Agriculturists – “Be Changemakers, Innovators, Trailblazers, Influencers, And Future Leaders Of Philippine Agriculture” – SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio

We need new kinds of leaders in Agriculture, says SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio, Guest of Honor and Speaker at the “Oathtaking Ceremony of New Agriculturists” at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Monday, 20 January 2025. Not  easy, Sir! But we need them all!

In Zara Mae Estareja’s 28 Jan 2025 story, Mr Gregorio challenged-described the new graduates thus (“SEARCA, searca.org):

"Today, you, the Beta Generation of Agriculturists, are not just licensed professionals; you are changemakers, innovators, trailblazers, influencers, and future leaders of Philippine agriculture.” indirectly, Mr Gregorio is saying that the Alpha Generation of Agriculturists (AGA), before them, had hardly been changemakers, innovators, trailblazers, influencers and leaders – the AGA are late bloomers!

Mr Gregorio “highlighted the unique situation of the newly licensed agriculturists – being caught in an unprecedented time with pressing challenges, such as climate change and food insecurity while being presented with opportunities to address these issues through technological innovations like artificial intelligence, drones, and big data.”

“In this context, Dr Gregorio introduced Carbon-WISE Agriculture: Winnable Innovative Solutions for the Environment, SEARCA's 12th Five-Year Development Plan strategy on producing better and bigger outputs while utilizing fewer resources.”

Let’s note the focus of SEARCA’s Carbon-WISE Agriculture: “reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserv(ing) soil, and protect(ing) biodiversity while ensuring food security for future generations.” Note that SEARCA has 11 countries supporting it: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. If the agriculture graduates of those 11 countries behaved as leaders in carbon-wise agriculture, they would be helping SEARCA-member governments in reducing Climate Change at the very least in such a very wide territory in such a short while!

Mr Gregorio tells the new graduates:

"Today, you, the Beta Generation of Agriculturists, are not just licensed professionals; you are changemakers, innovators, trailblazers, influencers, and future leaders of Philippine agriculture."

He is challenging them to be the “Beta Generation of Agriculturists,” to be changemakers. We need all the changemakers we can get in modern agriculture, where chemicals are the norm, not natural means of growing food.

“{Mr Gregorio) highlighted the unique situation of the newly licensed agriculturists – being caught in an unprecedented time with pressing challenges, such as climate change and food insecurity while being presented with opportunities to address these issues through technological innovations like artificial intelligence, drones, and big data.”

I leave those would-be innovations-solutions to the young and techno-savvy, the Beta Generation of Agriculturists. Instead I, as an old Agriculturist (Ag Ed, UP Los Baños ’65), having continued my learning by being an Internet hound, among others, I recommend the practice of any or all of these listed under the so-called package of “Regenerative Agriculture” – 13  of them (alphabetically arranged):

(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.

13 to go Safe & Sound Agriculture: Wise enough!?@517

Netherlands Is #2 World Food Exporter And Uses Zero (0) Pesticides – At Least, Why Cannot We Filipinos Learn From The Dutch Healthier Agriculture!? IRRI, How About “The Great Grain Green Revolution” Now?

Above combined image and text is from a Facebook sharing (Sustainability, 7 Jan 2025):

A country smaller than Maryland feeds much of Europe. The Netherlands became the world’s #2 food exporter in 2023, earning @$133 billion through advanced farming that uses 90% less water and no pesticides.

Pity the Philippines as a food producing country! The Netherlands, smaller than Maryland, USA, which is 12 times smaller than the Philippines – “feeds much of Europe” (Facebook sharing above). The much smaller country feeds the much bigger country.

We Filipinos cannot even feed ourselves! As of today, the Philippines is the world’s #1 importer of rice, the Filipinos’ own staple food. And to think that the Green Revolution was born in the Philippines, via IRRI, in the 1960s yet! It is time to wake up IRRI also?

I repeat from the “Sustainability” report:

A country smaller than Maryland feeds much of Europe. The Netherlands became the world’s #2 food exporter in 2023, earning $133 billion through advanced farming that uses 90% less water and no pesticides.

