Pinoy Media 2 – Thinking Ahead For Pinoy Media To Preach The Gospel Of Regenerative Agriculture That Is Good For The Millions Of Poor Filipino Farmers!

To begin with, let us look at the concept of “regeneration” with the image above (from edwardlundwall.blogspot.com) – renewed, redeemed, restored. When we do any of the 13 practices under Regenerative Agriculture (RA) (see list below), Mother Nature is the one that does the regeneration, so the farmer’s field and crop are both renewed, redeemed and restored literally! (Thank you very much, Edward F Landwall! for the image.)

Pinoy Media – Let me call your would-be media campaign “Regenerative Journalism” (Reg Journ). This follows my earlier advice (20 Sept 2024, “Pinoy Media, Attention Please! Including The Fightingest Rappler, You Have Ignored 2M+ Filipino Farmers In Their Poverty!,” Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages, blogspot.com).

Reg Journ – Pinoy media could band together for a project – to inform and encourage the millions of poor Filipino farmers to adopt any of the 13 practices under the concept of “Regenerative Agriculture.”

Suggestion to Pinoy media – for your journalists to learn more about Regenerative Agriculture (RA), first you form a committee, say “Journalists For Farmers Out-Of-Poverty Committee,” and discuss how this journalists’ poverty committee will go about this campaign from zero point.

If only digitally, you will need to listen to science experts from either IRRI (in Los Baños), or PhilRice (Muñoz, Nueva Ecija), or UP Los Baños (Los Baños), or all of the above, about these 13 practices belonging to Regenerative Agriculture:

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.

Nota bene: “Listening” to those science experts does not require that they be physically present within hearing distance – their talks (and your subsequent consultations with them), can and should be recorded digitally so that their advice can be repeated anytime without their physical presence. It is their knowledge that you require, not their bodily appearance.

Remember always: Each of those 13 –

(1) requires no chemical fertilizer because it restores the native fertility of the soil, which is more than enough;
(2) requires no chemical pesticide because the native fertility gives to the soil and crop the natural resilience to ward off pests and diseases;
(3) requires no or very little irrigation water;
(4) requires very little cost compared to current farming of any crop;
(5) requires very little expertise in farming, because once the planting has been done, Mother Nature takes over.

I just googled now and the World Economic Forum is saying (weforum.org):

“Regenerative agriculture focuses on improving the health of soil, which has been degraded by the use of heavy machinery, fertilizers and pesticides in intensive farming.”

To each his own. Regenerative Journalism should be easy because the journalist is expected to share information what science says, while the expert is expected to explain the science.

(If the journalist doesn’t understand anything, s/he should ask a scientist – or google for more information.)@517

Pinoy Media 1 – Attention Please! Including The Fightingest Rappler, You Have Ignored 2M+ Filipino Farmers In Their Poverty!

Reality: The fighting digital Philippine media have so far ignored the plight of millions of poor Filipino farmers by not featuring them and/or reporting on their sad plight for ages and ages.

Do Pinoy media care about farmer poverty? Not that I have read – and I am a digital hound; self-inspired as a son-of-a-farmer blogger since the year 2000.
(sources: top image from pace.org.ph, bottom from youtube.com)

Really: Should I be surprised with media apathy about the poor farmers? No. A blogger and digital hound in the last 25 years, I know that in the last 40 years, would you believe! – no one from so many PH media, and no one from PhilRice, neither from UP Los Baños, nor from IRRI, has come out for and/or managed a campaign local or national for farmers to practice Regenerative Agriculture (RA); they do not know that RA decreases much farming costs and increases much farming returns!?

I don’t know why they don’t know.

On his birthday, PH President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr himself did not talk about raising the millions of farmers from poverty to prosperity, only about “improved lives” (see my article, “Marcos’ Wish On His 67th Birthday 13 Sept 2024, ‘Improved Lives Of Filipino Farmers’ – Hilario’s Wish, ‘Raising Farmers From Poverty To Prosperity’ As An Ilocano Son Of A Farmer,” Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages, blogspot.com).

We have to help farmers enjoy more than improved lives – they must prosper!

We need to think more, wider and higher.

Repeat: At the moment, not a single national or international institution in the Philippines has come out with a program on Regenerative Agriculture (RA) –
(1) not PCAARRD,
(2) not PhilRice,
(3) not IRRI, and
(4) not UP Los Baños.

I challenge those 4 big institutions in agriculture, national and international, to come out with at least one national program on RA!

Anyway, here I am, a UPLB alumnus, agriculturist (BSA major in Ag Edu 1965) – and I have been blogging about Regenerative Agriculture since at least 2019.

