Original: “Abundant World Bamboo-Crops Day” – Made In The Philippines!

“World Bamboo Day is about all things bamboo: sustainability, environment, ecology, science, architecture, art, music, food, housing, habitat, restoration, aesthetics, economy, utilization, everything[1].”

Count those – I did not realize so much value from the bamboo! The above is a quote, here is another from ANN on the website of the World Bamboo Organization, “World Bamboo Day” (Author Not Named, undated, Worldbamboo.net):

Since 2009, we have been celebrating World Bamboo Day to increase the awareness (on) bamboo globally. Where bamboo grows naturally, bamboo has been a daily element, but its utilization has not always been sustainable due to exploitation. The World Bamboo Organization aims to bring the potential of bamboo to a more elevated exposure – to protect natural resources and the environment, to ensure sustainable utilization, to promote new cultivation of bamboo for new industries in regions around the world, as well as promote traditional uses locally for community economic development.

It is estimated that there are more than two billion hectares – that is nearly 5 billion acres – of deforested and degraded land around the world waiting for human intervention to save it, to nourish it, and breathe new life into it. The health of our planet needs us to do something big – as soon as possible.

We should choose the bamboo for fast reforestation! Why?

Bamboo is resilient & adaptable – with immense biodiversity. Bamboo species can restore land. Their unique characteristics of quick growth, extensive root systems, and pioneer spirit can reduce erosion, stabilize slopes, absorb heavy metals, create shade, harbor wildlife, recycle carbon dioxide, and clean the air. Planting and managing sustainable bamboo forests (allow) for multiple social benefits, including rural development (improved housing), agroforestry products (list which includes nutritional food and alternative fiber), with the big bonus of climate mitigation.

Shock! 1975-1981, I was Editor In Chief of the 3 publications of the Forest Research Institute (FORI) based at UP Los Baños in Laguna: monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly color magazine Habitat– but, including my literature search on/for FORI articles, I never read anything about bamboos as rich as those 77 words I quoted above (with a little editing)!

Idea: Let’s grow bamboo in lowland and upland farms!

“Bamboo is flexible, bending with the wind but never breaking, capable of adapting to any circumstance. It suggests resilience, meaning that we have the ability to bounce back even from the most difficult times[2]” – Ping Fu, “A Life In Two Worlds,” Penguinrandomhouseaudio.com.

Filipino farms should be growing bamboos along the sides of eroding fields. The main crop is not the bamboo; it is only the protector of the soil growing the crops such as abaca, beans, cabbage, cassava, corn, lettuce, onion, peanut, pechay, potato, rice, strawberry, sweet potato, tomato etcetera – also fruit trees.
(PH flag-vegetables image[3] from Dreamstime.com)

Reinventing agroforestry: Food crops growing with bamboo protection! If the Filipinos show the world what the bamboo can do for agriculture, the world will follow our footsteps. Then the whole world can celebrate September each year as “Abundant World Bamboo-Crops Day.”@517

---

[1]https://worldbamboo.net/world-bamboo-day

[2]https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/311799/bend-not-break/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CBamboo%20is%20flexible%2C%20bending%20with,attitude%20to%20your%20life%20circumstances.

[3]https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/vegetables-philippines.html

Rappler Teaches History As Extensionists Teach Farmers: “Don’t Think, Just Absorb!’”

A good media does not teach Hate – s/he teaches Understanding! A good extensionist propagates Thinking, not simply Memorizing or Remembering.

Rappler, with your Facebook sharing on Tuesday, 21 September 2021, “Here are eight books on martial law to furnish your knowledge on one of the darkest periods in Philippine history,” plus your online entry, “#NeverForget: Revisit The Dark Era Of Martial Law Through These Books” – thereby you are a Dictator, not a Teacher!

Rappler, you are dictating to your readers What to Think, not How to Think! A good media teaches how and not what to think critically. It Engages, Enriches, Inspires.
(“Engage, Enrich, Inspire[1]” image from Teachingwithamountainview.com)

This is a teacher speaking, a graduate of UP Los Baños with a BS Agriculture degree major in Ag Education. In 1966, I taught at the UP College of Agriculture, now UP Los Baños and, having discovered organic farming for myself, began to change students’ minds about modern agriculture. In 1968, I taught college in Cagayan De Oro City at Xavier University College of Agriculture, there stirring the mind of Nicanor “Nicky” Perlas into embracing organic agriculture and who later “graduated” into biodynamic agriculture and won the world-famous Right Livelihood Award in 2003.

