Philippines -- How Our Low-Level Farmers Can Have High-Level Incomes Without Billions Of Pesos Of Government Support!

Former PH Economic Chief Cielito F Habito writes about disappointing national news on jobs (“Our Educated Jobless,” opinion.inquirer.net). rather inspired, I want to write about uplifting news on farmers even without government support in terms of financing! (image from Bigstock, biostock)

Also, in his 11 Feb 2025 No Free Lunch above, Mr Habito says:

“Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have increased by 319,000 since 2020, reflected in the increase in employers in own family farm or business. This is less than ideal because entrepreneurship could arguably be superior to wage employment, as it is about creating jobs, rather than merely finding a job.”

I am now re/thinking of farming as entrepreneurship, with a different perspective of being “recreating a job.” Read on!

“Entrepreneurship is the ability and readiness to develop, organize and run a business enterprise, along with any of its uncertainties in order to make a profit” (undated, Karthik, BYJU’S). With that definition, I am now singularly looking at farming as entrepreneurship: running an enterprise, meeting uncertainties, going after profit – that describes ideal farming perfectly!

Now, I’m thinking of any farmer cultivating his field, planting his crop, caring for the plants – all for family income beyond bare necessities. I say:

In the Philippines, if the farmer can save thousands of pesos growing his crop, already he is a winner, an entrepreneur extraordinary!

But how? My 2-word answer is: “Regenerative Agriculture.” RA begins and ends without those expensive chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides – as of my last count, totalling PH10,000 plus!

Here is my list of RA:

(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.

How do you like that? You begin your farming saving thousands of pesos while you are still beginning to cultivate your field. Any of the 13 RA practices above will assure you that! 13? My favorite Internet source says 13 is a “prime and lucky number” (Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org).

I love the image from Bigstock above; it is as if it is trying to tell me: “Small beginnings are great beginnings!” (Thank you, Bigstock!)

Yes, any of the 13 in the RA list above is a small beginning, but each is perfect for a farmer who starts little but dreams big. Man is all dust, which underscores his potential for greatness.

From Bible Hub (biblehub.com):

Creation and Humanity: The Bible begins with the creation narrative, where God forms man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). This humble beginning of humanity underscores the potential for greatness when infused with the breath of God.

So, why not man begin to create his own “potential for greatness” by infusing his farming with the breath of just a little innovation?

Calling all farmers! Especially in my country the Philippines – minus chemical fertilizers & pesticides, Regenerative Agriculture is your huge potential for profit!@517

How Smart DA Can Spend 2025 Budget Of PH 200 Billion? I Have A Million-Dollar Suggestion!

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I’m reading the news from the Department of Agriculture (DA): “DA Chief Pushes (For) Smart Investments, High-Return Projects In Agri Budget” (DA Press Office, 10 Feb 2025, da.gov.ph). The total budget for the DA is PH200 Billion (“House OKs 2025 DA, NIA Budgets,” Anon, DA Press Office, DA).

PH200 Billion! I love it that the PH government can afford to supply the DA with a very rich source of investments.

Now the reality: PH has 6 million ha of farms (according to a Manila Standard Business report dated 30 Dec 2024, manilastandard.net).

I will initially say that the farmer will save thousands of pesos (and the government will save millions of pesos) if each farmer borrower employed any of the following cropping methods (alphabetized):

(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.

That personal list of mine I refer to as “Regenerative Agriculture,” which is defined by Julia Friedberg (Regeneration International, April 06, 2021, regenerationinternational.org) thus:

“Regenerative agriculture (is) a set of farming practices that return(s) nutrients to the earth and rehabilitate(s) entire ecosystems, rather than deplet(es) them.”

Why the great savings? Because in any of the 13 in the above RA list, there is no need for fertilizers and pesticides – and still the farmer will get the optimum harvest! Nota bene DA!

