The Old & The New Plows – Even Soil Scientists Have Not Learned Our Farming Lesson Of Natural Fertility!

Our farmers – and agricultural scientists from Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao – have yet to learn how to farm so that the richness of the soil comes out naturally and welcomes the seeds/seedlings and grow them splendidly!

The old PH plow is gone; the new plow, called “rotavator” is here and now, and yet the new is being used as the old was – burying the fertility of the soil, out of reach of roots of crops!
(image sources: top, kahimyang.com; bottom, youtube.com)

No, farmers and farm scientists do not realize any of that! No, the farmers don’t read history; and no, the scientists don’t read old science either!

81 years ago, in 1943, American gentleman farmer Edward H Faulkner came out with his book Plowman’s Folly. I now quote history (undated, goodreads, goodreads.com):

It was on July 5, 1943, when Plowman’s Folly was first issued, that the author startled a lethargic public, long bemused by the apparently insoluble problem of soil depletion, by saying, simply, “The fact is that no one has ever advanced a scientific reason for plowing.”

I repeat: “The fact is that no one has ever advanced a scientific reason for plowing.” I am sure: There is no scientific reason for plowing!

“Soil depletion occurs when the components [that] contribute to fertility are removed and not replaced, and the conditions [that] support (the) soil's fertility are not maintained” (Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org).

Soil depletion = soil fertility depletion. Up to this date, we cultivate the soil so that its natural richness is buried: We plow the soil under (we think, “the deeper the better” – and of course, along with the weeds and/or crop refuse; that is, the deeper, the worse we bury the soil fertility! That is true in farms and gardens.

No Sir! The Australian inventor Arthur Clifford did not realize, and now the Japanese makers of the rotavator have not realized how much the rotavator can wake up the fertility of the soil if the machine is operated “knowledgeably.”

Almost 60 years ago, I came up with the best way to use the rotavator to automatically bring about that soil fertility that awaits the seeds or seedlings we plant on the field. This was proven by the experience of my beloved brother-in-law Ensor Casasos in my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan.

On 09 April 2024, I wrote “Fertilizer Zero Yet, Yields Zoom Yes!” (Yaman Rotavator, blogspot.com):

Am I dreaming?

Yes! I’m dreaming of a rotavator design that cultivates the soil and simultaneously and in the same rotary motion mixes soil and weeds and/or crop refuse into a natural plant fertilizer. The best natural fertilizer you can make with a machine!

By the way, “Yaman” in Tagalog means “Wealth” while in Ilocano it means “Thankfulness.” Either language, you are rich with the rotavator used in the way I discovered it.

So then I have come up with a project proposal to propagate all over the Philippines my concept of the Yaman Rotavator. I am now looking for a funding agency.@517

Why Is There No Nobel Peace Prize For Development Journalism?

 In 2021, Filipina journalist Maria Ressa co-won the Nobel Peace Prize with Russian Dmitry Muratov “for their longstanding efforts to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia,” Berit Reiss Andersen, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said (08 Oct 2021, Rob Picheta, CNN Business, Champions Change, edition.cnn.com).

Ms Berit said. “… The pair are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.”
(Nobel image from youtube.com)

I say, yes, call attention to government errors or misjudgments via the free press – assuming that the reporter understands the development project completely first!
(journalism from gamma.app)

And I say it must be “development of communities” or as I put it, “development of villages” (note the title of the blog where this article appears: “Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages,” blogspot.com).

Watch government: “The nature, objectives and the expected participation of social leaders and the people.”

Aha! Now I realize that neither PH Pres Ferdinand Marcos Jr nor his Secretary of Agriculture Francis Tiu Laurel Jr has a program of development of the agriculture sector of my country!

That lack or presence of a development program, consisting of any number of development projects, should be the first target of any development journalism.

That is why I am calling for a Nobel Peace Prize for Development Journalism – the journalist must first understand the whole of the program before writing about it.