Was the student better than the teacher? Also in 2003, I became the Editor In Chief of the Philippine Journal of Crop Science (PJCS), based at UP Los Baños. The PJCS was 3 years late. It was a one-man job – I did the desktop publishing myself, everything digital, doubly fast. In 2006, singlehandedly I made the PJCS up-to-date, and in 2007 made it internationally accepted, listed in that prestigious list called “ISI” (now “Web of Science”).

Yes, I am a full-blooded Ilocano (FBI) with roots from Rosario, La Union, and President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (FM) was an FBI, roots from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte – when the FBIs are good, they are the best! FM is the best President we have ever had. The FBIs are also thinkers; Communist Jose Maria Sison is an extreme example. At UP Los Baños, we were trying to un-convince some radicals on their path to perdition, but we failed. But not for want of trying.

Can Rappler be convinced to change its media way of negative thinking alone and neglecting positive thinking? As a writer, I prefer creative thinking to critical thinking. Like the British wit Oscar Wilde, I always look at the doughnut, not the hole!

In her practice of journalism, Rappler behaves like many extensionists of agriculture in this country – they train farmers; they tell farmers exactly what to think, instruct farmers exactly what to do – and they believe they are serving the farmers superbly! Those unmindful aggie extensionists do not encourage farmers to think otherwise, ask questions, explore other options, suggest changes in inputs or systems of production and processing of produce. They do not engage, enrich, inspire. After training? They expect the farmers to go on, apply what they learned, and be successful!

Like the rabid Rappler journalists, the rabid aggie extensionists are always right!@517

---

[1]https://teachingwithamountainview.com/

Wensilito F Gomez, The ACPC Pilot Whose Plane Is Loaded With Agripreneurs

Today, in Nueva Ecija, I’m thinking of Wensilito F Gomez thinking of piloting others on their way to becoming agripreneurs, farmers with the entrepreneurial spirit. His plane has the initials ANYO.

(“plane passengers” image[1] from Megapixl)

ANN tells Mr Gomez’ story, “From Dreaming Of Becoming A Pilot To Being A Successful Agripreneur Through The Agri-Negosyo Program[2]” (ACPC, ACPC.gov.ph). Mr Gomez is very happy with the P480,000 borrowed from the Agri-Negosyo (ANYO) Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), an agency of the Department of Agriculture. Very happy, because an ANYO loan has zero interest; with it, his agribusiness has grown Big. Mr Gomez’ success should encourage others to cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit.

Wife Josefinasays, “Because of agribusiness, we have helped many people.” (With ANN’s Tagalog interview, I’m translating freely.) Mr Gomez says, “They are part of the business.” That’s attitude – with good attitude comes good vibes. With the ANYO loan, “With a bigger capital, we can buy more. Help more. Not only those in our barangay but other barangays.” They own the W Gomez Vegetables and Grain Trading in Kaliwanagan, San Jose City. Kaliwanagan means “illumination” – Gomez Trading has brought brightness to the marketing of farm produce in those barangays.

ANN says that before all this, Mr Gomez dreamt of becoming a pilot, but his parents, ordinary farmers, could not afford to rent an airplane at P1,000/hour for training. He was working in Manila as an aircraft maintenance technician in the Philippine Airlines and also in the warehouse of Presto Ice Cream, when “his father asked him to return home and help him in their farm.” He returned home, and then he saw the way he could help the farmers: buy their produce and bring it to Manila.

Mr Gomez says:

Farmers like me found a problem with marketing our produce at harvest time. Like now, we have a surplus of pepper, they will find it difficult to sell. Almost giving away the produce. So I thought I could help because I had some knowledge of marketing produce. I also buy palay, to help the farmers, so that the price will not fall that much. That is the business I was thinking.

He tried other business ventures, but agribusiness kept calling him. “Whatever else I did, even if I went to other businesses, agribusiness brought me back.”

So today, farmers in their area do not worry anymore about marketing their produce. “I am now the only merchant here. I do the networking to where the produce will go.”