In terms of crop protection, the Dutch do more with less:

In 2020, Dutch farmers used 5 million kilograms of crop protection products, representing a decrease of more than 11% on 2016. The quantity used per hectare decreased by 13.4% as of 2016, while the cultivation area treated with such products increased by nearly 15,000 hectares.

The above is saying the Dutch farmers used 11% less CPP (crop protection products) in 2020 than 2016, but the cultivation area increased by 15,000 ha. Less for more. The Dutch farmers have shown that with less CPP use, it is not only possible to increase yield in more lands but also to “save” on the destruction of pests & diseases!

Maryland, USA is 12 times smaller than the Philippines, and so if we follow the Maryland example, we Filipinos can easily feed 12 times more people than Maryland. Sad to say, we cannot even feed ourselves!

In 2023 yet, the European declaration was this: “The Netherlands: No More Delaying With Less Pesticides In EU Agriculture” (Anonymous, 25 June 2023, IEDE News, iede.news):

Agriculture Minister Piet Adema says that next week the Netherlands will plead in the EU Agriculture Council for a quick settlement of the proposal for fewer pesticides in agriculture (SUR). The Netherlands is part of a group of six EU countries that have supported the proposal from the start.

It’s time for another agricultural revolution! I’ll call this one The Great Grain Green Revolution. Less insecticides, more grains.

Why not IRRI coming out with a 21^th century IR8² – where the rice grains are even healthier with zero pesticides?

Or, I say: We Filipinos just have to learn to be wiser with our bactericides and insecticides. How? Junk them all! In favor of Regenerative Agriculture (RA). If you don’t know anything about RA, time to learn about RA. This is an Ilocano agriculturist speaking.@

“2024 Was A ‘Perfect Storm’ For Agriculture” – DA Chief Francis Tiu Laurel Jr. That’s “A Perfect Excuse For Failure In PH Aggie Leadership!” – Frank A Hilario, UP Los Baños Alumnus, 1965

PH Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr’s Christmas doleful message to all: “This year was full of challenges, from the El Niño, La Niña and the devastation of various pests. This year was a perfect storm for the agriculture sector” (26 Dec 2024, “2024 A ‘Perfect Storm’ For Agriculture – DA Chief” (Bella Cariaso, The Philippine Star philstar.com). That’s equivalent to saying, “I failed you as your Secretary of Agriculture!”

An agriculturist and observer since 1965, when I graduated with Ag Edu from UP Los Baños, turned media reader since at least the appearance of the Philippines Daily Inquirer in 1997, and an admirer of then-PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar 2019 until he was unceremoniously replaced by BBM in 2022 – without BBM declaring a new PH DA Vision and Mission especially in the light of Climate Change! Then PH got was a No-Vision Tiu Laurel Jr.

I say “Perfect Storm” is perfect only as an excuse for the failure of PH Tiu Laurel Jr’s aggie leadership since late 2023, or in the last 2 years – time enough time to plug the aggie loopholes if he knew what to do!

And the biggest loophole is? Sec Tiu Laurel Jr’s Lack of Vision for PH Agriculture! You cannot lead without knowing exactly where to go for the benefit of the people!

“I know our work will not end. We will face many challenges but I believe that we will overcome all of these, especially with our aim to harvest enough supply and bring food to the table of every Filipino family,” Mr Tiu Laurel said.

Unambitious aim – any Secretary of Agriculture could promise to “bring food to the table of every Filipino”!

Food as a problem for the family of a farmer is nothing compared to poverty despite the industry of Filipino farmers in the growing of crops, especially rice.

The Vision should at least be: “To rescue from poverty and bring prosperity to the table of every Filipino farming family”!

Yes! We Filipinos need a Secretary of Agriculture  who has Vision for all of PH Agriculture.

“I know our work will not end. We will face many challenges but I believe that we will overcome all of these, especially with our aim to harvest enough supply and bring food to the table of every Filipino family,” Mr Tiu Laurel said.