Why am I so in love with Regenerative Agriculture? I love it that RA
enriches the soil,
enriches the harvests,
enriches the farmers, as well as
enriches the consumers, as the food grown is naturally healthy.

Back to the media. Now then, I am calling on the PH digital publishing media to support a public campaign by its online pages for a regeneration of PH agriculture!

Yes, there was a Pinoy Media Congress organized by the ABS-CBN Corporate Communications for the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE) held 25-26 July 2024 (news.abs-cbn.com).

“The event, organized by the ABS-CBN Corporate Communications, provided numerous networking opportunities, allowing educators to share insights and experiences, enhancing the overall learning experience.”

Nothing mentioned about the poor Filipino farmers!

As an independent thinker, I am challenging the fightingest Rappler to come out with its media program to help solve the poverty of millions of Filipino farmers. For a change – No bad words necessary, just positive promoting.
Wake up, PH media!@51

The Number “13” Gives Me A Crazy Idea – PH Exporting Rice To SEA Via 13 Practices Of Organic Regenerative Agriculture!

I am an Ilocano and just last Tuesday, Sept 17 we celebrated modestly my 84^th birthday with my wife Ampy, daughter Jennifer, the small but whole families of Daphne (husband Mark and son Kiko), of son Paul Hilario (wife Celeste, daughter Yja & son Kulas) – with humble food: a little Solo Selecta Rocky Road box, soft drinks, some spaghetti, Domino pizza – with big appetites!

Right now, I wake up in the middle of the night of 18-19 September (it’s 1:46 AM as I look at the bottom of my extension monitor) with this urge to write all this, with the inspiration of the number “13,” those practices belonging to “Organic Regenerative Agriculture” in my list:

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

13 Organics! Afraid of 13? Here is enlightening text from the source of the above 5 images of 13 – “Mysticism Meets Mathematics: What Does The Number 13 Mean Spiritually?” (Planet Numerology, planetnumerology.com):

The number 13 holds a potent vibration in spiritual circles, often shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Across various cultures and religions, this digit has been linked to transformation, rebirth, and divine feminine energy. While many fear its association with bad luck, others see it as a symbol of change and growth. Spiritually, understanding the essence of 13 can provide a deeper insight into the universe’s mystic rhythms.

The 13 in my list of ORA above came naturally; I did not plan it – but now, as the above source says, I see that ORA is “a symbol of change and growth.” If you look at the list of 13 ORA, they are not “mystic” – they are natural things. Mother Nature things.

And I, an Ilocano, I am sure another Ilocano as Secretary of Agriculture would approve it: William Dar. He knew poverty when he was little – thus, his parents could not afford to send him to college – fortunately, his uncle did, willingly. Similarly, we need willing minds and hands to get the Philippines from rice importer to rice exporter to all the countries of the SEA – Southeast Asia!

And how do we begin all that? With President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr returning William Dar Secretary of Agriculture! I know Mr Dar believes in the wisdom of Regenerative Agriculture, and he is an Ilocano who has known poverty when he was young. We need his “New Thinking for Agriculture” to solve the poverty of millions of Filipino farmers! And PH to sell organic rice to Southeast Asia!

I repeat: The Regenerative Agriculture “13” is good for transformation and rebirth. Instead of bad luck, “13” is a symbol of change and growth. It reflects Mother Nature’s rhythms. The call is for organic regenerative agriculture (ORA) – let’s go ORA ahora!@517

DA’s Agri-Puhunan Program (APP) Vs FAH’s Agri-Sensya Program (ASP) – Subsidy Vs Science To Enrich Farmers!

On his birthday 13 Sept 2024, ANN says PH Pres Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr launched at Guimba in Nueva Ecija a program “aimed at assisting rice farmer-members of agricultural cooperatives across 1.2 million hectares nationwide” (Author Not Named, 13 Sept 2024, “President Marcos Unveils DA’s Agri-Puhunan Program, Targeting 1.2 Million Hectares With Low-Cost Credit And Market Support,” DA, da.gov.ph).

Subsidies. The APP needs billions upon billions of pesos to provide all the millions of poor farmers with subsidies. PH cannot afford all that!
(image from gov.capital)

Like I said earlier (see my article “Marcos’ Wish On His 67th Birthday 13 Sept 2024, “Improved Lives Of Filipino Farmers” – Hilario’s Wish, “Raising Farmers From Poverty To Prosperity” As An Ilocano Son Of A Farmer,” 15 Sept 2024, Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages (ComDev2), blogspot.com), the DA’s APP is a “Survival Program” and FAH’s is Agri-Sensya Program (ASP), a “Revival Program.” Survive, able to get by – Revive, via Science, able to bring back to health, improve life. With ASP, our farmers not only survive but surmount their poverty and prosper with help of science while employing their energies.

