InangLupa

Official Newsletter of the InangLupa Movement Inc.

Vol. 7 No. 3
March 2016 Issue

Nurturing an inclusive, science-based, resilient

& market-oriented Philippine agriculture

El Nio damaged
P4-B crops

Dr. William D. Dar served as one of the panelists, at the Tapatan sa Aristocrat, in
Manila anchored by Melo Acua (left) and Sky Ortigas. He shared that agriculture
is a key sector that can help reduce poverty, hunger and unemployment in the
country, and hence should be properly developed, anchored in an inclusive agriindustrialization strategy.

Next govt should invest more in agri

The next administration should invest
more in modernizing and industrializing the Govt not doing enough to boost agri
The Aquino administration has failed
agriculture sector to boost its dismal contribution to the nations economy during the miserably in its efforts to boost the agriculpast six years, and more importantly achieve ture sector, registering one of the lowest
inclusive growth that would directly benefit average farm growths in almost three decmore poor and small farmers and fisherfolk ades.
At the Tapatan sa Aristocrat forum on
families.
This suggestion was raised by former agri- February 29, 2016, former Agriculture Secculture secretary William Dar and other
(Pls turn to p6)
officials during two successive sessions of
the Tapatan sa Aristocrat media forum,
hosted by veteran broadcast journalist Melo
Acua, on February 29 and March 7, 2016.
Part of this article are some of the highlights of said forum, written by reporters Cai Tuguegarao City In
Ordinario and Mary Grace Padin, and pub- many parts of the Philiplished in the Business Mirror.
pines, and in other coun-

The ongoing El Nio episode has damaged 304,104 metric tons (MT) of crops,
valued at P4 billion (B), as of February 18,
2016, the Department of Agriculture (DA)
said.
Of the total amount, P3.43B was registered in 2015, while P576.16 million (M)
was recorded from January 1 to February
18, 2016, said DA field operation service
officer-in-charge Christopher Morales.
A total of 101,553 farmers, tilling
194,056 hectares, were affected by the
drought, Morales said. Of the total, 65%
of affected farms or 126,789 hectares
may still recover.
The countrys corn sector took the brunt,
with 195,694 MT of production loss,
amounting to P2.36B. About 133,480 hectares of corn farms were affected by El
Nio, but 64% or 86,000 hectares may
still recover.
The rice sector has posted 94,934 MT of
damaged palay, planted in 59,463 hectares, worth P1.62B. Of the total area
damaged, 68% or 40,221 hectares may
still recover.
Damage to high-value crops, as of February 18, totaled 13,476 MT, valued at
P21.63 million.

El Nio puts millions at risk

InangLupa to consult
agri players on modern
Phl agri framework
The InangLupa Movement will conduct
a consultation-workshop to further enhance its framework on modernizing and
industrializing Philippine agriculture, on
April 7-8, 2016, at the Department of
Agricultures Bureau of Soils and Water
Management (DA-BSWM), Visayas Ave.,
corner Elliptical Road, Quezon City.
Led by its president and founder, former agriculture secretary William D. Dar
said InangLupa has invited Senator Cynthia Villar chair of the Senate committee
on agriculture and food, to keynote the
event. She will be represented by Atty
Rhaegee Tamana, Executive Director at
Villar Foundation. The event is expected
to be attended by about 100 key officials
of the department of agriculture (DA),
state universities and colleges (SUCs),
leaders of farmers and fisherfolk associations, cooperatives, rural banks, and
other agri-fishery industry stakeholders,
and media.
We aim to consult some of the countrys key players on how we can further
enhance our framework on modernizing
(Pls turn to p6)

(Pls turn to p3)

By Imelda V. Abao

tries, millions of lives have

been disrupted by extreme weather triggered
by powerful El Nio,
which is expected to continue until the end of
2016.
Rice and grain harvests
have already been hit
hard by severe droughts
in 78 provinces in the
Philippines, according to
the Department of Agriculture.
Dr. Rosa Perez, a cli- Prolonged drought due to El Nio has damaged this
mate scientist from the corn farm in Peablanca, Cagayan.
Manila
Observatory,
warned that the impact of
intensifying El Nio was already visible from Peablanca, Cagayan (an hour
in the past years, as farmers struggled away from Tuguegarao City). She has
been practicing organic farming in
to grow crops due to water shortages.
Perez explained that during an El Ni- their more than six hectares of rice,
o phenomenon, sea-surface tempera- corn, and vegetable farm to adapt to
tures in the eastern tropical Pacific rise uncertain weather and climate condiabove average. This leads to a weaken- tions.
Tuguegarao City in Cagayan is the
ing or reversal of the prevailing trade
winds, which acts to reinforce surface warmest area in the Philippines, where
warming. El Nio affects the global at- the countrys highest temperature of
mospheric circulation, altering weather 42.2 degrees Celsius was recorded in
patterns around the world and tempo- 1912 and in 1969.
It is hard these days, as we experirarily elevating global temperatures.
El Nio years are particularly difficult ence severe droughts after unusually
for farmers, like Juana Guitering, 60,