Ah, but you can “bring food to the table of every Filipino family” by importing! So, Mr Tiu Laurel’s ambition is not ambitious at all. What the Filipino farmers need most is to turn farming from a losing position to a winning proposition!

And you know what? The farmers have to regenerate their agriculture from a losing to a winning proposition. And we can regenerate our farming by appointing a Secretary of Agriculture who has the National Vision that includes “Prosperity for All Farmers.” And I know one man who can lead us to its fulfilment: William Dar.@517

 

Filipinos, If You Love Your Country, Don’t Just Sit There And Wish The Farmer Poverty Would Go Away! Me, I Wish BBM Would Reappoint William Dar As Secretary Of Agriculture – And Support His New Vision For PH Agriculture!

Now he knows he made a mistake – Pres Ferdinand BBM Marcos dismissing William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture in 2022: 2 years later and millions of our farmers are still poor, if not poorer!

The Manila Times has made a continuing mistake too – not having a separate media, or at least section, on PH Agriculture.

Above, from me this article, “Secretary William Dar Starts To Map The Chaos Of PH Agriculture” (Greenfields Journalism, blogspot.com) – but the Times has never started to fully, 100% map the chaos of Philippine Agriculture and help farmers rise from the disarray by at least dedicating a whole Times section on it!

To be fair, not a single one of PH’s digital media is dedicated to mapping PH Agriculture from Chaos to System, from Cultures to Symmetry.

Here is The Manila Times display online:

OPINION. NEWS. REGIONS. WORLD. BUSINESS. SPORTS. ENTERTAINMENT. LIFESTYLE. THE SUNDAY TIMES

Manila Times, how about putting “AGRICULTURE” as your first section in that list? That would be like you saying this time, “Merry Christmas to our millions of farmers!”

Did you know that 30% of PH labor force is in agriculture (custommapposter.com)?

“The concentration… of poverty in the country is found in the agriculture sector… The agriculture sector… has not been an effective engine of social growth and human development” (“Towards Liberation From Debts Of Filipino Farmers (2024),” Custommapposter, custommapposter.com).

And? How can the Times live with that?!

So, how about this time, Manila Times?
Let’s change the times!

Some 8 years ago, Manila Times’ digital pages itself, I was writing and following the story of PH Agriculture (see image above) under the inspiration of William Dar who became Secretary of Agriculture (Aug 2019). He called his leadership “The New Thinking For Agriculture” and comprised the following:paradigms that also make up the “new thinking” for agriculture. The eight paradigms are:

Modernization of agriculture;

Industrialization of agriculture;

Promotion of exports;

Farm consolidation;

Roadmap development;

Infrastructure development;

Higher budget and investments for agriculture; and

Legislative support.

Mr Dar’s leadership of PH Agriculture was groundbreaking, to say the least – but The Manila Times did not see it like that, and I was in no position to persuade media management to dedicate a new section for PH Farming. Mr Dar had taken me in as a “Writer From Home” to help propagate the new farming efforts nationwide.

This time, it’s different. I now foresee the need for farming with new farming efforts – Regenerative Agriculture (RA)!

So, I want to convince The Manila Times to open a daily page on PH Agriculture. Other columnists can continue with their agriculture, but I will focus on RA because it’s:

VLC=VHR – that is, Very Low Costs = Very High Returns.

Today’s farming formula is the exact opposite:

VHC=VLR: Very High Costs = Very Low Returns!

And yes, I am urging BBM to reappoint William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture!@517

Multiple Intelligences (MI) In Education And Multiple Intelligences In Agriculture (MiA) – The Bests Are Yet To Be!