According to Statista, 2.37 million Filipino farmers were poor in 2021 (statista.com). Subsidies: When will the APP reach those millions of poor farmers, and how will it raise those billions upon billions of pesos needed to help them?

At any rate, even assuming that the DA can raise the billions upon billions of pesos needed, the farmers will still be burdened by the high costs of inputs – expensive fertilizers and pesticides.

An Ilocano, I think in terms of inut (thrift), and so I think in terms of the science called Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Because RA is Ilocano-like low-cost, it will eliminate the billions upon billions of pesos of inputs and replace them with inexpensive inputs, as suggested by this RA list of science:

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.

Although I am not an economist, I think that to finance those 13 practices for millions of Filipino farmers would not require PhP 130 billion but only PhP 130 million to disseminate the regenerative science to farmers nationwide!

That’s why I wrote earlier, “Marcos’ Wish On His 67th Birthday 13 Sept 2024, “Improved Lives Of Filipino Farmers” – Hilario’s Wish, “Raising Farmers From Poverty To Prosperity” As An Ilocano Son Of A Farmer” (15 Sept 2024, Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages, blogspot.com),

I am still dreaming that I will celebrate my birthday this coming Tuesday with a conscience-stricken (and science-driven) PH Department of Agriculture. If my dream is to come true, BBM will have to return William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture because it is only he among the many appointed DA heads who has the necessary Vision and Mission to lead the Filipino farmers from Poverty to Prosperity! Science-revived DA!@517

Marcos’ Wish On His 67th Birthday 13 Sept 2024, “Improved Lives Of Filipino Farmers” – Hilario’s Wish, “Raising Farmers From Poverty To Prosperity” As An Ilocano Son Of A Farmer

To each his own? I can imagine Zacarian Sarao happily writing his report “Marcos’ Wish On His Birthday: Improved Lives Of Filipino Farmers” (13 Sept 2024, Inquirer.Net, newsinfo.inquirer.net), on the launching of the “Agri Puhunan at Pantawid” (APP) program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Nueva Ecija. Pres Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr was 67 years old that Friday that he launched the APP.

BBM said, as translated by Mr Sarao: “(For) the entire agricultural system, my birthday wish, is to develop the agricultural sector so that the lives of every farmer, (his) family, and every Filipino can be better.”

“Can be better” – I note that.

Mr Sarao says:

“The APP program aims to assist rice farmer-members of agricultural cooperatives tilling 1.2 million hectares of land nationwide.

“One of its goals is to raise farmers’ productivity and income by providing low-cost credit, financial assistance, and a ready market for their harvests as it offers credit facilities to rice farmers and cooperatives for 50,000 hectares of land during the dry cropping season from 2024 to 2025.”

I note the emphasis on coops for extending farmer assistances under the APP: (1) low-cost credit, (2) financial assistance, (3) ready market for the produce of rice farmers and cooperatives for 50,000 ha during the dry cropping season from 2024 to 2025.

Specifically, a farmer planting rice on 1 ha will receive a net allowance of PhP58,000 – which includes a subsistence allowance of PhP 32,000 distributed over 4 months.

Now then, congratulations BBM on the DA’s program “Agri Puhunan at Pantawid” (Agri Capital & Sustenance – my translation).

However: “Pantawid” is meant only for survival, and is not meant to help the poor rice farmers rise from poverty to prosperity! To improve their lives from poor to rich, they will need to do 2 things simultaneously:

(1)   reduce their total cost of production

(2)   multiply their harvests and therefore their returns.

And they cannot do any of the two, no matter how hard they try, if they continue using expensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Our Filipino farmers must graduate to Regenerative Agriculture (RA), that which requires Low Costs and rewards the farmer with High Returns.

Is RA a foreign idea? Surely the name, but our farmers are familiar with RA practices (my numbering and alphabetization): 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.

Regenerative Agriculture practices are not really hard to comprehend. The application of those RA practices would revitalize agriculture all over the Philippines arising from their very low costs that result in very high returns – and zero damage to the environment.

RA is my strong “Pampasigla (Revival) Program” vs the weak DA Pantawid (Survival) Program – and we can see the un/happy results in only 1 cropping season!@517

What’s Good In “Friday The 13th”?

It’s Friday The 13^th of September 2024! Because my 84^th birthday is coming up in a very, very few days, today I ask: “What’s good in Friday The 13^th?” And the google results I get is equivalent to this one-word answer “None!”