(Pls turn to p6)

Agriculture: The top priority

Most observers would agree that By Cielito F. Habito*
among the three major economic sectors,
agriculture must receive the closest posted in the previous
attention of the next Philippine president. six years.
The following facts should bear this out:
In contrast, and to
One, agriculture is the seat of pov- its credit, this government has managed to
erty in the country.
Seventy percent of the Filipino poor ramp up industry
can be found in the rural areas, where the growth to 7.4 percent, nearly twice the 4
dominant source of livelihood is farming percent posted in the previous six-year
period 2004-2009. Services growth has
and fishing.
Poverty incidence is also highest in ru- also improved to 6.6 percent from the
ral areas (at 40 percent, against only 13 previous periods 6.2 percent.
But these numbers suggest that it is in
percent in urban areas and 3.9 percent in
Metro Manila); and it is worst among agriculture where the current leadership
could have done much more to match the
coconut farmers and fishers.
Our rural poverty incidence is two to otherwise sterling performance it has apfive times higher than in our comparable parently induced in the rest of the econoSouth East Asian neighborsVietnam has my, especially in industry and manufacturonly 17 percent, Thailand and Indonesia ing.
Four, the agriculture bureaucracy
14 percent, and Malaysia 8 percent.

Editorial Advisers Note: The InangLupa Movement agrees with the authors
observations and analysis, which were
published in his regular No Free
Lunch, February 16, 2016, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He previously
served as Socio-Economic Planning
Secretary and Director-General of the
National Economic Development Board
(NEDA) during the term of former President Fidel V. Ramos.
ment Code of 1991.
DA could have done much more to focus
efforts on capacitating provincial LGUs so
they could help their constituent farmers
effectively, and course resources for services through them more than it did.
Instead, we saw too much of centrally
determined one-size-fits-all solutions,
even as there is a wide variation in crops
and agro-climatic conditions across the
country.
And as indicated above, rampant graft
and corruption, which could very well be a
motivation for this over-centralization, has
deprived farmers of billions of pesos worth
of legitimate assistance.

Two, compared to industry and has been tainted over the years with
services, Philippine agriculture has a succession of massive corruption
yielded the lowest productivity and scandals, including fertilizer scams,
swine dispersal scams, pork barrel
lowest incomes over the years.
Our labor productivity in agriculture diversion scams, farm to pocket
barely improved in the 1990s, growing roads, and so on.
Too much focus, budget on rice
annually at an average rate of only 0.7
It is unconscionable and enraging that
percent, less than half of corresponding
productivity growth in our neighboring
countries.
Total factor productivity, which embodies technology and efficiency, grew annually in the sector by an average of only 0.4
percent since 1980, well behind corresponding growth in most of the region.
(For example, Vietnams grew at 1 percent, Chinas at 3.9 percent.)
Ironically, the Philippines has long been
a knowledge center for the agricultural
sciences, and actually mentored leading
agricultural scientists in the region, especially at the University of the PhilippinesLos Baos College of Agriculture.

Three, its in agriculture where the

current administration appears to
have done worse than the previous
one.
Whereas total farm employment went
up by around 698,000 workers from 2004
to 2009 (based on January data of the
quarterly Labor Force Surveys), it actually
fell by 756,000 workers from 2010 to
2015.
Average annual growth of the sector
over the last six years has been only 1.3
percent, less than half of the 3.2 percent

much of the wealth illicitly accumulated by

corrupt officials in past years has been
obtained at the great expense of the poorest among us, the farmers.
Where have we failed in the sector?
Where should the next president direct
his/her attention, if he/she is to improve
the lot of millions of Filipino farmers?

