IRRI Director General Jean Balié And Philippine President BBM Talking About Modern Agriculture 29 Nov 2022. What’s In It For Farmer Poverty? Asking For A Friend!

Top image: PH President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr. and IRRI Director General Jean Balié walk through an all-yellow field, rice promising a rich harvest. The plants are short, as they do not reach the knees of the walkers. That’s a modern technology that IRRI has for the world. This agriculturist is impressed.

And so was BBM, naturally. He was visiting IRRI yesterday, Tuesday, 29 Nov 2022 (Manila). Betheena Unitesays he said (“Marcos Bats For Rice Industry Modernization,” Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph):

There are new technologies that address the problems that we are facing, and that those technologies are beginning to be disseminated down to the local farmers.

The pandemic and the situation in Ukraine have been a glaring reminder of how fundamental the agricultural sector is and food supply is to not only in the Philippines but to the entire world.

As an agriculturist, I am glad that my President BBM recognizes “How fundamental the agricultural sector is.”

The other concern yesterday was modern technologies to improve PH Agriculture. Thus, these reports from: Job Manahan, “IRRI's New Technologies Appropriate To Philippines, Says Marcos Jr” (ABS-CBN, news.abs-cbn.com). Samuel P Medenilla, “PBBM: New Technologies At IRRI To Boost Rice Yield” (BusinessMirror, businessmirror.com.ph). Azer Parrocha, “Gov’t Must Use Technologies To Improve Agri Sector: Marcos” (PNA, pna.gov.ph).  Betheena Unite, “Marcos Bats For Rice Industry Modernization” (Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph):

Similarly, other media in the Philippines reported on BBM with emphasis on IRRI’s modern technologies for agriculture not only in the Philippines but in other tropical countries.

What I failed to find in all those news items is my President BBM, as Acting Secretary of Agriculture, saying anything about the role of Agriculture – and therefore Farmers – in Climate Change.

It cannot be denied that Agriculture contributes much to Climate Change.

The World Bank says, “Agriculture is a major part of the climate problem. It currently generates 19-29% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions” (05 April 2021, “Climate-Smart Agriculture,” worldbank.org). The GHGs are the ones that directly create global warming etc.

What can we do to reduce GHGs? Resolve with Organic Agriculture. What about Farmer Poverty? Solve with Organic Agriculture!
(“Sad State” from youtube.com)

Let us urge BBM to urge farmers to junk “Chemical Agriculture” (CA), which generates much of the GHGs, and resort to “Regenerative Agriculture” (RA). If RA is strange to you, “Organic Agriculture” (OA) should not be, and OA is part of the broad concept of RA.

I know. I have been writing off and on about organic agriculture in the last 57 years! In 1965, as a new graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (now UP Los Baños), I wrote in the student paper Aggie Green & Gold as well as the Philippines Free Press.

Better yet, BBM should appoint a regular head of the Department of Agriculture, and I have one person in mind, the immediate former Secretary of Agriculture – William Dar. We need his “New Thinking for Agriculture”!@517

 

“Climate Changes Agriculture” – What Is That Animal? Asking For A Friend!

My hope for the Philippines, nay the world, is now expressed in this new phrase (plural): “Climate Changes Agriculture” – compare my earlier phrase (singular) in “‘Climate Change Agriculture’ – BBM Sir, With That Package You Have A Major Reason For Budget Request For Billions For Citizen Protection And Cultivator Prosperity!” (07 Nov 2022, Gardens Guardians, blogspot.com). 
(“Climate Changes” image from embibe.com)

At any rate, that’s my Hope. And “Hope Requires Action,” says Jaime Augusto Zobel De Ayala. So I continue to write. Today, I want to do fieldwork following my own advice. So: Institution or individual, if you can arrange for a 5-10 ha of ricefield and a budget to match, I am willing to be a practicing farmer – not only a practical writer – and show the world by actual practice what I call Rotavator WEALTh– using an off-the-shelf rotavator with my strict instructions.

By the way, if you don’t know me, I am a full-blooded Ilocano son of an Asingan, Pangasinan farmer, a UP Los Baños alumnus (BS Agriculture Ag Edu, weighted average 2.36, 1965; Civil Service Professional 80.6%, 1964).

Repeat: I want to actually practice my advocacy, that which today I encapsulate into 3 words: ‘Climate Changes Agriculture” (CCsA). [I first wrote about the singular “Climate Change Agriculture” (CCA) in 2018; see my essay “Organic Farming & The Lesson Of The Rotavator: How To Feed The World” (26 March 2018, iOrganic Country, blogspot.com)].

Here are the climates that CCsA is designed to change for better:
(“Save” image from istockphoto.com)

Climate of Enemy Weather– Stop Conventional Agriculture! Scientists will tell you those chemical fertilizers and pesticides generate those greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our millions of hectares of farms in all major Philippine islands. If instead all our farmers practiced organic farming all over the country, we should be able to minimize typhoons, floods and landslides.

Climate of Enemy Poverty – If farmers practice what I am preaching as Climate Changes Agriculture, their costs of production will go down to negligible, almost zero, because they do not need to buy fertilizers (and pesticides) of any kind.

[The organic mulch that is created by any off-the-shelf rotavator operated under my strict instructions will provide more than enough fertility. (How do you create that organic mulch automatically? See my 01 Nov 2022 essay, “BBM’s Dream Of P20/Kg Rice – To Help Make That Dream Come True Almost Immediately, Somebody Fund Me As I Re/Invent A Mechanically Intelligent ‘Masaganang Sakahang Kabalikat’ Rotavator (‘MSK Rotavator’),” Gardens Guardians, blogspot.com).]

