OFF THE BEATEN PATH
The same typhoons that can increase agricultural water supply and cause soil erosion improving its fertility, in severe and frequent measures, damage farm structure facilities. While we are yet to see the full impact of tropical storm Leon in our area of responsibility, something we ask the good heavens to never happen at all especially in light of what meteorologists identify as the Fujiwara effect, we answer the question of food security on a daily basis. In the vernacular, the phrase “malapit sa sikmura” fittingly describes how visceral the issue is and the resolutions, imperative.
Nature, in its raw and indifferent power, can afford to be capricious; we do not. Areas that were historically spared from the wrath of typhoons are now vulnerable to their destructive force. Recognize that the massive floods, landslides, and mudflows that accompany these storms are not merely natural calamities. These tragic consequences of human-made decisions in terms of unchecked development, deforestation, and the destruction of natural ecosystems only substantiate the generally accepted view that there is no such thing as natural disaster.
A recent visit to Bontoc, Mountain Province provided me with the opportunity to engage with local farmers and gain firsthand insights into the challenges they face. Many of the elderly residents I spoke with still rely on traditional farming techniques and tools. While there is no denying that these methods have sustained communities for generations, dependence on approaches is inadequate in the face of climate change’s intensifying impacts. In contrast, many other countries have embraced technological advancements to improve agricultural productivity. I believe that the survival and prosperity of our agricultural sector hinges on the adoption of innovative technologies.
On the question of the needed modernization, local governments can do more by capacitating farmers and giving them technical assistance. The need to introduce Bio N, a microbial fertilizer developed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-Biotech, to more avenues for distribution can be a good starting point. Dole-outs from an academic and practical standpoint ever fail to address food security concerns.
More than two decades ago, Republic Act No. 8435, known as the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act, laid down several reforms aimed at improving the agriculture and fisheries sector. If the avowed goal of this policy instrument is to enhance competitiveness of our own crops and products, the broad based provisions of the statute definitely rely on a diverse set of implementing agencies both from the public and private sectors.
Professor Herbie Docena, lecturer at the University of California Berkeley Sociology Department, asks us to look further. Not many of us know that much of Nueva Ecija/Central Luzon plains used to be forest, according to a 1973 PhD dissertation of Marshall McLennan entitled “Peasant and Hacendero in Nueva Ecija: The Socio-Economic Origins of a Philippine Commercial Rice-growing Region.” How we organize our societies spell much of the environment we pass on for the generations we will inevitably leave.
The seeds of discontent sown by neglect, mismanagement, and environmental degradation threaten to undermine our food security and ecological balance. #TogetherWe can act swiftly and decisively to address these challenges. By investing in sustainable agriculture, empowering farmers, and prioritizing environmental conservation, we can nurture a future where our food systems are resilient. Accountability and resilience are domains that are not mutually exclusive. Only the most informed choices can help us weather the typhoons, literal and otherwise, that come our way.
(Atty. Gregorio “Goyo” Larrazabal is a former Comelec commissioner. He is a pioneer of automated elections being a member of the Commission that successfully modernized Philippine elections in 2010. He remains involved in public service as an election lawyer. Email: [email protected])