Institutional problem
Through the years, my own observations
and analyses tell me that our problem in
agriculture is primarily institutional, and not
so much natural or technological.
Our most critical impediment in the sector
is that governance and the management of
agriculture have been fundamentally flawed
among other things, still too top-down
and over-centralized in planning, budgeting
and program execution, for the Department
of Agricultures own good.
I have time and again argued that DA need
not, and should not, assume an undue burden of the responsibility of operational interventions in the sectorand with it, the
blame for failures therein.
Agriculture services, along with health
services, were supposedly devolved to local
government units (LGUs) 25 years ago,
with the enactment of the Local Govern-

The other related problem is how our

agriculture authorities have inordinately
focused their attention, and the budget,
on rice. This has left woefully little for
other commodities critical to income and
employment (such as coconut and fisheries, and high-value crops such as fruits,
vegetables and beverages), and to food
security as well (protein-rich legumes and
livestock).
Furthermore, our agricultural interventions have been too politicized and focused
on the wrong goals.
For example, there is too much emphasis
on production levels rather than on farmers and their families income and welfare,
and on 100-percent rice self-sufficiency
rather than on true food security that provides for accessibility and affordability of
food.
I would like to hear that before he/she
even speaks of specific initiatives for the
sector, our next president declare that he/
she will choose an agriculture secretary
who will reinvent the agriculture bureaucracy to correct the above flaws.
With the right bureaucracy and right
leadership, much of what needs to be done
on the ground should fall into place.
(Philippine Daily Inquirer)

El Nio damaged (from page 4)

Dr. William Dar recently visited Hyderabad, India, where he attended an international
conference on Emerging trends in synthesis of nano particles in agri biotechnology research
and commercialization. He discussed the importance of rejuvenating farm soils by using
modern technologies available, like 3rd and 4th generation bio-nutritional products, to improve
the organic nutrients of soils, particularly in the Philippines.

The most affected area in the country during the period was Region 2, or Cagayan
Valley, with 89,074 MT, or P1.16 billion
worth of damage. The bulk, or 88,724 MT,
was corn, worth P1.15B.
Cagayan Valley was followed by Region 12
and Region 10 in terms of production loss.
Damage to crops and livestock totaled
P1.09 billion in Region 12 and P762.07 million in Region 10.
Morales said the effects of El Nio to rice
production in the first half of 2016 would be
minimal following the projections from
the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA data showed that the countrys palay
output in the January-to-June period may
decrease by 1.48% to 8.2 million MT, from
8.32 MMT recorded in the same period in
2015.
El Nio was one of the contributing factors
that reduced rice production in 2015, at
only 18.15 MMT, 4.3% lower than in 2014,
at 18.97 MMT. (By Mary Grace Padin,
Business Mirror)
InangLupa Newsletter, March 2016 Issue/3

Make climate change, a priority, too!

By Imelda V. Abao*

The pressure is on: Climate advocate

and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
urged presidential aspirants in the upcoming 2016 Philippine elections to
discuss incessantly about climate
change and sustainability.
"Climate change should be in the
agenda in the Philippine elections. They
must offer a clear vision on climate, as
it is one of the most important policy
issues facing the country and the
world," Gore told the author in an exclusive interview, on March 16, 2016.
Gore, founder of the Climate Reality
Project, led a three-day training program for more than 700 new climate
advocates, March 14-16, 2016, at Sofitel Hotel, in Manila. A day before the
three-day event, he visited areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda
[Haiyan] in Tacloban City.
For the second presidential debate
on March 20, in Cebu City, the issues
on education, women's rights, health
and climate change will be among the
major topics.
"I am happy that it is going to be a
part of the debate, and that so many
Filipinos have expressed their determination to be politically active regardless
of which candidate they support. They
want to see the right decisions made
on climate," Gore said.

ing years.
While praising the Philippine leadership in the adoption of the Paris climate
agreement last December, Gore said the
country needs to "translate their commitments into actions and lean towards
clean energy economy."
Gore underscored that with the lack of
climate action, it is the younger generation or the Millennials who will be most
affected.