And today, Mr Gomez is thinking of helping others set their minds in agribusiness. ANN says, “He reminds agripreneurs that they should have commitment to their business.” His advice:

What’s sweet in agribusiness, you are helping the farmers. Not only for you to make money. I teach what I have learned, that farming is a business. What’s the style? I shorten the financial gap between planting and harvesting. The farmer has money while harvesting.

Mr Gomez is helping farmers help themselves!@517

---

[1]https://www.megapixl.com/airline-passengers-illustration-12979698

[2]https://acpc.gov.ph/from-dreaming-of-becoming-a-pilot-to-being-a-successful-agripreneur-through-the-agri-negosyo-program/

Rappler Should Know Better Journalism for Bongbong, Toni Gonzaga – And Farmer Juan

Differently, my personal construct is communication for development (ComDev) – read my “Media Is In The Wrong Media Class Struggle – Media Should Be A Force For Good![1]” (14 July 2021, Communication for Development, Blogspot.com).

So! About the YouTubeinterview of Bongbong Marcos by celebrity host Toni Gonzaga, "The Greatest Lesson BongBong Marcos Learned From His Father[2]," ANN writes (Author Not Named, 17 September 2021, Rappler.com):

In an open letter, the Ateneo Martial Law Museum slammed Toni for helping spread propaganda and downplaying the atrocities during the Marcos dictatorship. The group also invited Toni to interview Martial Law victims, and offered to facilitate this if she would agree.

According to its Facebook post, the Ateneo Museum “aims to be a comprehensive online learning resource that our community of educators can use to teach the values of human rights, freedom, democracy, and engaged citizenship to Filipino students.” Unfortunately, neither Ateneo Museum norRappler teaches the exercise of Thinking Journalism that my ComDev necessitates.

Above, the logo-image of Rappler with CEO Maria Ressa says, “Journalism is not a crime.” What the Ateneo Museum and Rappler are observing is the same; I will call it here Contrarian Journalism– when you don’t like someone’s journalism, you denounce it and demand what you want done instead. Isn’t that a crime against humanity?!

In contrast, Toni’s friend Bianca Gonzalez has the attitude of a good journalist (good Christian); she says:

As a friend, I choose to reach out privately and dialogue respectfully, instead of “call out” publicly. Because for me, that is what a true friend would do. Even family and friends can have different views. My friends know that my stand has always been #MarcosNotAHero, and I will continue to be vocal and share my stand.

“Reach out publicly and dialogue respectfully” – that is one thing the Ateneo Museum should have done!

ANN says:

Toni's interview with Bongbong … has drawn criticism, especially from Martial Law victims and their families. The Martial Law years under the rule of Bongbong's father is considered as the dark chapter in Philippine history, marked by atrocities and abuses.

If one YouTube interview with Bongbong can draw such negativity from the Ateneo Museum and Rappler: It may be that we use our journalism to spread bigotry. We may even betray much hate. So, our journalism not only ruffles feathers but ruptures hearts.

What about the 5 million Farmer Juans; what kind of journalism do they deserve from Rappler & the rest of Philippine media?

I already told you: ComDev. That considering all the approaches to development journalism enumerated by Yvonne T Chua in her article “Development Journalism[3]” (Oxford Research Encyclopedias):

The approaches range from development journalists as willing partners of government (statist) to watchdogs (investigative), and from interventionist (participatory or emancipatory) to guardians of transparency.

For Farmer Juan, for continuing and sustainable development not only of his family but of his entire village, my journalism has been and will be always statist, never investigative, always guardian, and always & ever interventionist!@517

---

[1]https://communicationfordevelopmentphcomdev.blogspot.com/2021/07/media-is-in-wrong-media-class-struggle.html

[2]https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/celebrities/bianca-gonzalez-response-toni-gonzaga-bongbong-marcos-interview?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1oYwYXqyiQVpzG3WTBb4u3y4BVDngY6GAD2OuoSAzF5tLLsXlPwxdLE3c#Echobox=1631939374

[3]https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-799

Web Trainings & Seminars – Too Much ICT In India & The Philippines!?

Morning, noon and evening, we have all kinds of information & communication technology (ICT) activities, seminars & trainings; this is all the exciting agricultural extension we need! Isn’t it?