Sad to state, but the Nobel Prize journalisms of Russian winner Mr Muratove and Filipina winner Ms Ressa had centered on the negative,  without first understanding, and stating so, the whole of the development project that they were criticizing.

Says our source on “Development Journalism” (Iresearchnet, communication.iresearchnet.com):

“Development journalism – a term referring to the role of the press in the process of socio-economic development...

“Development journalism was conceived in the 1960s at the Press Foundation of Asia (PFA), where Filipino journalists Alan Chalkley and Juan Mercado were concerned that news organizations were inadequately covering socio-economic development. Journalists were reporting government press releases and quotes but giving little attention to detailed analysis, interpretation, or evaluation of development projects, policies, or problems.” (my emphasis)

You have the right to interpret or evaluate a project, policy or problem – only if you know the nature of development it is meant for.

Not contrarian journalism, I want Development Journalism to be independently included in the consideration of Nobel Peace Prize winners!

“Development journalism, as conceived by the PFA, implied an adversarial relationship between independent news media and the government in which reporters offer critical evaluation and interpretation of development plans and their implementation.”

Adversarial? To that I say No! There is intellectual dishonesty in reporting if the journalist does not first understand the project, where it is coming from (Strategy), what it wants to achieve (Mission), and where everything is leading to (Vision)!

So! We need a Nobel Peace Prize for Development Journalism – to encourage governments to come up with real development projects that people can support!@517

My 3 Hopeful Aggie Dreams For My Country, PH – 1, Visionary Secretary of Agriculture. 2, Farmer Poverty-Minded Institution. 3, Organic-Maker Rotavator – “Rotavator X”

 I’m 84, an Ilocano, a college graduate of Agriculture, writer in English, and a dreamer. Recently, I have been dreaming for my country PH these:

1, For the re-appointment of William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture – for his visionary leadership in the Department of Agriculture.
(image from da.gov.ph)

2, For the millions of poor farmers of the Philippines to enrich themselves by themselves via inspired holistic agriculture.

3, For an aggie institution to produce and reproduce science that enables those millions of farmers to become rich and continue to be rich.

4, For the production of an off-the-shelf intelligent rotavator that by itself produces an organic mulch and distributes all over the field even as it cultivates it!

5, For the construction of a website for a poverty-conscious PH agriculture.

1, Visionary Secretary of Agriculture

I have only one person in mind – William Dar, former Secretary of Agriculture (SOA). As of the moment, Mr Dar is the only one I believe who believes in the indefatigableness of the Filipino farmer who will surely rise from poverty with the leadership & guidance of a visionary SOA.

2, Poverty-Minded Aggie Institution

Hereby, I’m challenging the Los Baños-based bodies (alphabetically) – IRRI, PhilRice, UP Los Baños – to pursue Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Because Sustainable Agriculture has so far sustained the poverty of millions of Filipino farmers!

As I see it, the economic formula for poor farmers to become rich is simple: very low costs equals very high returns (VLC=VHR). To achieve VLC=VHR, they should adopt any number of these 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.
(lower image from understandingag.com)

RA includes all crops – biotech Bt Eggplant, Golden Rice are welcome!

3, Poverty-Minded Aggie Institutions

IRRI, PhilRice, and UP Los Baños – Any of them could lead the shift from Sustainable Agriculture to RA for the poor farmers.

4, Intelligent Rotavator (Rotavator X)

I have a personally proven setup for a rotavator to automatically produce an organic mulch and spread it simultaneously all over the field! It worked on my father’s ricefield in Asingan, Pangasinan, sometime in 1966 – my father’s field outyielded the neighbor farmers much, it was astounding. Of course, that is difficult to believe – so I am hereby inviting a financing institution or group to sponsor a 1-year project to develop that Dream Rotavator – “Rotavator X.”

For Rotavator X, I will need a project sponsor to the tune of PhP 1.7 million. That project will include as outputs (1) written reports of the trials, (2) digital recordings of those trials and their results, and (3) a book based on (1) and (2) and RA practices – the book will be printed as well as downloadable as digital copy online in the website “Rotavator X.”