Climate of Enemy Foods– Since our farmers always apply chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides on our crops, they always harvest farm produce – fruits, grains, leaves, roots – that are laden with chemically derived nutrients and pesticide residues; thus, our foods are always unhealthy.

Climate of Enemy Prices of Farm-Produced Foods – Even without my MSK Rotavator, with organic farming, without certification, farmers will spend much less and earn much more, so that BBM’s P20/Kg dream rice will easily come true.

Climate Changes Agriculture – If we do not stop Chemical Agriculture, Climate Change will stop all of us!@517

 

Champions Of The Earth” – United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Honors 5 For 2022 – Here Am I Looking At 2023 With My Intelligent Rotavator!?

Saturday, 26 Nov 2022, Manila, I was surprised and excited reading the announcement via Facebook from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) about its “Champions Of The Earth” awards – 5 winners this year: a conservationist, sustainable waste management enterprise, an economist, a women’s rights activist, and wildlife biologist. A consistent, confident, constructive blogger for Regenerative Agriculture, I am now looking at 2023!

(images: “Champions” from european-environment-foundation.eu,“Act Now” from unep.org)

Wikipedia says (en.wikipedia.org) “[The] UNEP established Champions of the Earth in 2005 as an annual awards program to recognize outstanding environmental leaders from the public and private sectors, and from civil society.”

Can you – and I – aspire for the award? My answer is “Yes.” On 22 Nov 2022, UN News announced (news.un.org):

UNEP’s annual Champions of the Earth award is the UN’s highest environmental honor, which recognizes individuals and organizations from a number of fields, including civil society, academia and the private sector, that are blazing a trail in protecting our natural world.

I understand that to mean anyone or any group can be declared a “Champion of the Earth” by “blazing a trail in protecting our natural world.”

Good, but not good enough! UNEP I believe is unwittingly limiting its search for “Champions of the Earth” among the protectors of Mother Nature, neitherincluding those enrichers of her fertility, nor those regeneratorsof such fertility.

As an agriculturist (UP Los Baños, BSA major in Ag Edu, 1965), I favor “Regenerative Agriculture” (RA), as conceived by American organic pioneer Robert Rodale in the 1980s.

When I started writing on organic agriculture (OA) sometime in the mid-1960s, the professors of my alma mater University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (now UP Los Baños) were neither talking about OA nor were they teaching it. I discovered my OA when at the open shelves of the UPLB library I chanced upon the books of American gentleman farmer Edward H Faulkner talking about the folly of plowing and the wisdom of “trash farming” – Plowman’s Folly was published 1943 and Soil Development 1952.

In 1965, running an off-the-shelf rotavator with my adjustments-alignments, I reinvented Mr Faulkner’s trash into an “automatic organic mulch” (aOM), which is simultaneously created and spread across the field. My brother-in-law Enso Casasos, a farmer in my hometown of Asingan, Pangasinan, successfully created himself that aOM and consistently out-yieldedmuch his neighbor-farmers. (Unfortunately, he died many years ago.)

I want to go after that UNEP prize and be a Champion of the Earth, with a reinvented rotavator. But I need some financing to come up with an intelligent rotavator that produces that aOM without me. An intelligent farm machine! A small-big dream of mine for farmers.

Prior to that, meanwhile, I am offering this compromise: If someone can come up with a budget for me to conduct techno demos using off-the-shelf rotavatorsin 5 locations – Ilocos Region, Cordilleras, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog – I can demonstrate in actual practice what I'm talking about. Any brave financier?@517

 

Gardens Guardians – To Each One’s Own Garden. Now, How Green Is Your Valley?

Introducing my new blog: “Gardens Guardians” (GG, or Gigi.) The idea is that we cultivate our own gardens while considering that others are cultivating theirs – Gigi, you have your piece of earth; simultaneously, all Gigis must have Peace on Earth!

The top image, of a valley, is from Hans Luiggi. It’s probably taken from my beloved Philippines – “Valley, your face looks familiar.” On closeup, the middle looks like rice terraces. And yes, the mountains are denuded much – a sight for tourists, not a sight for sore eyes!
(“Valley” from unsplash.com)

Starting today, Sunday, 27 Nov 2022, I concede that each has one’s view of “Eden” – no problem! “Eden” is, macmillan dictionary says (macmillandictionary.com), “a beautiful peaceful place.” Yes, you are entitled to cultivate your own Eden, but I repeat, “There must be Peace on Earth!”

I am a Virgo, 17 Sept; I did not know until Thursday, 24 Nov 2022, that “the Virgo spirit color is not just one, but all the primary tones of the Earth or Nature” and these are “the shades of green, yellow, white, and blue” (Sonu Saraf, Anytime Astro, anytimeastro.com).Wikipedia says my zodiac element is “Earth” (Virgo, en.wikipedia.org). Now then, this Virgo asks: “How green is your valley?”
(”Virgo” image from britannica.com)

Anna Kaufmansays astrologer Rene Watt says about Virgos (usatoday.com):

They're the perfectionists of the Zodiac. Virgos have sometimes too discerning of an eye. They see things with too much clarity, and they may sometimes hone in on small details that other people are kind of brushing over.