Many and exciting, yes, but not anywhere the complete Extension we need in Agriculture – they are essentially come-ons, patikims (feed-ons), indicators of what people can learn if the extension of knowledge happened by training– necessarily with (a) subsequent refreshing and (b) augmenting the knowledge gained by experience.

After any training, you cannot expect Mastery! Graduating, we only have a novice, a beginner.

Yes, further training must happen after the initial training!
Training makes one somewhat knowledgeable, not fully.

There are several public and private training institutions (and individuals in groups) in agriculture, and they all behave like that – after every training, they act as if they are completely done. And look for other people to train.

No wonder that, for instance, we have extensive monocultures of rice – we train farmers to plant a new, high-yielding rice variety – and nothing more!

What about rice plus fish in the same farm? (Don’t tell me it will be expensive and take a long time: you can produce a training video and simply replay it in subsequent trainings. Or upload it.)

I’m reading the essay of Indian aggie extensionist A Suresh titled “Blog 158 – Streamlining Public Agricultural Extension In India: Indicators Beyond Revenue Expenditure Considerations[1]” (30 August 2021, Agricultural Extension in South Asia, Aesanetwork.org). Mr Suresh is worried that Indian extension is being reduced in personnel because of the very visible “penetration of modern information and communication technologies.”
(top image from Indian website)

India is complaining of too much ICT in agriculture!?

“Calls for reducing staff strength in public agricultural extension services (are) increasingly visible in policy circles, mainly due to revenue expenditure commitments and penetration of modern information and communication technologies.”

What kind of penetration? I am a Filipino extension man, teacher with a BS Agriculture major in Ag Edu from the #1 state college in the Philippines, UP Los Baños, a self-taught digital worker and warrior, now armed with his own theory of Communication for Development (ComDev). Web trainings and webinars are only the beginnings of extension; extension people must continue the actual distribution of bits & pieces of knowledge that a genuine Extension System with a proper Knowledge Bank would present to the public.

Among other things, Mr Suresh points to “the importance of a personal farm-specific advisory appropriate to the specific strengths and opportunities at the farm level.” That, I would say, summarizes the need of farmers for elementary and continuing extension. With ComDev.

(Mr Suresh mentions some regular duties of extension people: “supply of agricultural inputs including seeds and fertilizers, quality checking and certification, disbursal of subsidies and other financial support, crop loss estimates.”)

Webinars and trainings are available to all, but each one is only the beginning of extension, not the end of it! Otherwise, the effect will be the same if you simply distribute a farming manual in the local dialect!@517

---

[1]https://www.aesanetwork.org/blog-158-streamlining-public-agricultural-extension-in-india-indicators-beyond-revenue-expenditure-considerations/?fbclid=IwAR2hBwOhgzu7LJwHlk13Au1ADrrG24Kpm0hoZb3gJwdX_Sd7as4BuaVjK4E

The Future Of Us & The Future Of Agriculture

Yesterday, 17 September 2021, was my birthday; now 81 – what is The Future Of Me? I pray to God I will live forever! At least up to 100. What is The Future Of Man? Let’s see!

“What is the Future of Agriculture & Farming Techniques?[1]” ANN asks (Author Not Named, 31 July 2021, Scynce LED, Scynceled.com; upper image from this website). The givens are:

Agriculture is the backbone of societies across the world… With the global population expected to peak at 9.7 billion by 2050, experts predict worldwide production must increase by 70% within the next 30 years.

Contrariwise, the pertinent lessons I have learned as a warrior writer – no, not a worrier writer– in the last 57 years counting when I graduated from UP Los Baños, are these givens:

1.     Nature: It must be understood.

2.     Agriculture: It must be changed.

3.     Population: It must be positioned.

4.     Production: It must be qualified.

Nature to be understood

Pierre Teilhard De Chardin was a Catholic priest, philosopher and scientist. Of him, Mareike Christin Dornhege says (“The Role Of Nature For The Future Of Man[2],” website source of lower image above):

De Chardin reminds us that (we) humans, albeit the highest point of organization and consciousness in evolution, must not forget (our) roots. And our roots are in this world, to which we are deeply connected… Hence, it is within our best interest… (to) increase our “scope for action” and preserve God’s creation, including plants, animals and ourselves.

Conservation is a mandate of the Divine!