I’m dreaming of happier days for PH Agriculture!@517

“Where There Is No Vision, The People Perish” – King James. The Filipino People Do Not Perish Because They Import Rice!

18 years ago, Cheryl Casiwan Launio asked (Jan 2006, ResearchGate, researchgate.net): “Why does the Philippines import rice?” “Where there is no vision, the people perish” – Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version). Seriously speaking: In the case of us Filipinos, we do not perish even if our President and Agriculture Leaders have no Vision, because we import the rice we eat! (images from researchgate.net, a-new-way-to-work.com/lander)

Truthfully, the Philippine’s Lack of Agriculture Vision = Lack of local rice adequate for the Filipino people!

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Got Questions Ministries says about it (gotquestions.org):

“Some have used this verse to emphasize the importance of vision in leadership. Without a long-term plan – without a vision – people are doomed to wander aimlessly.

“Of course, it is true that having an idea of where one is headed helps in getting there.”

Why does my country import rice or worse, “Why is the Philippines the World’s #1 importer of rice?” It’s because of lack of Vision & Mission of our leaders. PH President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr? in 2022, BBM replaced William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture – and BBM had no Agriculture Vision. (Read my previous article: “Again, If William Dar Were The Secretary Of Agriculture, How Good Would He Turn Out To Be Today?” (16 Oct 2024, Communication For Development Of Vibrant Villages, blogspot.com).

Vision & Mission: Jen Croneberger puts them excellently in their proper places in his article “Vision, Mission And Purpose: The Difference” (04 March 2020, Forbes Coaches Council, Forbes, forbes.com):

The difference between mission and vision is present tense vs long-range big picture.

I interpret that to mean these: Vision is what you want to achieve for your group in the long run; Mission is what you will do to achieve that Vision. You need both!

I see “Agriculture-Led Prosperity” was Mr Dar’s Vision for PH Agriculture. ANN says, “Dar Addresses Challenges In Food Security In ADB Forum” (28 Oct 2019, Author Not Named, da.gov.ph):

Agriculture Secretary William Dar… called for the proactive involvement of private and public sectors in addressing current challenges in poverty, food insecurity, and rural prosperity…

He also said:

To promote farm mechanization, increase the use of better seeds, provide low interest production credit, and offer training programs to palay farmers – a P10 billion-worth Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fun (RCEF) was established.

Now I say: “Today, as the Philippines is the #1 rice importer in the world, let’s mobilize that PhP 10,000,000,000!

Before this article, I wrote, “Again, If William Dar Were The Secretary Of Agriculture, How Good Would He Turn Out To Be Today?” where I talk about Mr Dar’s “New Thinking” about PH’s Agriculture. The 2 Secretaries of Agriculture who succeeded Mr Dar did not have any new thinking at all!

Elsewhere, we are told by ANN that Mr Dar’s Vision is “A food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk” (Author Not Named, 12 Sept 2019, Edge Davao, edgedavao.net).

I earnestly request that BBM reappoint Mr Dar as Secretary of Agriculture!@517

Again, If William Dar Were The Secretary Of Agriculture, How Good Would He Turn Out To Be Today?

“Kamusta na Pilipinas?” (“How are you, Philippines?”) asks Atty Leni Robredo in a Facebook post. Below the image it says, categorically: “PH remains as the world’s top rice importer.”

No excuses! We have 1^st class agriculture institutions in the Philippines: IRRI, PhilRice, UP Los Baños – and we produce very much less rice than we eat!

How can the leaders of government – PH President and Department of Agriculture officials – face anybody with a happy face?