The idea of “multiple choices” is prevalent neither in E­ducation nor in Agriculture neither in the Philippines nor elsewhere – as a Teacher and Agriculturist, I have always wondered why. I came to know about Multiple Intelligences (MI) in 2011(?) when I learned about Cahbriba Alternative School (CAS) and sent my children there  - Neenah, Edwin and Ela – to study via the new educational paradigm called “Multiple Intelligences” (MI) that was brainchilded by Harvard psychology professor Howard Gardner. Here is my list of MI:

1. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”),
2. Creative Intelligence (“Thinking Smart”), added by FAH,
3. Existential Intelligence (“Life Smart”),
4. Interpersonal Intelligence (“People Smart”),
 5. Intrapersonal Intelligence (“Self Smart”),
6. Mathematical-Logical Intelligence (“Number/Reasoning Smart”),
7. Musical Intelligence (“Music Smart”),
8. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”),
9. Spatial Intelligence (“Image Smart”), and
10. Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (“Word Smart”).

I sent my children to Cahbriba, and Neenah cultivated her Body Smarts; she is now into Dance – while Graciela cultivated her People Smarts; she is now a high school teacher at the Potter’s School in El Nido, Palawan.

Today, I think of “Multiple Intelligences” when I scan my personal list of the world’s Regenerative Agriculture (RA) practices totaling 13:

(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.
(bottom image from natural.com)

Now then: I call my RA list Multiple Intelligences Agriculture (MiA) to parallel Harvard psychology professor Gardner’s list of Multiple Intelligences shown above.

With MI, individual students’ learning becomes a pleasure;
with MiA, individual farmers’ earning becomes a treasure!

I don’t know but: Equally, both RA and MI are being brushed aside, bypassed, ignored, neglected, overlooked, or shrugged off! By our agriculture columnists, educators, universities, department heads, and legislators.

That science has long been neglected and declining in England, is not an opinion originating with me, but is shared by many, and has been expressed by higher authority than mine. – Charles Babbage

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. – Oscar Wilde

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Edmund Burke

Ignore the noise of the world, and you will find the symphony within. – Kiat

When you ignore the negativity around you, you give power to the positivity within you. – Jay Shetty

Each of the 13 MiA practices guarantee Very Low Costs=Very High Returns (VLC=VHR)! The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) is neglecting Filipino farmers by not declaring an MiA-based PH Agriculture and providing all sorts of assistances – technical and financial – to the farmers. Chemical agriculture is very high costs-very low returns (VHC=VLR). MiA: No expensive chemicals, neither fertilizers nor pesticides. We must choose VLC=VHR over VHC=VLR!

Our DA leaders should connect MiA with the fact that the Philippines remains the #1 rice importer in the world!@517

Is My Alma Mater UP Los Baños Waking Up To The Urgent Need For Regenerative Agriculture? UPLB – “Sustainable Agriculture Is Regenerative Of The Poverty Of Farmers!”

Reading Ana Vera G Oleta’s article, “UPLB Establishes Two National Consortia For Academic And Research Initiatives (28 Oct 2024, University of the Philippines Los Baños, uplb.edu.ph), I am heartened with the news of UPLB’s new initiatives for national academe and research programs:

“UPLB spearheaded the establishment of two national consortia aimed at enhancing education, research, and sustainable development in the country through the promotion of academic collaboration among higher education institutions (HEIs).

“The two new national consortia are the Philippine Consortium for Cooperative Education and Research (PCCER) and the Philippine Human Ecology Consortium (PHEC).”

As an Agriculturist who never stopped learning – a UPLB alumnus (BSA major in Ag Edu, 1965) and teacher (Civil Service Professional, 1964) – I remain interested in these subject areas: Education, Research and Ecology. And so I note that:

“Through these consortia, member institutions are poised to make substantial contributions to national development by promoting innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability in their respective fields.”

I note particularly sustainability, which is in sharp contrast with regeneratability. Since its founding in 1908, UP Los Baños has been espousing sustainable agriculture via chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides – you can only sustain your agriculture if you keep using such chemicals!

Unfortunately, such sustainable agriculture has sustained the poverty of millions of Filipino farmers!

Why? Sustainable Agriculture is very high cost while yielding very low returns (VHC=VLR). The reason millions of farmers keep borrowing from usurers (the notorious “5/6 Scheme” – borrow 5 and pay back 6 within 2 months. Note: Urea P1,581, Complete P1,603, and Ammonia P823 (PhilRice, philrice.gov.ph).