Agriculture to be changed

I say agriculture should be producing healthy foods. There are many organic ways of growing crops and livestock, but they are not being explored extensively because chemical methods provide faster, wider and higher incomes.

Population to be positioned

The “rampant” increase in population continues to be the whipping horse of the United Nations and its agencies. The real problem is economic astigmatism! Thus: The local approachable moneylenders rob the farmers blind even if they are related in blood or in law.

Production increase to be qualified

Production efficiencyis the hugher problem, not increase. Example: Most Filipino farmers do not observe the proper age of transplanting rice – they transplant when these are a month old, when the root system easily breaks, delaying recovery, wasting growing time. They also do not observe the proper & equal distancing of seedlings, to allow adequate and healthy growth. Unknowingly, they also transplant too many seedlings!

The Scynce LED Solution: Forget Outdoor Farming!

Instead of helping solve the problems it enumerated above and which I dissected, the Scynce LED solution is indoor farming – that is to say, leave the outdoor farmers alone to worry about their problems!

ANN says:

At Scynce LED, we are firm believers that farming in the future will predominantly occur within an indoor environment. Technology has reached a point where indoor future farming techniques can quickly overthrow traditional soil farming.

No, ladies & gentlemen, I do not favor the idea that man can “overthrow traditional soil farming”!@517

---

[1]https://scynceled.com/blog/future-of-agriculture/?fbclid=IwAR0DDGU7iNWAai3Yr-IdJjS_PrqfjSWMg1aWliTGXOJRj1lDbGRgZtUXl-s

[2]http://www.st.sophia.ac.jp/chardin/pdf/15_dornhege.pdf

17 September 2021 – Inviting You To Celebrate A Life, PH Agriculture & American English!

Today, Friday, 17 September 2021, sans party, with my birthday book “81 For 81” let us celebrate the village life, PH Agriculture, and American English!

Why read “81 For 81”? It’s Original! It’s Instructional! It’s Inspirational! A one-of-a-kind thing like me! It’s Agriculture but not boring! It’s journalism but not jarring!

Today I am 81 years old, and my book has 81 chapters. I produced this book on communication in agriculture to Inspire, Inform, Instruct, Inquire and Invigorate – I’m Ilocano and I love American English!

With my book, you as:

Journalist? Be inspired on how to tackle issues – positively.
Writer? Be inspired on how to write.
Executive? Be inspired yourself.
Student? Read for ideas on what & how to write.
Parent? Read and discuss ideals with the children.
Teacher? Read and inspire your students.
Speaker? Read and see how to develop topics.
Simple Reader? Read and simply enjoy!

The above image is from the book cover. Can you guess where I took my own portrait? Inside a bus. I used my Lumix FZ100 digital camera with AI (iA) capabilities – just point and shoot!

There is a 3^rd “81” – You pay only P81 a copy for a book of 517 pages – “517” is “Frank A Hilario.”

Since it’s digital, you are generous if you share your copy with your family and friends so that nobody else has to pay P81 for a copy – but that means you are selfish because you do not want to share an original copy for only P81 with your family or friend?!

Yes, this is my birthday gift to the world, a book thick with theory & practice on communication for development (ComDev) aimed at servants public & private working to help the poor farmers & fishers in the villages rise from poverty – and stay up there!

Yes, this is my birthday gift to you & me – For every P100 you send to me, you get 1 copy – and I credit P19 as your birthday gift to me in cash. No return, no exchange! I’m not ambitious. If 500 of you sent each P100 for a copy, that would be a total of P50,000 in book orders, wouldn’t it? Not bad!

My book is ready to read on your computer, in portable document format (pdf), so you can read it almost anywhere.

17 September 2021. Thank you, Lord! I’m 81 exactly. I’m not rich; I’m not poor – isn’t life itself a blessing?!

Today, instead of a party, I celebrate with a new book, a collection of essays selected from 5,000+ of my blogposts written since 2007. All from my blogging, meaning published online, with my writing in the manner & matter of ComDev.

Did you know? I am a graduate of BS Agriculture, major in Ag Edu, UP '65, teacher with Civil Service eligibility, ’64, Professional Level. I taught myself digital skills, to be all of these: Writer, Editor, Desktop Publisher, Blogger, and Photographer. Am I perfect? No, but I must be good. Read and be the judge!

Email:frankahilario@gmail.com@517