10 November 2019

PH Agriculture – To Be Or Not To Be Organic, That Is Not The Question!


No, the images above from Costales Nature Farms do not show the organic farming I believe in. Like, the soil in-between should notbe left bare.

Some organic farmers think they know everything!

Yes, I know organic farming. Yes, I was the very first agriculturist to bring it to the attention of the UP College of Agriculture, now UP Los Baños – certainly the first in print to bring organic agriculture to the attention of the Filipino people, in the Philippines Free Pressno less. (You can also ask Nicanor "Nicky" Perlas, the only Filipino who has won the Right Livelihood Award, he having graduated to biodynamic agriculture from my lectures in organic farming in Xavier University College of Agriculture, Cagayan De Oro City, 51 years ago. For proof, he has copies of my syllabuses.)

So, with such credentials, allow me to tackle the complaint of daisy I (sic) from Isabela, via a Facebook sharing of UPLB Professor Ted Mendoza, an organic farming enthusiast and practitioner himself. Miss Daisy's "letter" is addressed to Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie.

Miss Daisy says, "All the best to your leadership sir… The participation of ecological farmers is grossly missing in the program that continues to give full support to conventional farming and nothing to ecological farmers in the RCEF goal of Masaganang Ani/Malaking Kita."

No, "conventional farmers" and "ecological farmers" are not separate in the RCEF. The fact is the RCEF funds are being legally distributed only to, among others, farmers who are registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, RSBSA – whether farmers are inorganic or organic, if not in the RSBSA, they cannot receive RCEF funds.

"Traditional seeds vs inbred seeds vs hybrid seeds" – that is not considered in the RCEF, no reason to point it out here.

"You have been (quoted) by people as saying that organic agriculture will not feed the country."

Wrong!

Miss Daisy, when Manong Willie attended the "6th Regional Organic Agriculture Congress Cum Farmers' Forum" held in Benguet 20 September 2019, he said, as quoted by Danny P Padua[1]:

I support the growth of organic agriculture in the country… However, don't make it like a religion.

Mr Padua said:

According to the secretary… there are researches worldwide that (show) this specialty agriculture can't fully feed the burgeoning world population. He therefore suggested employing a more practical and realistic farming system of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to produce more food and income for the farmers. GAP would necessarily entail judicious and sparing use of inorganic inputs together with organic inputs. With it therefore, the environment is better safeguarded for the future.

Note: "can't fully feed the... world population." No, Miss Daisy, you have read but not enough of the news! Or, perhaps, not carefully.

Miss Daisy also says:

I'm praying that you will finish your tenure as your people's real hero, but first you will now have to find the courage to be one.

To be a hero, first you have to deal with the facts!@517





[1] https://www.zigzagweekly.net/sec-dar-supports-organic-agriculture-gap/

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