William Dar – We Need New Thinking For Agriculture. FAH – I Have Faith!

I have faith in William Dar, former Director General of ICRISAT based in India, now founder President of InangLupa Movement based in Quezon City, even as he expounds in the Manila Times his continuing series of columns on his New Thinking for Agriculture, and that is why I have been following him up. He is one who thinks out of the box (image from fotolia.com).

In his column of today, "Increasing The Income Of Farmers And Fisherfolk" 2nd of 2 parts (01 August 2019, manilatimes.net), William Dar asks rhetorically:

Is there a need to have an agribusiness approach toward our country's agriculture sector, with the aim also of creating agripreneurs from the current ranks of smallholders and the youth?

"Yes," he says. Mr Dar is talking about the poor farmers and the young ones, to help them succeed in agriculture.

About the poor, since I am into what I call The New Evangelism (see my essay, "Vs Climate Change, We Don't Need Science – We Need Selflessness, Generosity & Activism!" 01 August 2019, Creativity World, icreativityworld.blogspot.com), let me quote St Paul talking (NRSV):

They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I had been eager to do – Galatians 2:10.

Mr Dar says, aside from competitiveness of Big Business:

Competitiveness also means smallholder farmers and fisherfolk earning enough to feed their families, and making them more food secure and part of the expanding market for consumer and durable products.

So we want the small farmers to become financially successful to the degree of self-sufficiency that they can realistically reach. But there's a problem. Now, Mr Dar almost is saying, "The problem is when you have no money, no bank will lend you money!"

Mr Dar is saying no bank will lend you money to become profitable unless you can show that you already are profitable! That is why I insist that in trying to help the poor, especially the farmers and their families, there must be mercy and compassion. Along with the New Thinking for Agriculture, must be The New Evangelism.

And I with The New Evangelism will insist that farmers to be helped are members of multipurpose cooperatives whose Board include representatives of the Church and at least one religious organization, to ensure honesty, integrity and social justice.

Mr Dar then talks about the LandBank as a mover of financial help:

But there is still a need for a "catalyst" that would lend to smallholder farmers and fisherfolk, and struggling agripreneurs and agribusiness firms and help them achieve profitability and competitiveness…

Mr Dar also says:

Also, increased lending to the agriculture sector should be accompanied or even preceded by financial literacy training for individual stakeholders, organized farmers and fisherfolk, and agribusiness firms and agripreneurs.

I myself prefer that LandBank prefer to help the organized farmers, the ones who know God's law:

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2, NRSV)

With the New Thinking for Agriculture must come The New Evangelism!@517