Blue-Green-White-Yellow. Thank God, I have a license to thrill – I will write about such things as the Blue Sky, Green Future, Yellow Paintings, and White, the color that begs definition!

At 82, after some 22 years of unflagging blogging, the creative thrill is still there and, in fact, I find it deeper – as the world goes deeper into morass because of Climate Change that in fact has been caused by selfishPrimate Change. Despite 27 years of Conference of Parties (hence COP27) of the United Nations – Climate Change is getting worse. Which implies the COP is only good for rhetoric.

I believe Climate Change is getting worse not because the COP27 parties are not trying their best – but that they are barking at the wrong tree!

As an agriculturist who is an unbelievable virtual wide reader since 1991, and an untiring knowledge searcher & blogger since 2000, I am convinced that the main culprit in Climate Change is Primate Change in Agriculture – the shift from natural to chemical ways of farming!

In that sense, I have been proselytizing for what I learned Robert Rodale termed in the 1980s as “Regenerative Agriculture,” I focusing on organic ways of farming, off and on, since 1975.

So, Green is my Valley – How Green is yours?

The mountainsides should not be farmed; and the valleys should be under Regenerative Agriculture! In that way, there are no greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated from the farmed fields; and agriculture contributes nothing, zero, zilch to Climate Change!@517

Is Manila Bulletin The Only PH Media Aware Of Its Responsibility As Far As Climate Change Is Concerned? Asking For A Friend!

The top image is accompanied by Manila Bulletin (MB) with this text: “Webb telescope reveals deepest infrared image of early universe.” (uploaded 11 July 2022). MB is enamored with “deep space” – I ask, what about the world we live in, the hundreds of cities, thousands of villages, and millions of farms?

MB columnist Sonny Coloma is happy to report that that media is not only climate-change aware but is doing some things concrete to help combat Climate Change. He refers to it as the ESG Framework – Environmental, Social & Governance (24 Nov 2022, “ESG: Walking The Talk On Ensuring Sustainability,” Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph). Mr Coloma’s says:

…  Manila Bulletin is conducting its first Sustainability Forum that focuses on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework that has been adopted by many corporations.

ESG is not lip service to MB:

Last month, we revived our face-to-face Sketchfest involving children, youth and budding professional artists in Davao, Cebu and Metro Manila with the theme, “Saving the Earth.” The images they produced impel us to reflect:

Are we are sufficiently aware of the breadth and depth of the sustainability challenge – or as former US Vice President Al Gore cautioned the world nearly two decades ago, are we still looking away at an inconvenient truth?

MB is focusing on Sustainability as response to Climate Change: “The work of attaining – and ensuring – sustainability goes on 24/7; even as we pause.”

I go beyond Sustainability to Regenerativity (my coinage). My research tells me that one of major reasons, if not the major reason that greenhouse gases (GHGs) “continue to rise unchecked” is the continued application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

And so I journalist in agriculture challenge all of Manila Bulletin to junk “Truth Journalism” and instead engage in what I call “THiNK! Journalism.” (See my 24 Oct 2017 essay “THiNK! Journalism: Calling For Nobler Kinds Of People In Media” (Creative Thinkering, blogspot.com).

What MB needs to do is find out for itself how, and how much GHGs Chemical Agriculture is contributing. Our farmers are our Climate Change enemies themselves!

Mr Coloma says, “We do our part in sustaining the environment.” Thank you, Sir, but you have to do more than “sustain” – you have to help “prevent” the further contribution of GHGs at least from agriculture. After all, MB is the publisher of the monthly Agriculture Magazine (Agrimag), now 25 years old (Oct 2022).

Happy! Today, Saturday, 26 Nov 2022, I find Agrimag publishing “Fighting Climate Change Through Agriculture” (24 Nov 2022):

According to Martin Lemoine, Head of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Private Sector Agribusiness Unit, methane from farm animals and nitrous oxide from fertilizers are the two main agricultural GHG emissions. However, there are already interventions, such as modified animal feeds, alternate irrigation practices, specialty fertilizers, and the use of biochar as a soil additive that can reduce emissions.

The article is not original; its source is ADB (adb.org) – but I'm glad because it shows Agrimag has woken up!@517

 

PH DA Celebrates Global Warming & Climate Change Consciousness Week 21-25 Nov 2022 – Where Is Consciousness Of The Causes Of Climate Change? Asking For A Friend!

Wanting Primate Change, as a watchful journalist, Climate Change has been in my blogs (plural) since 2007 when American Al Gore & the IPCC co-won the Nobel Peace Prize. Today, I congratulate the PH Department of Agriculture (DA) for leading the celebration of the “Global Warming & Climate Change Consciousness Week” 21-25 Nov 2022.

I am reading the news from Kristel Joyce Merle, “Agri Dep’t Kicks-Off Global Warming And Climate Change Consciousness Week” (21 Nov 2022, DA, da.gov.ph), with the theme “Sama-Samang Tumutugon Sa Hamon Ng Nagbabagong Klima” (Together Responding To The Challenge Of Climate Change” – my translation). Pertinently, the DA now has a Climate Resilient Agriculture Office (CRAO).

According to Ms Kristel, the CRAO has launched “The C-R-A Initiatives” as follows:

C – CREATE (Climate-Resilient Agriculture Through Evidence-Informed Planning) – Here, local government executives are capacitated with “science-based tools such as Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment Maps, National Color-Coded Agricultural Guide Map, Climate Information Services, Participatory Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment, and Protocol on Establishing Climate-Resilient Villages.