From optimum harvest, RA will give the farmer optimum income! Why because the farmer will use only natural methods of farming. Optimum total costs. No expensive fertilizers and pesticides.

Again, from the above DA news report:

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P Tiu Laurel Jr stressed the need to prioritize projects with strong, sustainable returns as the Department of Agriculture (DA) develops its multiyear budget plan.

Sec Tiu Laurel Jr, natural methods of farming can only mean sustainable returns!

Speaking at a recent two-day budget planning session, he urged DA officials to allocate limited resources strategically, focusing on projects with an internal rate of return of 12%-14% per year or a payback period of no more than seven years to ensure bankability and profitability.

A payback period of no more than seven years. To ensure bankability and profitability. Any RA practice will give you both!

… Sec Tiu Laurel also called for diversifying agricultural activities to strengthen the sector’s resilience…

Precisely! None of the 13 RA practices listed above is limited to a single crop.

Most importantly: None of the RA 13 requires neither expensive chemical fertilizer nor expensive chemical pesticides – RA is all-natural.

Note well: In the current agriculture scheme, alone, with only 1 chemical fertilizer, the total cost is already PH2,969.92/bag urea, x 4 bags = +PH11,000 (Catherine Talavera, 08 June 2022, philstar.com). High costs – no wonder millions of Filipino farmers are poor!

So: How to help the farmers enrich themselves with their farming – that should be the highest priority of the DA!@517

PH 513B For 2025: “Spend Funds Wisely For Future Generations,” BBM Says. How To Spend Huge 200B DA Funds Wisely? We Need Vision – Ask Ex-Sec William Dar!

Above, on 30 Jan 2025, Luisa Cabaro says, “Marcos Tells Gov’t Workers To Spend Funds Wisely For Future Generations,” Inquirer (newsinfo.inquirer.net). BBM spoke at the ceremony in Pasay City on Friday, where he encouraged the 661 Development Academy of the Philippines graduates to be “stewards of transparency and good governance (as) Filipinos deserve no less than our utmost diligence, accountability, and integrity.”

Excellent! our President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr is looking ahead! (images from Inquirer & thestrategystory.com).

The Question is: “How do you spend PH 513B wisely?” Now, to spend wisely, first you have to plan.

As an agriculturist, I’m much interested in what the head of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Francis Tiu Laurel Jr is planning on how to spend that PH 200 Billion for 2025. The DA needs all the help it can get! I suggest to call in former DA Head William Dar – because the DA needs Vision, Mission and Strategy, and he has it. (See my article “William Dar's 8 Paradigms For PH New Thinking For Agriculture,” 26 Aug 2019, Communication for Development, ComDev). We need new thinking to solve old problems of PH agriculture!

Planning – The current DA has none of these: Vision, Mission, Strategy.

Like: What will the DA do with 3 million farmers who are poor? How to get them out of poverty?

What is the DA going to do with greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture that contributes more to the amount of greenhouse gases that generate more dangerous Climate Change?

I can recommend to the DA the practices collective called Regenerative Agriculture (RA) that are farmer-friendly; here is my alphabetical list:

(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.

A good look at RA when it comes to soil fertility is that each practice helps to add and/or keep the natural fertility of the soil.

Those practices are actually farmer-friendly; many farmers know some of them already. It’s just that even the #1 Public Friend in Agriculture of PH, the DA, is not thinking beyond the current farmer practices.

The trouble with modern agriculture is that it focuses on chemical fertility and chemical control of pests & diseases. That’s your Modern Agriculture, where “modern” contributes to Farmer Poverty!

I dare say my country PH is in dire need of a Secretary of Agriculture who is from a poor family, acquainted with farming and understands the ABC that causes poverty that farmers continue to suffer. That is none other than William Dollente Dar, an Ilocano from Ilocos Norte, formerly Director General (DG) of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in India. He was ICRISAT DG for 3 terms until his age required retirement. But age doesn’t matter when your country calls you!@517

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