Now, when can those poor Filipino farmers rise from Poverty to Prosperity?

Not by Chemical Agriculture (CA) but surely via Regenerative Agriculture (RA)!

Here is my  personal list of RA practices:

(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.

None of those practices require chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides. They are all low-costs. Very low cost=very high returns (VLC=VHR): 

(1) RA practices are not scientist-dependent on knowledge of how to practice them.

(2) RA does not destroy the fertility of the soil; on the contrary, it adds to it!

(3) RA practices are easy to master, nothing complicated.

(4) RA practices do not attract insects – crops are not palatable to them. So, no infestation, no need to apply any kind of pesticide.

(5) RA practices grow healthy crops – the health-conscious consumers would gladly pay for them!

No, PCCER people – you do not have to believe me; I urge you go and conduct so many researches on Regenerative Agriculture yourselves. You can be sure knowledge will set you free!
(image from sg.images.search.yahoo.com)

“Know that you don’t know. That is superior.” – Lao Tzu.

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand” – Frank Herbert

HEis, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?@517

For Ricky Lee, To Write Is To Be Free. For Frank A Hilario, To Write Is For Farmers To Be Free From Poverty!

Pauline Miranda says, “For Ricky Lee, To Write Is To Be Free” (30 Oct 2024, Lifestyle.Inq, lifestyle.inquirer.net). In my case, to write is for the Filipino farmers to be free from poverty. When you are a writer, you are free to choose why you write after all.

Ms Pauline says, “What truly makes (Lee’s) career as a writer fulfilling is in how it frees him:

“Every act of writing ay isang act ng pagpapalaya ko sa sarili,” he says. “Mahiyain akong tao, since childhood. May feeling ako na nakakulong ako sa… being unworthy, feeling inferior, or kung ano man ’yong mga problema ko at depekto. May feeling akong ganon. … Pero every time na nagsusulat ako … nagiging ako ’yong ibang tao na hindi ako. So nakakalaya. … nakakalaya ako in so many ways when I write.

We write for our respective kinds of readers, of course. Differently, Ricky Lee writes to open the hearts – I write to open the minds. Writing frees Ricky Lee’s opinion of himself as a limited human being. Writing, I hope to free the Filipino farmers’ opinion of themselves as limited human beings!
“Creativity is a wild mind with a disciplined eye” (image from sg.images.search.yahoo.com)

For whatever reason you write, you should learn to be creative. Ricky Lee’s creativity comes from his desire to free himself from feeling unworthy – into feeling socially worthy. My creativity comes from my desire to free others from their unfree thinking! And to look for leaders with the Vision to steer the people from Poverty to Prosperity with intelligence and without bloodletting.

Ricky Lee is into fiction. Frank A Hilario is into nonfiction – the science of agriculture.

Ricky Lee wants his name known and admired throughout the educated world of the Philippines and even abroad; I want not my name known but the social ideas I espouse: Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages (ComDev2), which is the title of the blog where this appears). For Ricky Lee, let me say he is after communication for development of vibrant readers.

As a creative writer myself – having authored and blogged at least 40,000 essays in the last 24 years – google for “Frank A Hilario” if you wish. Going digital, I don’t need publishers for my works.

I repeat: I write to help free the millions of Filipino farmers from their poverty, which even my alma mater, UP Los Baños (UPLB) has neglected in all of her 116 years (1908-2024)!

“Pag nagsusulat ako, at marami akong characters nasulat, and feeling ko nag-succeed ako, nabasa ng iba at nagustuhan nila sa book fair, nagpapa-autograph sila, I feel that I’m seen. I feel that I’m validated as Ricky. I feel that nabuo ako. That’s why I write.”

I Frank A Hilario write not to validate myself, not to validate those farmers themselves, but to validate their poverty and, for the poor farmers to appreciate their poverty and appreciate the fact that they can free themselves – without resorting to violence!@517