Put a cap on coal

Antonio La Via, dean of the Ateneo
School of Government, agreed that climate change must be an election issue,
adding that the first clear policy of the
next administration is to put a cap on
coal.
"We have lots of coal plants already
being built, and these are roadblocks in
addressing climate change," La Via said
during a panel discussion.
He, however, said that the present
administration is looking ways to address the issue at hand, taking into consideration it's leading role at the 2015
Paris climate negotiations.
Senator Loren Legarda, in a presentation, pointed out that there are at least
25 coal-fired power plants in the pipeline, adding that the country's consumption of coal has been on the upswing
between 2012 and 2014, accounting for
Adopt effective CC, RE policies
27 percent of the total.
Gore also encouraged the Philippines
Legarda said renewables account only
to adopt "effective" climate and renew- for 33 percent of the country's energy
able energy policies to avert catastro- mix, at 246,000 megawatts, with huge
phe from climate change.
untapped renewable energy capacity
He stressed that shifting to a lowcarbon economy will benefit poorer
nations like the Philippines.
"The needed change is monumental.
The Philippines approved a new set of
There is a need for an energy revolu- rules on genetically modified organisms
tion, such as shifting from fossil fuels (GMOs) after the Supreme Court in Delike coal, oil and gas to renewables like cember 2015 demanded an overhaul of
solar, wind and geothermal," he said.
previous regulations. The new rules
Gore noted that the Philippines was have provided relief to farmers and immost impacted by climate-related ex- porters, who were worried that any detreme events in the past years, with lay would spark a food crisis.
328 typhoons and severe flooding inciThe rules were signed by the five dedents from 1994 to 2013 alone.
partment secretaries (DA, DOH, DOST,
DENR and DILG) on March 7, 2016, ac13.6M Pinoys would be affected
cording to Merle Palacpac, chief of the
With the rising seas, he said, at least plant quarantine service at the Bureau
13.6 million Filipinos might have to be of Plant Industry.
relocated to higher ground in the comThe new rules would likely take effect
by April 2016, Palacpac said.
The SC halted the issuance of permits
for planting or importing GMO crops
until the new rules were in place,
putting in limbo nearly 1 million corn
farmers and buyers of GM soybean
meal, the Philippines' top GMO import.
The SC actied on a petition by environmental activists led by Greenpeace,
which was closely watched by other governments.
Greenpeace said it would take further
Dr. William Dar (middle) is shown with Dr. action against the new GMO guidelines.
Frisco Malabanan (right), who said SL Agri
"Definitely there will be action but we
Tech has developed a new rice hybrid that haven't decided (what it will be) yet,"
can produce a yield of up to 14 tons per said Greenpeace campaigner Leonora
hectare, at the 2nd National Rice Farmers Lava.
Technology Forum, in Pototan, Iloilo. With
The new rules are expected to imthem is a Chinese rice expert of Sl Agri prove transparency in the approval proTech.
cess for permits to plant, import and

from the
sun, tidal
ocean power, wind,
geothermal,
biomass, and
hydro resources.
"Easy and
affordable
defy durable
solutions.
But the impact of coalFormer US Vice
fired power
President Al Gore and
plants on
founder of Climate
health, air
Reality Project.
quality, and
climate, and
life are more vital considerations," she
said.

Albay Province Governor Joey Salceda,

said the next administration must impose
a moratorium on coal.
"The next president must commit and
say no to coal. We have too much coal
already. We need new pathways in dealing with energy security," Salceda said.
"Our next president should have the ability to build on the progress in addressing
climate change and sustainable development issues."
*Editors note: The author is currently
the President of the Philippine Network
of Environmental Journalists (PNEJ),
and editor of EnviroNews, which aims to
increase the quality and quantity of climate change and environmental reporting in the country.

New GMO rules signed

commercialize GM products, including
enhanced regulations on risk assessment and involvement of local governments, said Palacpac.
"The technical working group made
sure that these concerns by the Supreme Court have been addressed,"
she said.
While importers of soymeal welcomed the new regulations, they were
concerned it could now take longer to
get permission to ship in GM crops.
Under the old rules, feed millers were
only required to get sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for soybean
meal that they shipped in, said an industry source. But it is unclear whether
they now will also have to get a separate biosafety permit, the source added.
The Philippines was the first in Asia to
approve commercial cultivation of a GM
crop for animal feed and food in 2002
when it allowed GM corn planting. It has
also allowed GM crop imports for more
than a decade. Around 70 percent of its
corn output is GM.
GMO's critics argue the technology
poses risks to public health, while advocates say such fears have not been scientifically proven and that high-yielding
genetically altered crops would help ensure food security as the world's population grows.

(By Manolo Serapio Jr. and Erik dela Cruz,

Reuters)

InangLupa Newsletter, March 2016 Issue/3

More farmers, LGUs

want SCoPSA
techno-demo sites
The Department of Agriculture through
the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM) is receiving more requests from farmers groups and local
government units (LGUs) for the agency
to establish techno-demonstration farms
under its Sustainable Corn Production in
Sloping Areas (SCoPSA) program.
BSWM Director Silvino Tejada, Jr. said
they have received numerous requests
from farmers and LGUs seeking assistance to conduct technical briefings and
capacity trainings so they could establish
SCoPSA techno-demo farms in their respective areas. The requests are more
than twice the target area for 2015,
Tejada said.
Presently, the DA-BSWM has established 15 SCoPSA techno-demo farms in
Regions I, II, V and VI, and aims to establish 12 more sites for 2016 in Cagayan
Valley, Bicol Region and Northern Mindanao. Hence, SCoPSA techno-demo farms
will total 76.8 hectares nationwide, added DSWM assistant director Sonia Salguero.
When all of these new SCoPSA sites
and community-based techno-demo
farms are put in place, Salguero said
these would benefit about 600,000 farm
families, who rely on corn as their main
source of livelihood.
To date, SCoPSA directly benefits 1,200
corn farmers and their families, in six
provinces of Quirino, Iloilo, Capiz, Nueva
Vizcaya, Albay and Bukidnon. The DABSWM has set SCoPSA techno-demo
farms in these provinces, from April to
December 2015.
In 2013, the Agriculture Secretary
Proceo Alcala has instructed the BSWM
to establish SCoPSA techno-demo farms,
in close coordination with DA-RFOs, to
address improper soil and water conservation management, and other humaninduced crop production practices in sloping areas, particularly, upland fields that
are not supposed to be planted with corn
to protect landscapes.
SCoPSa is one of the DAs soil conservation
and climate change adaptation measures
through the coverage of corn areas vulnerable to soil erosion in different locations of
the country. It is implemented by establishing a techno-demo farm showcasing easily
adoptable and socially-acceptable soil and
water conservation technologies.
(By Loraine D. Cerillo, DA-BSWM)

