currently used in agriculture:

1. Trash farming vs conventional

2. Direct seeding vs transplanting

3. 1-month vs 4-month transplants

4. Single seedling vs bunch transplanting

5. Organic vs inorganic fertilizer

6. Natural vs chemical disease control

7. Natural vs chemical weed control.

Isn’t that a short but beautiful list of what farming is all about?!

Remember: My list is simple, not exhaustive for entrepreneurship training. I cannot make a list of topics for complete entrepreneurship training because I am not familiar with the matter. Besides, I’m just discussing the How, not the What, When & Why.

And now, you may ask:

Can I be more specific with Saka Gandahan?

One example. Comparing trash farming with conventional – In trash farming, you use the rotavator, while in conventional farming, you use the disc plow (hand tractor). Note that the rotavator blades, shaped L & J at the end, cut differently from the tractor disc blades – the rotavator cuts soil and weeds and mixes them all in one rotary motion, while the disc plow digs into the earth and throws the chunks to the side. With the tractor blades, the soil below is brought to the top and exposed. Not with the rotavator.

There is a profound difference there! The rotavator builds a mulch all over the field with the soil and weeds & crop refuse mixed – your organic matter waiting for your crops! Thus, the rotavator controls the weeds and fertilizes your field at the same time. While the tractor blades expose the soil to the sun, drying it up.

Rotavating your soil enriches it with plant nutrients and maintains the soil moisture if you truly understand the technology!@517

[1]https://projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/folkhighschool.html

[2]https://amagazinecalledlove.blogspot.com/2011/09/reductionist-long-education-up-college.html

[3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Association_of_State_Universities_and_Colleges

18 October 2020

World Food Day 2020 – We Must Hunger Together, Or We Will Hunger Separately!

Above, in Manila PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar speaks at the “World Food Day Culminating Program” held Friday 16 October 2020 in the Bureau of Soils & Water Management building adjoining the main headquarters of the Department of Agriculture, DA, in Quezon City.

Also seen above is the theme of World Food Day 2020: “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. Our Actions Are Our Future.”

About food from plants, the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, says[1] (FAO.org):

Today only nine plant species account for 66% of total crop production, despite the fact that there are at least 30 000 edible plants. We need to grow a variety of food to nourish people and sustain the planet.

The world needs to grow more food – more in volume, more in variety; nourish better more people; sustain more meaningful lives. Together, from better actions come common, fuller, sustainable futures.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, who happens to be the Deputy Country Director of the UN World Food Program Philippines, Mats Persson, was of course in attendance. To me, Mr Persson’s presence signifies that:

Our world actions on the matter of food, since
they are our future, must be done in peace.

And to me, PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar’s presence signifies something of value that is BIG. You see, Mr Dar is not a political appointee of President Rodrigo Duterte – Mr Dar is an all-around guy as national teacher, extensionist, scientist, research manager in the Philippines; and global leader of an august body, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT, based in India, that he served for 15 years, 3 terms, from 2000 to 2014. It was he as Servant Leader who brought ICRISAT from dead last to #1 in achievements (publicly measured in awards) among the 15 international agriculture centers under the CGIAR based in France. It was wonderful observing even from afar. I know all that because I was an international consulting writer for ICRISAT 2007-2014, WFH, based in Manila.

“Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.” Together. Yes, today on his second year as PH Secretary of Agriculture, Mr Dar is emphasizing group efforts in different formats, such as: farm consolidation, farm clusters, cooperatives, DA-initiated food markets in urban areas (“Kadiwa Ni Ani At Kita”), private sector and local government unit direct assistances in food distribution…

In his long culmination speech, after all is said and done, this is Mr Dar’s emphasis:

Foremost, before ensuring food production, we strongly believe our respective governments must first address the growing number of people being pushed into poverty.

The poor we have always had with us. He says rural poverty in the Philippines is at its highest: 30%. “We expect this level to further increase as a result of this (lockdown).” He recommends “to create employment once again, and crank up livelihood activities and stimulate consumption.”

In other words, end the lockdown of any kind: Now!
I say, we must be free to make this country great.
Our Common Actions Today Are Our Common Future!@

[1]http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/home/en/

17 October 2020

DevCom Is Passé! For PH Agriculture To Revive And Thrive, iComDev Is The Call Of The Times

Almost 50 years old, the discipline called Development Communication, DevCom, NCQ’s brainchild, has not caught up with the digital swirl of the world’s knowledge in science and technology. And that is why I offer my new brainchild: iComDev. (Images: above, the pile of words comes from Indev Jobs; “CDC” image[1] from UPLB DevCom webpage)

Think Internet. In iComDev, the i puts digital intelligence into communication for development, so now you can disseminate it anywhere instantly.