R – Resilience Toolkit for LGU (RTL); and

A – Additional Decision-Support Tools.

So much to do, and it’s all technical! I pity the local executives, but all that is now a necessary part of their job. If the local leaders do not lead, who will?

Yet, I find The C-R-A Initiatives, no matter how complex, incomplete! So, I suggest to the CRAO an expanded package – The CRAFT Initiatives – including “Farmer Tools (FT)”

As a warrior journalist, I say that to complete The CRAFT Initiatives, the farmers should be taught not only how to be Resilient or Resistant to Climate Change but also how to be Warriors for Climate Change – by rejecting Chemical Agriculture (CA) and instead injecting Organic Agriculture (OA) as a set of farmer tools. Thereby, with OA the farmers actually stop their farming activities that generate greenhouse gases (GHGs) that generate Climate Change!

Directly important to their lives and their families, the farmers applying OA will be (a) reducing their costs of farm production – no more expensive chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides, (b) increasing their yields many times, and (c) multiplying their incomes – lower costs coupled with higher yields will increase farmers’ earnings much.

Not only that – the farmers’ produce will all be healthy foods, and they can ask for higher prices.

But I am not only an indefatigable writer but also a very strict technical editor – I am wondering about this of the CRAO:

The Climate Change celebrant forgets to point out a major cause that involves Conventional or Chemical Agriculture: Why is that?

I now ask DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo F Panganiban why the department is celebrating Climate Change consciousness without pointing out a/the major cause of Climate Change – the GHGs – and what farmers can do to help curb their generation: changefertilizers.

I keep repeating what the DA could do to solve Farmer Poverty and simultaneously resolve Climate Change – subsidize farmers’ supply of organic fertilizers. It’s as simple, and as complicated, as that!@517

 

Rappler As News Group Does Think Digital, But Why Is Rappler Still Practicing The Bare Truth Journalism Instead Of The Better Truth Journalism!?

Above: Rappler journalists at the office, too serious for comfort and most importantly, for creativity! No matter the newness of those personal computers (PCs) and no matter the seating arrangements, Rappler people are still thinking Old Journalism, what I call “Truth Journalism,” the opposite of “Rotary Journalism” – “Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

The top image is from “Rappler Job Openings” (rappler.com); I got it when I clicked on Angelica Cyril C Adivoso’s Facebook sharing Monday, 21 Nov 2022. I was interested in the journalism Rappler continues to practice – Nothing new! Rappler calls its own “Investigative journalism.” Whatever. The world’s journalism will never pass the Rotary 4-Way Test!

When I clicked the Facebook sharing, I found old news – 07 March 2017, or 5+ years old! I don’t know what prompted Ms Angelica to share it, but I'm glad she did because I can see that:

Rappler is improving the lives of its journalists working at the office – but not the lives of the people they are working for. From its Mission Statement: “Rappler aims to speak truth to power and build communities of action for a better world.” Where are those “communities of action”? Asking for a friend!

The job openings at Rappler in 2017 were:

Programmatic Advertising Manager
Ad Operations Lead
Chief Technology Officer
Lead Quality Assurance Engineer
Application Support Engineer
Senior Content Strategist
Senior Data Analyst
Data Analyst
Data Curator
Community & Digital Communications Specialist.

Did you notice anything peculiar? I did! With all those PCs, Rappler now truly thinks digital, and now wants to build up its data processing staff – it now wants to digest the “facts” that some people claim as true, especially government officials, when the data shows otherwise. “Your Truth is Lesser than Ours!”
(“Think Digital” from techstartups.com)

Rappler – Time for intellectual change! Not only instrumental change. What do I mean? I mean, instead of journalism against the Bad People in Government, why not journalism against the Bad in Society: People Poverty and Climate Change? I would call it “Communication for Rational Development" (ComRaDe).

No, I am not applying for a job at Rappler’s now, but if they change their style from radical to what I would call “comradical,” I will!

Neither is it for me to say how Rappler will do it; it has to discover by itself how as a group it can pursue journalism that will help government and people fight People Poverty and Climate Change.

In any case, I can give inspiration to Rappler journalists – as agriculturist (UP Los Baños, BSA major in Ag Edu, 1965); “Outstanding Alumnus For Creative Writing,” 2011 (the one and only in the 100-year history of the UP System) – I have been pursuing “Regenerative Agriculture” that I have scaled for my purpose into a single principle: “Organic Agriculture.” Proselytizing for organic agriculture, happily I have my hands, head & heart full!@517

 

Today, Sunday, 20 Nov 2022, I Celebrate The Gift Of A New Laptop and Cerebrate The Death Of A Son From “Fever Of Unknown Origin

Today, Sunday, 20 Nov 2022, I and my wife Ampy Reynoso, 1 son and 3 daughters visited the Manila Memorial Park, City of Paranaque, which is on the southeastern shore of Manila Bay. Jomar, Cynthia, Jennifer and Neenah were with us to visit the grave of their brother, our 9^th child, Ernest Charles Reynoso Hilario , 22 May 1981-16 Nov 1991 – who died of a “fever of unknown origin” (RITM, Alabang).