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (2nd from left) hands over a mock-up check of P15 million
for the rehabilitation of Pinsal SWIP of the Burayok ti Pinsal Farmers Association in Sta.
Maria, Ilocos Sur, on February 22, 2016. The DA turned over P55-million worth of projects to
the farmers and irrigators associations in Ilocos Sur during his visit.(Photo by Alarico Nuestro/AFID)

Ilocos Sur gets P55M agri support

The Department of Agriculture is positive that with the right tools, farm production will improve and farmers will increase
income and reduce cost of production.
As such, the government continues to
provide support and assistance to the agriculture sector to empower and strengthen
the capabilities of all stakeholders.
Last February 22, 2016, Agri chief Proceso J. Alcala spearheaded the distribution
of more than P55-million (M) worth of
projects and farm equipment to farmers
and irrigators association in Sta. Maria,
Ilocos Sur.
Among the projects that were turnedover include the P15M rehabilitation project for Pinsal SWIP to Burayok ti Pinsal
Farmers Association, P2M DA-Philmech
funded tramline to Baballasioan Farmers
Association and P2M grain silo to the Federated Rice and Corn Association.
Alcala also awarded 15 units of pump
and engine sets (10 units of 3" x 3" gasoline engine and 5 units of 2" x 2" gasoline
engine), 15 head of carabao with farm
implements, 3 sets of native swine module
and 10 goats (buck).
In his message, the Secretary said that
the government will continue to provide
assistance to farmers for their production
and post-production needs. Ang nais po
natin hindi lamang mapababa ang production cost ninyo, kundi i-capacitate kayo
upang maging entrepreneurs, he said.
The Secretary said that aside from
providing inputs and assistance packages
to farmers, the DA is providing training
and extension works so that farmer groups
can be service providers.
Hindi lang po kayo basta magtatanim,
kayo din po ang magbibigay ng serbisyo sa
mga katulad ninyong magsasaka. Sa
gayon, mas malaking oportunidad at kita

ang maghihintay sa inyo, he said to

members of organized association.
During the same event, the provincial
government of Ilocos Sur also received
10,000 packs of High Yielding Technology
Adoption(HYTA) Hybrid Seeds (5kg/pack),
750 bags of HQS for Adverse Eco-System
Certified Seed (40 kg/bag), 50 bags of
Green Super Rice (20kg/bag), 180 cans of
assorted vegetable seeds, 500 pcs of garden tools, 1 unit of mobile grain dryer, 1
unit of rice seed storage, 1 mini 4WDtractor, 1 mechanical planter, 3 units of
multiplier farm, 1 unit of hand tractor, 1
unit of thresher, 2 units of pump and
engine sets (diesel), 150 units of farmalite, 2 units of collapsible dryer case, and
3 units of electric water pumps.
The DA chief also recognized the municipality of Sta. Maria for being highest
producer of corn food grain in the country.
Mabuhay po kayong lahat dahil patuloy kayong nakikiisa sa mga programa ng
pamahalaan para mapataas at mapatatag ang ekonomiya sa mga kanayunan, he said.
He also praised the Municipality for
reaching 181% rice sufficiently level in
2015, despite the onslaught of El Nio
phenomenon.
Alcala also applauded the scholars of
Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) in the province. Base
po sa datos, marami ng kabataan ang
nagnanais na magsaka at mangisda, he
said.
According to a Philippine Statistics Authority report, the current average age of
farmers is 43 years old. Mas bata po
kumpara sa average age ng ating mga
magsasaka noong 2010 na 57, he said.
(By Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)

