“Not all the solutions involve rocket science. Some relate to simple water management systems and irrigation techniques.”
Agriculture is one sector that has plenty of promises in the Philippines. Yet, it has failed to live up to expectations decades after decades and even with changes in leadership.
Those who had been at the helm of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the current one knew what ails the sector and the practical solutions to it. But the farm sector remains a conundrum to this day.
There is nothing earthshaking in the recent policy statement of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who considers technology as the key to revitalizing Philippine agriculture to unlock its full potential.
Modernizing agriculture is critical to increased productivity and empowerment of the rural sector. It employs a significant portion of the workforce, but contributes less than 10 percent to the gross domestic product.
“The big challenge we face is making farming profitable. The solution lies in embracing technology-based farming methods,” says Tiu Laurel in a recent forum with business owners.
Not all the solutions involve rocket science. Some relate to simple water management systems and irrigation techniques. Others require technology, like South Korea’s extensive use of greenhouses
Mr. Tiu Laurel nailed it when he bared a long-term plan about a shift in agricultural education. The goal seeks to move from traditional methods to comprehensive training in modern techniques, empowering landowners and tenants for success.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision of a modern farm sector and better lives for farmers and fishermen is actually doable and not an impossible task.
We can look at the Vietnam model and learn from it. The Philippines and Vietnam basically share the same topography and tropical climate. Both countries are also one of the most vulnerable to climate change.
Vietnam model
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in a recent report noted the strides of Vietnam(s farm sector.
The value of its agriculture, forestry, and fishery exports has increased in recent years from $22.8 billion in 2012 to $33.8 billion in 2019.
Rice, according to the ADB report, dominates Vietnam’s agricultural exports with over 6.3 million tons shipped out in 2019. It is among the largest exporters of rice in the world, in addition to coffee, pepper, cashew nuts and green tea.
“Marine captured species together with fish and shrimp produced in manufactured ponds are an important domestic food source as well as generator of foreign exchange on export markets. Viet Nam has a diverse array of agro-ecosystems ranging from upland plateaus and mountainous areas to a relatively narrow coastal strip where the majority of rice is grown,” says the ADB report.
Vietnam, however, is paying the price for its agricultural success—an experience that the Philippines can learn from.
Considerable environmental damage, notes the ADB, has resulted from the removal of protective coastal mangrove forests to make way for shrimp farming ponds and salt production. In the upland areas, the poorer soils, uphill land, and widespread erosion resulting from extensive deforestation add additional development challenges.
The Philippines shares the same development problems of Vietnam. Excessive use of groundwater in Vietnam, especially for coffee and fruit tree crops, has resulted in unsustainable extraction rates and a lowering of the water table.
The ADB report says competition for water resources from downstream users, including urban areas and industry, has compounded the challenge in the agriculture and the natural resources sector. The constraints to the sector growth include climate change impacts, low productivity, underdeveloped rural infrastructure, low rates of agriculture land consolidation, weak market linkages, low access to credit and increased competition for water resource.
The Philippines may copy the agriculture model of Vietnam but must improve on it by making the farm sector sustainable to address the needs of the current and future generations. Agriculture sustainability is a practice that preserves soil fertility, prevents water pollution and protects biodiversity.
The ADB is aware of the uneven development in Vietnam’s agricultural sector. Similar to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the bank is now seeking to maintain a sustainable and inclusive growth of Vietnam’s farm sector by improving efficiency and competitiveness, and enhancing rural living standards and resilience to climate change and disasters.
The Philippines has a long way to go in modernizing its agriculture sector and achieving food security. But it must do so with sustainability at the core of the development goal.
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