Also today, 2^nd child Jomar brought my new laptop, an “AMD Ryzen 5 3600” for me to replace my ailing, 9 year-old “Lenovo ThinkPadFlex2.” Bought from a cash gift from 3^rd child, daughter Lorena(husband Karl Cerni), for my 82^ndbirthday on 17 Sept. Jomar himself brought the Ryzen and his son over to me at the Park, over the grave of Ernest.

The visit to the Park was scheduled days before, while the handing over of the new laptop to me was not originally in the plan. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NRSV).

I had been using this ThinkPad every single day since it was bought 13 Sept 2013, my birthday gift to myself. I am a writer (blogger) and editor and desktop publisher – starting Innocents Day 1985, a digital denizen. Since 2000, I have blogged at least 8,000 essays. I am an alumnus of UP Los Baños, BSA 1965 – but my love has always been writing, since I discovered it in 4^th year high school in a competitive editorial exam, in Tagalog yet! that I won over a native Tagalo. I told myself, in so many words, “So writing is my hidden talent. I want to be the best of me!” Born in the time of Virgo, the Fertility Goddess.

Welcome, my fever of known origin, called “Creative Writing.” With the Ryzen come new technical challenges; I have to learn some new lessons in laptop use, but I welcome all of them, having dedicated myself for the rest of my life – I have been constantly praying to God to let me live at least to 100 – to the cultivation of Agriculture, if you will pardon the expression, specifically “Regenerative Agriculture,” that which I now refer to as “Climate Changes Agriculture” – dedicated to changing from bad to good both farmerpoverty and bad weather generated by greenhouse gases generated by Chemical Agriculture. (See also my 20 Nov 2022 essay, “Climate Changes Agriculture” – What Is That Animal? Asking For A Friend!” The Evergreen Revolution, blogspot.com.)

I interrupt myself. I am now reading Jojo Gabinete’s “Sa Kabila Ng Mga Pinagdaanan Sa Career At Personal Na Buhay, Bakit Matatag Pa Rin Si Kuh Ledesma?” (undated, PEP, pep.ph). “Despite the setbacks in career & personal life, why is Kuh Ledesma enduring?” – my translation. Mr Gabinete’s answer: “Belief in God.” I add, which applies in my case: “Majorly: Belief in one’s ability.” In the same breath, I say, “To God be the glory!”@517

“Climate Changes Agriculture” – What Is That Animal? Asking For A Friend!

My hope for the Philippines, nay the world, is now expressed in this new phrase (plural): “Climate Changes Agriculture” – compare my earlier phrase (singular): “‘Climate Change Agriculture’ – BBM Sir, With That Package You Have A Major Reason For Budget Request For Billions For Citizen Protection And Cultivator Prosperity!” (07 Nov 2022, The Evergreen Revolution, blogspot.com).
(“Climate Changes” image from embibe.com)

At any rate, that’s my Hope. And “Hope Requires Action,” says Jaime Augusto Zobel De Ayala. So I continue to write. Today, I want to do fieldwork following my own advice. So: Institution or individual, if you can arrange for a 5-10 ha of ricefield and a budget to match, I am willing to be a practicing farmer – not only a practical writer – and show the world by actual practice what I call Rotavator WEALTh– using an off-the-shelf rotavator with my strict instructions.

By the way, if you don’t know me, I am a full-blooded Ilocano son of an Asingan, Pangasinan farmer, a UP Los Baños alumnus (BS Agriculture Ag Edu, weighted average 2.36, 1965; Civil Service Professional 80.6%, 1964).

Repeat: I want to actually practice my advocacy, that which today I encapsulate into 3 words: ‘Climate Changes Agriculture” (CCsA). [I first wrote about the singular “Climate Change Agriculture” (CCA) in 2018; see my essay “Organic Farming & The Lesson Of The Rotavator: How To Feed The World” (26 March 2018, iOrganic Country, blogspot.com].

Here are the climates that CCsA is designed to change for better:
(“Save” image from istockphoto.com)

Climate of Enemy Weather– Stop Conventional Agriculture! Scientists will tell you those chemical fertilizers and pesticides generate those greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our millions of hectares of farms in all major Philippine islands. If instead all our farmers practice organic farming all over the country, we should be able to minimize typhoons, floods and landslides.

Climate of Enemy Poverty – If farmers practice what I am preaching as Climate Changes Agriculture, their costs of production will go down to negligible, almost zero, because they do not need to buy fertilizers (and pesticides) of any kind.

[The organic mulch that is created by any off-the-shelf rotavator operated under my strict instructions will provide more than enough fertility. (How do you create that organic mulch automatically? See my 01 Nov 2022 essay, “BBM’s Dream Of P20/Kg Rice – To Help Make That Dream Come True Almost Immediately, Somebody Fund Me As I Re/Invent A Mechanically Intelligent ‘Masaganang Sakahang Kabalikat’ Rotavator (‘MSK Rotavator’),” The Evergreen Revolution, blogspot.com).]

Climate of Enemy Foods– Since our farmers always apply chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides on our crops, they always harvest farm produce – fruits, grains, leaves, roots – that are laden with chemically derived nutrients and pesticide residues, our foods are always unhealthy.

Climate of Enemy Prices of Farm-Produced Foods – Even without my MSK Rotavator, with organic farming, without certification, farmers will spend much less and earn much more, so that BBM’s P20/Kg dream rice will easily come true.