Shown above are the particpants and resource persons at the recent at the recent national consultative review and planning workshop for
Sustainable Corn Production in Sloping Areas (SCoPSA), at the DA-BSWM, Quezon City.
InangLupa Newsletter, March 2016 Issue/3

Make agri more

attractive to youth
By Junel B. Soriano

Agriculture continues to be the engine of inclusive, accelerated economic

growth and development, as well as
livelihood security in the country.
The threat to agriculture and food
security is now evident with much severity due to multiple challenges of
higher population growth, natural resource degradation, and ageing farmers
owing to progressive volatility of
social and economic competitive opportunities in farming vis--vis nonfarming sectors.
Likewise, rural youth is moving away
from agriculture due to lack of basic
amenities, professional knowledge and
inspirational pathways for their employment security.
It is very well appreciated and evident through the successful business
models of leading public and private
sector organizations, as well as multinational companies (for example IT sector), that they employ more young personnel, because they are more innovative, productive, as well as receptive
and curious to engage in and contribute
to new technologies and advancements.
Wide gap between youth, elders
On the contrary, in the agriculture
sector there has been a wide gap between the youths energy and elderly
peoples experience. Such a situation
has been leading to an ageing farming
population, slow pace of adoption of
new innovations and technologies,
huge losses in technology dissemination, and delinking science with society.
Hence,
making
farming
nonremunerative, non-resilient and unattractive for the youth.
Filipino youngsters do not perceive
agriculture as a remunerative and prestigious profession, and until they find
meaningful economic as well as prestigious opportunities with value added
back-stopping and attractive work environments in the farm sector, they will
continue to move away from farming.
This trend does not only contribute
to the emerging phenomenon of over
urbanization and growing unemployment, but also leads to social disparity
and affects global food production.
Prioritizing investments in the youth
and agriculture is very crucial for greater and active involvement of the youth
in various enterprises. These include
farm advisory, knowledge providers,
and technology-led businesses that
provide value-added services, generate
employment opportunities. Youngsters
can also act as local technology agents
to link science with society for enhancing agricultural productivity for a food
secure society.
Transform youth into job providers
Relevant strategies are needed to
transition the youth from job seekers
to job providers aimed at to boosting
rural economy and bridging the gaps in
rural and urban scales. These include:
Identify national, regional and local
constraints, opportunities and priorities in attracting the youth (including

BSWM Director Silvino Tejada (in pink shirt) is shown with Senator Cynthia Villar
(in blue-green cardigan), DA-RFO 3 director Andrew Villacorta (in light blue shirt),
and LGU recipients of the DA-BSWM compost facilities for biodegradable wastes.

DA-BSWM allots P100M for compost facilities

The Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Soils and Water Management
(DA-BSWM) through the National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP) has allocated this year P100 million (M) to provide composting facilities for biodegradable wastes (CFBW) to 172 qualified
local government units (LGUs) nationwide.
The composting facilities, worth
P580,000 each, will enable LGUs to
transform their market and residential
wastes into organic fertilizers. The LGUs
should first sort, collect and compost the
shredded wastes and transform these
into organic fertilizers using the CFBW.
The DA-BSWM provide CFBW and
small scale composting facilities (SSCFs)
to LGUs and farmers groups to promote
organic agriculture, said BSWM Director
Silvino Q. Tejada, and concurrent NOAP
national coordinator.
Considering the large amount of biodegradable wastes from city and town
markets and residences estimated at
4,000 tons every day, according to the
National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) Tejada said there is
a need to set-up facilities near markets,
trading posts and residential areas that
will convert those wastes into compost
and organic fertilizers, which could be
used by farmers and other interested
groups.
"We have been facing serious probyoung women) in agriculture;
Review and enhance agriculture subjects/curriculum in schools (from elementary, high school to college levels);
Empower the youth (including young
women) by developing their capacity
through informal and vocational training in agriculture, and offering bilateral
scholarships and exchange programs;
Introduce sustainable farming and
business with the use of improved
technologies, mechanization and ICT;
Provide young farmers and new graduates with seed money to do modern
farming and agribusiness enterprises;
and
Create national/regional networks on
Youth and Agriculture for sharing
knowledge, innovations, technologies
and expertise.

