Learning From People Power 1986, Leaning To Science Power 2021!

I did not go during the first days of the 1986 show of force called EDSA People Power Revolution. A million bodies gathered at points along Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA) after Jaime Cardinal Sin via Radio Veritas called for people to show up in support of the rebel leaders, Vice Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who were already holed up at Camp Aguinaldo after declaring their withdrawal of support of President Ferdinand “FM” Marcos, their co-Ilocano.

On Tuesday, 25 February 1986. I showed up at EDSA, and that was when FM and his family decided to fly to Hawaii, in defeat. That is why my private joke is that when FM heard this Ilocano coming, he decided to leave Malacañang!

Differently, I believe the “EDSA Revolution” or “People Power Revolution” was in fact the “People Leaders’ Revolution” – we saw the strength of numbers, not appreciated the power of the leaders to draw such numbers.

Today, I believe we should be harnessing Science Power 2021. At the forefront should be leaders of millions of Filipino farmers who work Philippine soils. Example: The lower image is titled by its source thus: “Empowering Filipino Farmers Using the SARAI Training Toolkit for Rice and Corn[1]” (dated 2017, UPLB.edu.ph). Project SARAI, or Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines, is a project funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) with UP Los Baños’ School of Environmental Science and Management (UPLB SESAM) as the implementing body.

2021 versus 1986, we Filipinos should all be wiser.

Today, in farmers’ fields, armed with Science, the undeclared but more massive Science Power 2021 is being led by Secretary of Agriculture William Dar. He has his New Thinking for Agriculture that is accompanied by “8 Paradigms” as follows:

(1) Modernization;
(2) Industrialization;
(3) Promotion Of Exports;
(4) Consolidation Of Small- And Medium-Sized Farms;
(5) Infrastructure Development;
(6) Higher Budget & Investment;
(7) Legislative Support; and
(8) Roadmap Development.

And under the OneDA Approach, here are the 12 key strategies being invoked at the moment:
1. Farm Clustering/Bayanihan;
2. Province-Led Agriculture And Fisheries Extension System (PAFES);
3. Agri-Industrial Business Corridors (ABCs);
4. Infrastructure Investments;
5. Post-Harvest, Processing Logistics & Marketing Support;
6. Digital Agriculture;
7. Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Measures;
8. Mobilization & Empowerment Of Partners To Attain Scale;
9. Global Trade, Export Development & Promotion;
10. Food Safety & Regulations;
11. Ease Of Doing Business & Transport Procurement; and
12. Strategic Communication Support.

We have more than enough agricultural revolution to wage to the end of the decade!

I go back to UPLB SESAM, which developed the following technologies and systems for the farmers initially in Mindoro:

(1)   Automatic Weather Station,

(2)   Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/Drone,

(3)   SARAI Enhanced Agricultural Monitoring System, and

(4)   SARAI Knowledge Portal.

We should all be smarter. As knowledge revolutionaries, with a Science Power 2021 Portal, farmer progress should multiply social benefits!@517


[1]https://sesam.uplb.edu.ph/news/empowering-filipino-farmers-using-the-sarai-training-toolkit-for-rice-and-corn/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How PH’s Hybrid Rice Companies Can Increase Their Sales – But Do Farmers Have To Spray All Those Pesticides!?

Image
First, let me be clear: I am in favor of hybrid rice as a good part of the solution for the Philippines to attain rice self-sufficiency – I hope this year, 2021. I have already written about it; try “How Good Are Hybrid Rices In The Philippines [1] ?” (06 January 2021, BraveNewWorld@PH ) Today, Sunday, 10 January 2021, browsing on Facebook, I notice that the hybrid rice companies in my country are not minding their own business! I mean, they are not actively assisting the farmers taking care of their plantings. I found that out when on Facebook, I scanned the page “Usapang Hybrid Rice” (Talking Hybrid Rice), “Group by Tatang Juan” (above, top image). At this Facebook page, I read the entries and noticed that the farmers’ questions, answers and comments seemed innocent – but they were not. It has something to do with this: The hybrid rice companies in the Philippines are not providing adequate advice and information to farmers. And that is not good – it may even be dangerous. Her
Read more

“Healthy Foods Come From Healthy Farms” – Frank A Hilario

Image
Food crops destroyed by floods, forests destroyed by fires – what other signs do you want from the Heavens Above? God! “Good comes from Good” says Webstaurant Store – only healthy farming can bring healthy fields and homes! (“Good Comes” image from webstaurantstore.com , “Whatever good” from brainyquote.com ) “Climate Change“ is forcing us to redefine “Primate Change“ and I, Agriculturist and writer engaged in what today I call “Communication for Village Development in the 21st Century” (CoViD21) in the last 42 years – now preach Regenerative Agriculture (RA) in the villages. Primates, only RA will save us from climate change! That is a CoViD21 action/reaction from my BSA Ag Edu, UP Los Baños, 1965 and continuing self-study with the advent of the Internet in PH in 1991. Wide thoughts come from wide reading. Here now is my considered definition: Regenerative Agriculture is any principle, process, procedure, or practice applied that repeatedly returns, revives, resuscitates, o
Read more

01, Less Is More – How PhilRice Can Reduce A Rice Farmer’s Total Expenses By 51%!

Image
This essay arose from several Facebook comments on my earlier essay “07, The More The Merrier – P 1B From DA Supportive Of 10 Bataan Model Farms Leading PH Agriculture [1] ” (21 February 2021, BrainScapes ). This is my comment in that essay that readers mainly commented on: I don’t know why, but 60-year old foreign-funded IRRI and 35-year-old PH-funded PhilRice have advocated neither high-value crops (HVCs) after rice nor fertigation, when these technologies are not that new. Joy Duldulao said: “ PhilRice advocates HVCs thru its Palayamanan and FutureRice programs.” Eufemio Rasco replied: “ PhilRice should not limit itself to advocacy. Advocacy is for those who don’t have the resources. Show by example how the challenge of scaling up can be done in its own farms! Mainstream Palayamanan!” Roberto Acosta said: “ Joy Duldulao, maybe it’s high time to change the success measurement matrix of PhilRice – from increasing rice yield to increasing rice farmers' income and better lives
Read more