Climate Changes Agriculture – If we do not stop Chemical Agriculture, Climate Change will stop all of us!@517

 

“The Next UP President Must Be An Artist, Not An Activist!” – Frank A Hilario, Indefatigable Blogger

I think that the UP System, unintentionally nourished by UP Diliman, does not realize that it is its own im/mortal foe – UP is sleeping with the enemy! This is a UP Los Baños alumnus speaking, “Outstanding Alumnus For Creative Writing” 2011, the one and only in the entire 114 years history of UP.

(UP Diliman campus from free-apply.com)

American professors Amy J Binder & Jeffrey L Kidder say, “Many of tomorrow’s political leaders are college students now. The debates and fights taking place often spill into American popular culture, so it is critically important to understand the structural forces shaping the content and tenor of campus politics” (The Channels Of Student Activism, University of Chicago Press, 2022). I say, same with UP!
(“The Channels” from press.uchicago.edu)

UP alumnus & PhilStar columnist Jose Dalisay says, “The Next UP President” (14 Nov 2022, PhilStar, philstar.com) “will be certain to have a challenging six years ahead, especially considering the present political regime…”

And how is UP today? Mr Dalisay says:

… UP is a broad and diverse community whose survival and growth will require keen diplomatic skills to negotiate between the university’s external and internal publics… What’s important is for them to be able to practice and defend the academic freedom that also allows the university to become the best it can be.

“The academic freedom that also allows the University to become the best it can be” – No Sir, Mr Dalisay! UP’s exercise of “Academic Freedom” has always been at the expense of “Development Freedom” – the channels of UP student activism have always been contrarian, not communitarian, not once community well-being!

“Development Freedom” doesn’t come naturally. A UP alumnus, I have taught myself the best I can be –thank God, even at 82. A UP Los Baños BSA major in Ag Edu 1965, 2.36 WA. From high school, I inspired my own writing & editing talents, slowly but surely – and starting 1985, talents digital.

Even while working 1975-1981 as writer and editor with the Forest Research Institute (FORI), I came up with the theory “Communication for Development (ComDev); I recently modified it into “Communication for Village Development in the 21st Century (CoViD21).” (Check it out: The Evergreen Revolution, blogspot.com.)

Now, the essence of CoViD21, however remote, I do not find any trace within the UP System – UP has 8 constituent universities: UP Baguio, UP Cebu, UP Diliman, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, UP Mindanao, UP Open University, and UP Visayas. What I find is “communication for villain development” – I mean, especially UP Diliman, the public releases are often contrarian.

Especially UP Diliman. Those people know only their personal rights, but not the people’s right to further knowledge in science. Thus: UP Diliman has 30 technical journals but only 03 are up-to-date! (Check out my 11 Nov 2022 essay, “UP Ranks 412th In The Latest Quacquarelli Rankings Worldwide & Is Proud Of It! Mahiya Ka, UP, My Alma Mater!” Ctrl+click here: blogspot.com.)

Repeat: The next UP President should be an artist, not an activist!@517

 

William Dar, My Favorite Secretary Of Agriculture, Now Champions “Regenerative Agriculture” – Via Organic Farming, We Should Have Our P20/kg Rice Within 6 Months!

On Twitter (above),Pres Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr says, “Palapit na tayo doon sa ating pangarap na P20.” (“We are nearing our dream of P20.”) BBM made the promise of P20/kg rice for consumers during this year’s presidential campaign. 7 months later, he is still not saying how exactly he will do it. He is keeping secret his Vision & Mission to bring it about; “P20/kg rice” is Mission –what’s his Vision?

I believe what BBM needs to understand “Servant Leadership,” and that will take a long time. The wisest thing he can do right now is appoint as Secretary of Agriculture a proven and award-winning Servant Leader – I am thinking of William Dar, who was appointed by Pres Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Don’t tell me PRRD has the management skill that BBM lacks?!

Mr Dar has just received the landmark “1^st MS Swaminathan Global Leadership Award For Sustainable Development 2022” – the awarding was done in New Delhi 10 Nov 2022 during the India International Agro Trade and Technology Fair-AgroWorld2022 organized by the Indian Chamber for Food and Agriculture. The honor given that Global Leadership Award comes with a cash prize of 1M Indian rupees (US$12,244).

In his Manila Timescolumn of 17 Nov 2022, “It's Time To Consider Regenerative Agriculture” (Manila Times, manilatimes.net), the honoree Mr Dar himself says:

Being the first awardee [of the prize] named after Dr Swaminathan, I owe it to him to champion regenerative agriculture as one of the solutions to level up local and global food production.

(Welcome to the RA Club, Sir!)

Mr Dar says:

In my previous columns, I cited one of the pitfalls of the Green Revolution that started in the 1960s, specifically making farmers dependent on agro-chemicals.

Not his fault, but what BBM acting as Secretary of Agriculture is overseeing/overlooking today is the dependence of Filipino farmers on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, mostly if not all imported. There are 2 major objections in the use of those chemicals in agriculture – one, they are expensive; two, they generate greenhouse gases (GHGs) that generate Climate Change! (I have been writing about GHGs for years.)

Also, mono-cropping became the norm from the time the Green Revolution took root.

I myself don’t understand why international IRRI and local PhilRice have not graduated from Chemical Agriculture! Why have not those rice scientists seen, for instance, that Organic Agriculture is the single stone that a little boy called David can throw at two Goliaths at the same time: Farmer Poverty and Climate Change!?