lems regarding proper management of

waste disposal throughout the country.
The DA conducts researches to improve
soil and water conditions that have
been taken care of by the BSWM
through the years. We keenly see to it
that while we attain food sufficiency,
we are not leaving behind the importance of food safety," Tejada said.
The BSWM recently conducted a
three-day Capacity Enhancement on
the operations of CFBW, at the Social
Institute for Poverty Alleviation and
Governance (SIPAG) Farm School in Las
Pias City. The pilot training program
was attended by 60 representatives,
composed of city and municipal agricultural officers, and other LGU personnel.
A participant from Ilocos region, Laoag City agricultural officer Elmer V.
Santiago said, "This capacity enhancement activity can give us more idea on
how we can operate the facility to benefit more farmers in the community and
the Local Government of Laoag as well.
We are also looking forward to learn
new technologies that perhaps be introduced to us by the end of this training."
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said
that composting can potentially divert
up to 150 kilograms (kg) of food waste
per household per year from local collection authorities.
The CFBW can process and transform
one to two tons of biodegradable
wastes into 500 kg of organic fertilizer/
compost in a span of two weeks.
Through the establishment of these
facilities, Tejada said rural and urban
communities can earn additional income
from
organic
fertilizers/
composts, and at the same time promote environmental protection.
The DA implements the NOAP in support to the Organic Agriculture Act of
2010 or RA 10068, which was authored
by DA Secretary Proceso J. Alcala.
In February this year, Tejada said the
BSWM has completed delivery of 83
CFBWs worth P49M nationwide.
"Our country is now being recognized
all over Asia in terms of organic farming,
reaching our targeted increase of 5% hectares devoted to organic farming out of
the total agricultural land area is what we
have to work for this year," Tejada added.
InangLupa Newsletter, March 2016 Issue/3

Next Govt (from page 1)

retary William Dar said in the five-and-ahalf years of the Aquino administration, the
farm sector only posted a growth of 1.6
percent.
He said while the entire Philippine
economy grew last year by more than 6
percent in terms of GDP, the growth of
agriculture has been very pathetic, at
only 0.11 percent. For the last five-and-ahalf years, the agriculture sector has only
grown at an average of 1.6 percent.
So, this is clearly a very dismal performance of this administration in terms of
agriculture, Dar said.
In the post-Ferdinand E. Marcos period,
he added that the agriculture sector
growth averaged at 2.7 percent, significantly higher than the performance of
the sector in 2015.
He said agriculture growth averaged
1.8 percent under former President Corazon C. Aquino; 0.8 percent under thenPresident Fidel V. Ramos; 6.5 percent
under former President Joseph E. Estrada; and 2.8 percent under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Agri should grow 4% yearly

The former agriculture secretary said

every administration must aim to grow
agriculture by an average of 4 percent to
increase the farm sectors contribution to
GDP.
Dar added that the sector used to account for around 20 percent of GDP. However, in recent years, its contribution has
declined to around 10 percent of GDP.
Nonetheless, he said if the sectors value
addition to industry through food manufacturing is given a boost, this would increase
the sectors contribution by 15 percent to
20 percent.
With this, the total contribution of agriculture to the economy could be around 25
percent to 30 percent of GDP. Apart from
growth, the farm sector accounts for about
a third of the countrys poor. Dar said
around 40 percent of farmers are poor.
So clearly, he added, that focusing on the
farm sector can help the next administration make economic growth more inclusive.
Agriculture is really such a big sector not
to be given priority by the government,
Dar said. (By Cai Ordinario, Business Mirror)

Push agri industrialization

The next administration should implement an industrialization program that

will center on agriculture, former government officials said on March 7, 2016.
During a session of Tapatan sa Aristocrat, Rafael Mariano, former representative of Anakpawis, said government
should put into action a national industrialization program to focus on rural development and boost the countrys agriculture sector.
Former Agriculture Secretary William
D. Dar also noted that industrializing the
farm sector could improve its dismal
performance in the past six years.
The government should be able to
commence
an
inclusive
agriindustrialization program in the next six
years. Let us diversify and enhance the
production
of
high-value
crops,
and develop industries in every region or
province based on the major crops they
are producing. Value adding and processing should also be done in these
provinces. From there, they should be
able to access the market locally and
globally. This should be institutionalized
as a [long term] strategy of the govern-

ment, Dar said.