Today is Friday, The 13^th of September 2024, and it is just a few days before my 84^th birthday, and that’s Good – in fact, it’s Excellent, thank God!

If you can’t find something good in today, read in silence the “Morning Prayer” above shared on Facebook today, Friday The 13^th, by Evangeline Mariano.

About “Friday The 13^th,” Wikipedia says (en.wikipedia.org):

Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. For example, 2015 had a Friday the 13th in February, March, and November, which will happen again in 2026. Leap years that begin on Sunday (i.e. that follow Dominical Letter AG) such as 2012 and 2040, also have 3 Friday the 13ths in January, April and July. 2017 through 2020 had two Friday the 13ths, as did 2023; 2016, 2021 and 2022 had just one Friday the 13th, as will 2025, 2027, and 2028; 2024 will have two Friday the 13ths.

The 2^nd Friday the 13^th of 2024 will occur in December, 3 months from now.

Again, from Wikipedia, on the “Unluckiness Of 13”:

… The unlucky nature of the number "13" is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla. The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. ... Balder died, and the whole Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned. It was a bad, unlucky day. This major event in Norse mythology caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky.

It is possible that the publication in 1907 of TW Lawson's popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth contributed to popularizing the superstition. In the novel, an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th.

“Norse myth.” Wikipedia says:

Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period.

Are we Catholics exempted from Friday the 13^th “unfortunateness”? Don’t forget “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci. How many were present at the last supper before Christ’s crucifixion? 13.

The superstition seems to relate to various things, like the story of Jesus' Last Supper and crucifixion in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday.

Well, as a Catholic, today, Friday The 13^th of September 2024 is Good Friday! What else can it be? I’m alive, and that’s Good!@517

My September Birthday Wish – William Dar Back As PH Secretary Of Agriculture!

September is my birthmonth. Considering millions, plural, of Filipino farmers who remain poor, and considering 2 prior appointees as Agri Sec who have so far failed the farmers, I declare we need an Agri Sec who has a National Vision, Mission & Strategy – the Strategy to fulfil that Mission to bring that Vision to life. None other than William Dar – he who was abruptly interrupted when he had started right and was doing well, the fact being beyond the comprehension of the PH President!

Gumamela Celes Bejarin says when Pres Rodrigo R Duterte appointed him as Agri Sec in 2019, Mr Dar came in with his (“Dar Advocates Strategic, Sustained Investment In Agri For Sustainable, Inclusive Growth” (DA, da.gov.ph):

New Thinking for Agriculture, a science-based and inclusive development strategy built around eight paradigms, namely, 1) modernization, 2) industrialization, 3) promotion of exports; 4) farm consolidation, 5) infrastructure development, 6) roadmap development, 7) higher budget and investments, and 8) legislative support.

Unfortunately, Mr Dar was rudely interrupted and that Vision dimmed.

The World Bank believes in Mr Dar; it says, “Philippines: Vibrant Agriculture is Key to Faster Recovery and Poverty Reduction” (09 Sept 2020, World Bank, worldbank.org), quoting Mr Dar as saying:

Our vision is a food-secure and resilient Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk. Realizing this vision will require (us) to continuously empower farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural entrepreneurs, and the private sector to increase agricultural productivity and profitability…

The World Bank report also says:

“The report… part of World Bank support to the Department of Agriculture’s ‘New Thinking’ in agricultural development, suggests shifting… towards improving the overall resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability of the rural sector.”

The immediate past PH Secretary of Agriculture failed the Filipino people; the current Agri Sec has so far failed similarly.

The World Bank report also says:

“In the past, spending has gone mostly toward price supports for selected crops and goods, as well as subsidies on inputs such as fertilizer, planting materials, and machines. Global experience shows that while ensuring the availability of key inputs remain important, reorienting significant public spending toward investments in public goods – including research and development (R&D), infrastructure, innovation systems, market information systems, and biosecurity systems—results in faster poverty reduction and greater productivity gains through an overall modernization of agriculture.”

What are also important? The World Bank says, “…Research and development (R&D), infrastructure, innovation systems, market information systems, and biosecurity systems” are also necessary.

Who can understand all that except an Agri Sec who has local and international experiences in leadership – followers starting from the bottom? No other than Mr Dar. He was the Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in India, who led ICRISAT, from also-ran among the 15 international agricultural agencies under the CGIAR Group, to the top – Mr Dar was “rewarded” by keeping him ICRISAT head for 15 years (3 terms), 2000-2014!

With Mr Dar back as Agri Sec, we have an achiever with a New Thinking for the advancement of agriculture in the Philippines!@517