What Secretary of Agriculture BBM can do is arrange that the Department of Agriculture (DA) produce and distribute to the farmers, on loan, organic fertilizer that they need to harvest high yields of rice at low costs (given market price of the fertilizer) so that the farmers can earn excellent incomes even if they sold their rice at P20/kg.

At the same time, the use of organic fertilizer results in zero GHGs – that will help defeat Climate Change!@517

 

Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK) & Fr Sto – Lessons Learned From 43 Years Of Apostolate In Mindanao

As a Catholic, I believe the Roman Catholic Church needs to build a million more Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano (MSK) or Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) in the villages, and there is a book already published that I see can be repackaged and re-presented to highlight the lessons learned from Fr Sto’s 43-year dedicated MSK apostolate in Mindanao.

I want to repackage the book on Father Sto already edited and published by his sister Adiwlimtitled “Father Sto’s Highly Successful Setting Up Of 400+ Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) In Southern Philippines” – yes, strangely the title is in English but the content is 100% Pilipino/Tagalog. Fr Sto’s full name was “Modesto Aguillera Talumpines.” (I changed all names and title of book to protect the innocent.) The “Basic Ecclesial Community” is translated as “Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano” (MSK), the MSK being the one Father Sto pursued in those far-flung Mindanao villages.

I believe the Catholic Church must build thousands more of those BECs/MSKs, and that book has a great many lessons for missionaries. The book is in Tagalog/Pilipino – I will not change the language, but I want the new book to highlight the lessons learned in creating, composing & comforting all those BECs.

There will also be at the back of the book an exhaustive index, so that if you want a quick reference – who doesn’t? – you can go to the page source immediately without reading the whole book!

The “Padayon” image above is from Holy Apostles Senior Seminary (holyapostlesph.com). The title of the sharing is “Rural BEC Experiences” but there is only that photograph, not a word, not even a caption. I google and find that “padayon” means “continue.” So!

Understandably, thatFather Sto book highlights the happy & sad times friends and family members had with him. Me, in the new book, I want to emphasize the anecdotes from and stories about those who assisted Father Sto in those far-flung villages in Mindanao.

In the Philippines, what the Catholic world needs now is a strongly awakened concern for the people in the barrios who can hardly find time or are not much interested in hearing mass at the church in the town proper. For the priests or missionaries to “speak the language of the people” – not only Tagalog (or Ilocano in my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan), but in practical, everyday terms, so that they can relate their religion directly to their lives – they would appreciate a book on lessons learned by a priest in almost a half century of service. Fr Sto!

Here is a selection from that Father Sto book that is educative, from the Bishop of Gumaca:

Ang kanilang pagpapasiya at wagas na pag-aalay ng sarili ay salamin ng diwa ng paglilingkod na kanllang nasaksihan sa buhay ni Monsgnor.
(“Their decisions and pure self-sacrifice are mirrors of the spirit of missionary service that they witnessed in the life of Monsignor” – Father Sto.)

A book on lessons learned from a missionary’s life entirely dedicated to the barrio folks should be a blessing to all!@517

 

The Great Lesson That All Religions Have Failed To Preach And/Or Practice – Love Of Mother Earth As The Giver Of Life

Not obvious. All religions in the Philippines that I know – Aglipayan, Bible Baptist Church, Iglesia Independiente, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist, and United Church of Christ – preach love of God, but each of them misses one thing: If you don’t love the soil, your love of Mother Earth is incomplete!

The above image called “Planet Earth, Hands And Heart” by Andrew19 (shutterstock.com), is “a symbol of peace and unity of communities.” I modified it to emphasize as symbolic of Mother Earth.

We mankind started to disrespect our Mother Earth when we invented chemical fertilization, the first chemical fertilizer being “superphosphate,” in the 19^th century (Darrel A Russel & Gerard C Williams, “History Of Chemical Fertilizer Development,” Soil Science Society Of America Journal, 01 March 1977, acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com). Chemical fertilizers transform the fertility of Mother Earth from natural to artificial.

Now, where does Love of Mother Earth begin? I say: “In the hands, that is, in the soil.” We work with the soil. As farmers, we must work with natural processes to obtain that motherly love.Otherwise, we receive Mother Earth’s furies – that which we collectively call “Climate Change.”

As far as I can see, Climate Change begins in the way we handle the soil – with lack of care. We only think and love ourselves as we try to get the most of our labors and never mind what happens to Mother Earth!

What’s missing? We do not connect love of Mother Earth with the actual soil, out of which God Himself fashioned Adam and, out of Adam, Eve. We are descendants of Adam & Eve; therefore, we owe our lives directly to Mother Earth!

Here is from “Pope Francis: A Prayer For Our Earth” (Catholic Climate Covenant, catholicclimatecovenant.org):

A Prayer For Our Earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and
forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.

The only way Mother Earth can “pour out upon us the power of (her) love” is for us to obey her laws. Such as: “From Life comes Life.” And the most natural, most loving way we can show our love of Mother Earth in farming is to apply

“Regenerative Agriculture!”

This concept that embraces the science of farming with Mother Nature has been forwarded via the term “Regenerative Agriculture” that was “originally coined by the Rodale Institute in the late 1980s” (Morgen Harvey & Claire LaFontaine (24 May 2021, “What Is Regenerative Agriculture?” Sustainable America, sustainableamerica.org).

What I already know is that one of the ways of applying the principles of Regenerative Agriculture is to:

Be Organic!
“No” to Chemical Fertilizers & Chemical Pesticides!@517

PH Farmers’ Revolt, 2 – Why BBM And The Department Of Agriculture Should Much Finance New And Existing Organic Groups To Improve Both Farmer Lives & Climate!