Industrialization will also serve to improve the capacity of other sectors to absorb the labor force that will be displaced as
a negative backlash of farm mechanization,
the experts said.
Theres no other direction, but the modernization of agriculture. We cannot go
back, said Dr. Santiago Obien, senior technical adviser of the Department of Agricultures (DA) National Rice Program.
Alternative livelihood in rural areas
However, Santiago, Mariano and Dar all
agreed that there should be industries in
the rural areas that can become the alternative source of livelihood for the farmworkers should they lose their jobs.
As an example, Obien said farm machines
in Thailand are locally produced, which
makes the countrys manufacturing sector
more robust and able to absorb the farmers
that want to shift to other industries.
Mariano, who is also the chairman of
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP),
said agriculture should be treated as the
foundation for the development of the
national economy and that should be reflected in the budget allocated, and programs and policies rolled out by the government.
For example, if the gross value added of
the agriculture sector is at P1.4 trillion, then
at least 10 percent of that should be the
budget allocated for the sector, he said,
adding that even though the DAs budget
has increased under the Aquino administration, about 20 percent of this is still unused.
Dar said the Philippine agriculture sector,
for the past six years, has only posted an
average annual growth of 1.6 percent, lower compared to the 2.7-percent average
growth in the past 28 years.
The sectors contribution to the countrys
GDP also fell to 10 percent, from 25 percent
15 years ago, he said.
Aside from industrialization, Mariano said
the enactment of proposed legislations like
provision of free irrigation services bill and
implementation of a genuine agrarian reform program would help improve the
productivity and incomes of Filipino farmers.
Dar said the next administration should
develop a more inclusive, science-based,
market-oriented and climate-resilient agriculture sector to make it a more viable and
competitive industry.
He said addressing the 1.3-million hectare
backlog in the countrys irrigation program,
and investing in rain-water harvesting systems, promoting sustainable land management, advancing the countrys farm mechanization level, and modernizing rural infrastructures and transport systems should
also be prioritized to improve the sectors
performance.
Obien, for his part, stressed that it should
be a major strategy of the next administration to develop farmers cooperative sys-

El Nio puts (from page 1)

heavy rains. Sometimes there were no
harvest and cultivation or farming cycles
no longer follow the traditional monsoon. So we have to change our mindsets and adapt to this changing climate,
Guitering said in her dialect Itawes.
As per crop damage report by the Department of Agriculture (DA) the current
El Nio has affected most Cagayan Valley, with 89,074 MT, or P1.16 billion
worth of crop damage. The bulk, or
88,724 MT, of this volume was corn,
worth P1.15 billion.
Cagayan, however, remains as the
countrys biggest producers of corn and
rice. (InterAksyon.com)

InangLupa to (from page 1)

and industrializing Philippine agriculture,
which should be inclusive, science-based,
resilient and market-oriented, said Dar,
who founded InangLupa upon completing an unprecedented 15-year term
as director-general of the International
Crops Research Institute for the SemiArid Tropics (ICRISAT), based in India.
Through paper presentations and
group discussions, we hope to produce
an enhanced framework and a consolidated report that will serve as a springboard for a wider consultation with incoming national leaders, Dar added.
InangLupa has invited as participants
the vice presidents for research and extension of key SUCs, DA regional technical directors for operations, farmerleaders, rural bank managers, chairpersons of regional agricultural and fishery
councils, and national sectoral committees, and officials from the Cooperatives Development Authority.
Resource persons
Among the invited resource persons are:
Ramon Ilusorio, chair of Management Association of the Philippines and Multinational
Foundation Inc; Ernesto Brown Officer-inCharge and Supervising Science Research
Specialist SERD-PCAARRD; Edmund Mendoza Chief Executive officer Pangasinan Credit
Surety fund (PCSF); Felino Lansigan, dean of
the UPLB College of Arts and Sciences;
Leonardo Gonzales, president of STRIVE/
SIKAP Foundation; Rolando Dy, executive
director of UA&P Center for Food and Agribusiness; Rodolfo Vicerra, former directorgeneral of the Congressional Planning and
Budget Office; Roehlano Briones, PIDS senior research fellow; Evelyn Esquejo, of Benguet State University; Napoleon Juanillo,
CHED director; Dr Fortunato A Battad,
Chairman Board of Agriculture PRC and
adviser of InangLupa.
During the two-day consultation, the
participants will be divided into seven
workshop groups to discuss and craft respective outputs on: Inclusive agriculture
and policy agenda; Science-based agriculture; Climate smart and resilient agriculture; Market-oriented and competitive
agriculture; Economic resilience of Philippine agriculture; Principles and mechanisms of partnerships between DA and
LGUs; and Revitalizing agricultural education. (By Noel O. Reyes)

InangLupa Newsletter
Editorial Board
William D. Dar

Noel O. Reyes

Adviser

Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Consultants:
Zosimo M. Battad
Cheryl N. Caballero
Francis J. Flores
William C. Medrano

Rosana P. Mula
Santiago R. Obien
Junel B. Soriano

Paul Vincent M. Anareta

Jean Louise F. Surara
Copy Editor

Website: http://inanglupa.weebly.com
E-mail: inanglupa@yahoo.com;
w.dar38@yahoo.com;
inanglupamovement@gmail.com
Facebook: InangLupa Movement, Inc.
Office
InangLupa Movement, Inc. Office
Address: DA-BSWM Building, Diliman,
Quezon City, 1100, Philippines

InangLupa Newsletter, March 2016 Issue/3