05, The More The Merrier – PH 17 Provinces Lead Agriculture & Fisheries Extension System

Yes, under PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, the Department of Agriculture(DA) will have 17 provinces leading the DA program “Province-Led Agriculture & Fisheries Extension System” (PAFES) nationwide, when in full initial blast, 1 lead province in each of the 17 regions of the Philippines, and here they are, from North to South:

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
Ilocos Region (Region 1)
Cagayan Valley (Region 2)
Central Luzon (Region 3)
National Capital Region (NCR)
Calabarzon (Region 4-A)
Mimaropa (Region 4-B)
Bicol Region (Region 5)
Western Visayas (Region 6)
Central Visayas (Region 7)
Eastern Visayas (Region 8)
Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9)
Northern Mindanao (Region 10)
Davao Region (Region 11)
Soccsksargen (Region 12)
Caraga (Region 13)
Bangsamoro (BARMM)

But isn’t that too many leads – you know, “Too many cooks spoil the broth”?

No. The variations in the cooking will be minimal. Science works if you follow the rules – and it will be the same science from Region 1 (Ilocos) to Region 13 (Caraga). (Bangsamoro would/should know what is good for the Muslims.)
(upper image from DA website, lower image[1]from Facebook page of ATI)

Previously, there was this news release, “DA To Pursue Systematic, Strategic Approaches To Further ‘Grow’ (Agriculture & Fisheries Sectors)[2]” (23 December 2020). That is, to “fuel the transformation of the agriculture and fishery (sectors to help propel the Philippines) into a modernized and industrialized economic powerhouse.”

Mr Dar said in his memo to all top DA officials and key technical staff:

We shall depart from our usual approach of just targeting individual farms or groups without producing significant outcomes from interventions. We must be purpose-driven, ensuring that our programs and projects are of value, not only to recipients but more significantly to the whole society in real terms.

The last sentence is of extra-significant value I will repeat:

“We must be… ensuring that our programs and projects are of value… to the whole society in real terms.”

That is why I say: Stop the pursuit of Solo Success Stories! They are anathema to whole-Philippines progress.

The news release said:

At the core of this strategy is farm clustering and consolidation, dubbed as “Bayanihan Agri-Cluster” or BAC that aims to converge and integrate government interventions such as provision of loans, farm mechanization, free seeds and fertilizers, and market support.

Yes, the DA will be providing farmers’ access to loans and farm machines – the seeds, fertilizers, and market support will be free.

The news release also said:

The establishment of “agri-industrial business corridors” or ABCs will also be actively pursued in 2021. These hubs will serve as processing and marketing centers of agriculture and fishery products in identified production areas. All set to groundbreak is the ABC at New Clark Green City.

Mr Dar said, “The ABCs will house agri-business and multi-purpose facilities that will be key to managing and integrating the food supply chain, as well as introducing innovative agricultural (technologies) to farmers.”

The ABCs are designed to serve the whole alphabet of services to Philippine agriculture and fisheries!@517


[1]https://www.facebook.com/atirtc12/photos/2804726853101167

[2]https://www.da.gov.ph/da-to-pursue-systematic-strategic-approaches-to-further-grow-agri-fishery-sector/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s Your 1K Worth Today? My 1K Is Worth Love In Communication For Village Development In The 21st Century (CoViD21)!

Image
Today, Friday, 02 Sept 2022, I post this essay as the 1000 th in this blog “CoViD21” – short for “Communication for Village Development in the 21st Century.” Blogging since 2000, I have decided to dedicate myself unrelentingly to village development – an area much neglected. Actually, the 999 essays published before this one appeared in my blog “ Towards A New Eden” but which I have come to the conclusion that building a New Eden is too much of a promise, and developing villages is a dream within one’s reach in a lifetime. The development of villages I have in mind is via Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Rodale Institute introduced the term “Regenerative Organic Agriculture” in 1989 “to distinguish a kind of farming that goes beyond sustainable” (undated, Rodale Institute, rodaleinstitute.org ). So, I now believe that “Sustainable Development” is inadequate! We must go after “Regenerative Development,” especially via Agriculture. At this point, I must say that the application of org
Read more

Knorr Of Big Business Unilever Thinks Big Business Regenerative Agriculture – My Tiny Country PH Also Should!

Image
“Knorr’s plan for 50 regenerative agriculture projects is predicted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use by an estimated 30% while improving biodiversity, soil health and livelihoods.” That is regenerative agriculture (RA) news by Julian Cirineo (05 Nov 2021, “Unilever Wants To Rethink How Farms Work To Secure Food And Resources For The Future,” Rappler , rappler.com ). Note: 50 (not 5 only) RA projects to improve greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and water use by 30% – plus improving biodiversity, soil health and livelihoods. Note the last 7 words in the above paragraph. How can RA improve biodiversity? RA requires that the farmer practices multiculture (a few or many crops grown at the same time in the same place), where monoculture (such as rice-only or corn-only) is the practice – the biodiversity improves crop health because of the ensuing balance of nature, such as some organisms feed on other organisms that would otherwise become pests or cause diseases. RA is your
Read more

How Do We Celebrate “World Environment Day?” 2 Related Answers: “We Believe Farming Is The Biggest Job On Earth” – BASF. “Everyday Is Environment Day For Me!” – Frank A Hilario

Image
We have ignored “World Environment Week” and it’s time to pay attention to it. All the more reason because wars of all kinds are going on all over the world, and I am scientifically convinced that the kind of environment we have, or the kind we cultivate, propagates such wars. The inclusive date for “Environment Week” according to Jenica Dizon is 20-27 March (upper image). Differently, the Government of Virgin Islands says it’s 04-10 June (lower image from   bvi.gov.vg via YouTube). What? We don’t even have a single inclusive date! We mortals do not care much about our environment to celebrate it, do we? Not the issue of the inclusive dates, what I want to tackle here is what we mortals can commonly do to truthfully celebrate World Environment Day/Week. The above image I saw on Facebook, the post “Be Green, Be Great” by Waves For Water Philippines Country Director Jenica Dizon, “highlights the importance of caring for issues facing our environment.” I have always cared much abou
Read more