Surprise! I googled for
Philippines Agriculture "Main Problem" OR "Major Problem"
Exactly as you see in the above 2^nd line, word-for-word and quote-to-quote, and I was surprised with the news item by an unnamed reporter titled “Facing The Big Challenges In Philippine Agriculture” (05 June 2022, DA, da.gov.ph) – it’s my favorite Secretary of Agriculture: William Dar! How lucky can you get?!
(image, da.gov.ph) 

Visioning and Missioning. Not since 2022 when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr unceremoniously replaced Mr Dar as Secretary of Agriculture, followed by Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr, has there been Visioning and Missioning at the DA. Not smart-enough leadership.

Rey Gamboa says, “‘New Thinking’ In Agri Still Our Best Bet” (13 April 2021, PhilStar, philstar.com):

Dar, who was appointed to lead the Department of Agriculture in 2019 … had espoused to reorient his bureaucratic machinery, mainly by introducing a new thinking in agricultural development to achieve food security and boost the sector’s diminishing contribution to the overall economic growth.

You need “New Thinking, Philippines” – World’s #1 rice importer!

His formula calls for a shift from the government’s heavy support of a few selected crops – mainly through subsidies on inputs… – to the overall improvement of the whole agricultural sector focusing on profitability and sustainability.

When Mr Dar was appointed by Pres Rodrigo Duterte as Secretary of Agriculture, former NEDA Head and now Inquirer columnist Cielito F Habito said (09 Aug 2019, “Dar’s Paradigm Shifts,”opinion.inquirer.net):

We now have a true and seasoned agricultural expert at the helm of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the person of Dr William Dar, whose reputation precedes him. This brings forth hope that true change is coming in the sector that has been the biggest drag on the Philippine economy for far too long.

Secretary Dar espouses “new thinking” in his approach to managing Philippine agriculture, organized around eight “paradigms”:

(1) modernization of agriculture; (2) industrialization of agriculture; (3) promotion of exports; (4) farm consolidation; (5) roadmap development; (6) infrastructure development; (7) higher budget and investments for agriculture; and (8) legislative support.

It thus heartens me to see the five paradigm shifts our team had suggested to the department nine years ago finding their way into Secretary Dar’s eight.

PH – we need a tectonic paradigm shift!

I’ve known Secretary Dar for years, and I know he knows that his mission is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number. And even as his foremost constituency is our nation’s farmers, he is quite aware that, ultimately, he serves all of the Filipino people as a whole.”

Excellent! I say.@517

Do We Have An “Intelligent Rotavator” Invented Already? An Indian Reporter, Robin Kumar Attri Says More Or Less, “Yes.” I Frank A Hilario, Filipino Agriculturist & Journalist, Say “Not Yet”! “Rotavator X”

The rotavator (rotary cultivator) was invented by Australian Arthur Clifford Howard in 1912 (Engineering Heritage Australia, heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au), or 112 years ago. It was intelligent enough, as it replaced the moldboard plow, but I have been wanting it to be more intelligent than that!

Rotavator X. My dream rotavator is one that cultivates the soil and at the same time or simultaneously creates & distributes on the soil surface an organic mulch!

I can dream, can I?

Graduating with a BSA major in Ag Educ from UPCA (now UP Los Baños) in 1965, since then, I have been thinking of a literally “intelligent rotavator.” Today, Sunday, 13 Oct 2024 in Manila, I finished my nnth revision of a program proposal to produce “automatic intelligence in a rotavator” – one that is not described simply as “advanced.” Not simply as Indian Robin Kumar Attri describes it (“Mahindra Revolutionizes Indian Farming With Advanced Rotavator Technology... “(CMV360 Tractors, tractor.cmv360.com):

“Mahindra’s advanced rotavators enhance land preparation efficiency, offering durability, fuel savings, and smart technology. for Indian farmers. (top image from sg.images.search.yahoo.com, lower image from alibaba.com)

The rotavator I have been thinking of all these 60-plus years is more intelligent than all that!

(I will not go into details, as I have been hoping that I will submit a proposal for funding by a bank or group local or foreign.)

I have written about my personal experience with the rotavator; try “IRRI, PhilRice, The Rotavator & Lorenzo’s Secret” (27 April 2020, THiNK Journalism, blogspot.com). There I said:

I have a 55-year direct experience with the Howard rotavator in my hometown Asingan in eastern Pangasinan. That 1965, I was instructing the driver of the big tractor not to set the blades to any depth but just drive through the field, and because the Howard rotavator was heavy, it cut into the soil anyway…, which is what I wanted. My brother-in-law Lorenzo Casasus, was there at that time; in later years he copied the shallow cultivation with his Kuliglig hand tractor and rototiller (rotavator). The results? His neighbors could not match his yields even if they tried to copy all his methods – he did not tell them about the magic that his rototiller was doing.

Suffice it for me to categorically declare today that my Rotavator X must be designed so that it will automatically create that organic mulch even if a non-farmer would operate it!

Healthy thoughts – Once invented and certified to be such as the manufacturer claims, Rotavator X is meant to be multiplied and used all over the Philippines, especially by those millions of farmers who are poor. The automatic organic mulch that it creates will naturally enrich the soil and produce healthy crops that produce healthy harvests that produce healthy foods that produce healthy pockets!

That is to say, once invented, when Rotavator X is used by those millions of poor farmers, everyday will be a “Happy National Farmers’ Day”!@517

“Looking” – At 183 Candidates For Any of 12 Senatorial Positions In The Philippines. “Visioning” – Any Candidate With Vision?

There are 183 candidates for the May 2025 PH senatorial positions – vying for only 12 seats, or more than 10 candidates for each senatorial position. My Question: “Why is the Senate such an attractive place for public office?”

Dwight de Leon says, “Erwin Tulfo Runs For Senator, Says ‘Let People Decide’ Amid Dynasty Tag” (06 Oct 2024, Rappler, rappler.com). “If they all win next year, there will be five Tulfos in Congress at the same time – the three brothers in the Senate, and Senator Raffy's wife and son in the House.” (Tulfo image from verafiles.org)

Dynasty? I’m writing this not to directly counter popularity only as basis for choice but to offer advice on how to choose your Senator – use the candidate’s Vision!

Let us learn from Camille Villar (top image, PhilStar): “’Younger, millennial  perspective’ kaya kong ibigay sa Senado – Camille Villar.” Good girl!

“Younger, millennial perspective” – We voters should choose a senatorial candidate who has Vision – and Mission!

Vision: the candidate’s grand dream in serving the people.
Mission: what is to be done to bring about that Vision to reality.

My Personal Vision: As an Agriculturist (UPLB 1965), I dream of our country’s “Liberation Of 3 Million Farmers From Poverty”!

Mission for the Vision: Farmers assisted financially and technically in pursuing farming practices that are Very Low Costs=Very High Returns. That would require Regenerative Agriculture, which has this 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, (13) Trash Mulching.

None of the candidates for Senator would know that very high costs that bring about very low returns is the main cause of the poverty of millions of Filipino farmers? Candidates, please: adopt A Pro-Poor Farmer Agenda!

I will give Mr Tulfo my vote if he can present a liberating Vision for his country, including my poor farmers.

Mr De Leon says, “The (Tulfo) brothers are already the frontrunners in pre-election surveys, so the likelihood of both winning seats is very high.”

Unfortunately – as things stand today, not one of the 183 candidates for Senator has a Vision and Mission for the country! My poor country the Philippines!

If elected, Mr Tulfo said he will prioritize legislation for the middle class. He says, “They are sometimes forgotten or often left behind because the government is focused on those in the margins. What about those in the middle class? What about the professionals, those just below the middle class, those working in fast food, sales clerks, security guards?”

“Maybe it’s time we also pay attention to our fellow citizens who aren’t usually noticed – the ones in the middle. Maybe they’re calling for higher wages, more benefits, and I will also introduce, if there’s a chance, retirement benefits for those working in the private sector.”

That’s Vision.

But I insist: “Senatorial Candidate, what is your Vision for PH Agriculture?”@517