Organic Agriculture/Farming is not unknown in the Philippines. So, BBM Sir, you could have your P20/kg rice by your government subsidizing organic farming in all islands of our country! Science is on your side here: It’s much cheaper & healthier. “Science with a farmer’s face” (to borrow from ex-Secretary of Agriculture William Dar).

(BBM image from maharlika.news)

I was browsing the blogsite “Nature And Farming” by Farmer’s Place – I thought it was a credible source of information on organic farming; it said:

Organic agriculture does not permit the use of synthetic chemicals to produce plant and animal products, relying instead on the management of soil organic matter… and biological processes. In some parts of the world, farms must be inspected and certified before their food products can be sold as organic, indicating that no synthetic chemicals were used in producing them.

Correct! But I found this sentence following the above in the exact same paragraph: “[Conservation Agriculture] does allow farmers to apply synthetic chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides.”

Conservation farming with chemicals?! No Sir!

The title of that article is “Conservation Agriculture In The Philippines” (24 March 2015, Nature And Farming, blogspot.com, my source of above image.)

That does it! “Conservation Agriculture” is not for me no matter the pleasant-sounding name! This version of Agriculture cannot help us fight Climate Change!

The blogger “Farmer’s Place” does not state where in the Philippines it is coming from – anyway, goodbye! (But thanks for the image above.)

There is much hope! We go now to a certain place in the Philippines that knows what conservation agriculture should be.

That place to visit in the Philippines? Negros Occidental. I am now reading the article by Benedicto  Sanchez quoting himself in his column “Nature Speaks” – “Sanchez: Organic Agriculture Program Of Negros Occidental” (13 July 2022, SunStar, sunstar.com.ph). He has had intellectually productive encounters with upland farmers and indigenous peoples in Negros Occidental and other places in the Philippines.

Mr Sanchez says:

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, organic agriculture is an effective strategy for mitigating climate change by building robust soils that are better adapted to extreme weather conditions associated with climate change.

There are accomplishments of the organic agriculture program of Negros Occidental – I select only 3:

* Conversion of almost 15,000 hectares of land to organic agriculture

* Established laboratory production centers for biological agents in five of the six targeted villages

* Increased farmers’ average production and income by 25 to 30 percent through provision of inputs and hands-on training on different organic farming technologies.

Concluding, Mr Sanchez says, “Negrense environmentalists can proudly raise their heads on ensuring safe and healthy foods thru organic agriculture and help[ing] mitigate climate change.”

If in each of the provinces in the Philippines an organic agriculture program were established and run as Mr Sanchez describes it, with government subsidies where necessary and/or desirable, the Philippines would be a tropical paradise indeed!@517

“PH Farmers’ Revolt” – With Pres Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr Leading, Filipinos Will Show The World How To Solve Farmer Poverty And Resolve Climate Change!

PH President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr “rallied [Friday] fellow leaders in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to come up with a ‘collective’ action to fight Climate Change” – inadvertently, I note that the top image above, which is blurred, reflects the current realities

We can blame PhilStarfor the poor picture that accompanies Helen Flores’ news report, “Marcos Jr Rallies Fellow ASEAN Leaders On Climate Change” (12 Nov 2022, philstar.com) – still, I see it as a reflection of the times we are in, brought about by Climate Change that is brought about by the lack of Primate Change!

We people don’t want to change our ways in the matter of treating the environment right, in allowing Mother Nature to take her course – we insist that we are Intelligent Beings and know what we are doing!

Ms Helen says:

Citing the vulnerability of developing countries to climate impacts, President Marcos rallied yesterday fellow leaders in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to come up with a “collective” action to fight climate change.

The leaders were Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Laos Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanhand Malaysia’s Lower House Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun. This was during the Asean-China Summit as part of the 40th and 41st Asean Summits in Phnom Penh yesterday.

BBM told his fellow Asean leaders:

Addressing climate change is our collective responsibility and developed countries should play a bigger role in global efforts to mitigate its risks, its effects, its damage and loss. Developing countries are more vulnerable, lose more when these climate shocks hit and have fewer resources to cope with the adverse effects of these shocks.

BBM was saying the bigger role in confronting the climate crisis belongs to the bigger countries. Meanwhile:

The ASEAN can address these challenges by strengthening its cooperation mechanism… [He] also emphasized the need to enhance climate resilience in developing nations by “using new agricultural technologies.”

I love that – “using new agricultural technologies”! And, as recent science tells us, there are new agricultural technologies that deliver food security and self-sufficiency – and directly combat Climate Change! They comprise “Regenerative Agriculture.” What else do we want?

The technologies are regenerative because they regenerate the natural fertility of the soil, health of crops and animals that produce healthy foods that produce healthy incomes for farmers – and produce zero, zilch, zippo greenhouse gases (GHGs)! Chemical Agriculture produces up to 29% of total GHGs (05 April 2021, “Climate-Smart Agriculture,” World Bank, worldbank.org).

So, I urge BBM to call for a “PH Farmers’ Revolt” that calls for “Organic Farming.” For dramatic effect, above I present dirty clinched fists.
(“Clinched fists” from shutterstock.com, which I modified)

All BBM needs to do is supply Filipino farmers free organic fertilizers. As PH President cum Secretary of Agriculture, it’s easy as ABC!@517