A little history. I was physically on the campus of the University of the Philippines’ College of Agriculture, UPCA, now UP Los Baños, from 1959 to 1966 – I taught in Xavier University College of Agriculture in Cagayan De Oro City in 1968-1969. I was out of (touch of) UP Los Baños up to 1974; so I did not know Nora C Quebral, NCQ, gave birth to DevCom[2] in 1971 (Wikipedia).

In April 1975, I became the Chief Information Officer (not the title) of the Forest Research Institute, FORI, where from 1975 to 1981, I was the founder and Editor In Chief of 3 regular FORI publications: monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly popular color magazine Habitat. Being a wide reader, I had read about DevCom and reacted by writing a technical paper that I published in Sylvatrop about Communication for Development, ComDev. The name and acronym were intentionally the opposites of NCQ’s Development Communication and DevCom. At that time, I already had accumulated too much communication experience not to know which is which and what is what for. So now I am resurrecting ComDev in the personality of iComDev.

For the record, here are some Guidelines for iComDev I have generated:

Communication: Communication is passing on any message in any form & medium from person to person either physically or digitally, directly or indirectly, on paper or onscreen.

Development: Whatever happens to help whole villages ascend Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Knowledge Base: In iComDev, it is by design that there is a database of knowledge, expressed in scientific terms or technical jargon. This is for those who understand the Science of Agriculture.

Popular Knowledge: This is the iKnow, which is in fact a popularization of the whole technical knowledge base. For knowledge seekers who are not familiar with scientific terms.

Options for Decision: The components of which are the raw materials for communication. The iKnow is composed of options for action such as inbred vs hybrid, organic vs inorganic fertilizer, direct seeding vs transplanting, and individual farming vs cooperative. It must be emphasized that iKnow is all digital and accessible via the Internet.

Mother Language: Initially, the language used is American English, for the technical terms as well as the equivalent and/or translated non-technical terms. Later, the knowledge base in popular English will be translated into several Filipino languages such as Tagalog, Ilocano, Bicolano, and Waray.

With or without the pandemic lockdown, we should not lockdown knowledge – in agriculture, the best way to share it today is digital. iComDev!@517

[1]https://devcom.edu.ph/

[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nora_C._Quebral

16 October 2020

DevCom, The Undiscovered Country

This is the story of DevCom so far.

DevCom is understood by DevCom people who underplay it;
DevCom is understood by Senator Imee who undercuts it.
I blame the DevCom people!
(upper double image[1] from Reddit.com).

As World’s #1 Blogger, I am saying DevCom Island in the last 49 years has been largely unexplored even by UPLB people who created it!

The Rappler report says (Bonz Magsambol, 14 October 2020, “Senator Imee Marcos Schooled About DevCom After 'Cute,' 'Archaic' Remark[2],” Rappler.com):

"It is politicians like Imee Marcos and her family, especially her corrupt parents, who have made DevCom relevant then and now," says the UPLB College of Development Communication Student Council. ¶ Senator Imee Marcos is under fire over her remark that Development Communication (DevCom) is "cute," "archaic," and "old-fashioned."

In the first sentence I quote above, the DevCom Student Council has a fallacious argument – that is argumentumad hominem, attacking persons: “corrupt parents.” Also non-sequitur, does not follow.

The second sentence I quote where DevCom is described as "cute," "archaic," and "old-fashioned" is perfect– I agree with Miss Imee 100%!

Nora Quebral invented the concept of Development Communication, DevCom, in 1971[3] (Wikipedia) – half a century ago, making it archaic! The sound DevCom is cute, yes, but the concept is old-fashioned because when DevCom people do practice it, their language is 50 years old. There is no distinct DevCom vocabulary.DevCom people have not come up with a certain style of writing or treatment that tells you immediately, “That’s definitely DevCom.”

Wikipedia has a list of 6 DevCom educators, all of whom I happen to know personally – they do not write in any distinct essence that may be called DevCom.

In 5 words, DevCom is “communication in support of development.” With that, I am sadly reminded that the DevCom people have neither defined nor explained what is it they mean when they say “development.”

Let me put it this way:

Development means progress towards prosperity of people in a social context.

But that is always happening every single day. What the DevCom people want but have been unable to articulate is that:

Development means progress towards prosperity of people in a social context – including & especially the poor.

DevComers are intelligent people; unfortunately, they never talk about the poor in society being necessarily included as targets of development.

Suggestion: Let the UP Los Baños people explore Secretary of Agriculture William Dar’s “The New Thinking for Agriculture” with those “8 Paradigms” that feed it. By the way, Mr Dar is an alumnus of UP Los Baños, with a PhD in Horticulture obtained in 1980. (Likewise, I am an alumnus, BSA Ag Education '65.)

Another suggestion:In writing the concept of Development into actual vocabulary and volumes of Communication of DevCom people, consider that:

DevCom must proVIDE – promote Village Development.

Thus, Development becomes a real, big new world for DevCom, not simply a vague word in the phrase communication for development. Repeat: