By Manny Piñol
As the country goes through another dry spell after a two-year interval, I have been asked several times how do we prepare for and neutralise the damage caused by a long dry spell or El Nino?
Just like the typhoons which ravage the country every year, there is really nothing much that could be done to stop El Nino except mitigate the damage and provide interventions like crop insurance afterwards.
It is just like watching an egg roll from a table and fall to splatter on the floor.
All that you can do is just clean up the mess.
This has been our mindset in handling droughts and long dry spells – sit it out and pick up the shattered pieces after the calamity.
This is so reflective of our laid back nature and culture as a people who take and bear whatever destructive power Mother Nature dishes out and leave our fate to the Mercy of God.
There is actually a more effective strategy in preparing for El Nino and we only need to learn lessons from countries who do farming in desert areas without any rainfall all year round
Desert areas like Israel, Southern California, Peru and parts of India go through year-long droughts making our 3 to 4-month El Nino just a minor distraction.
Unlike us in the Philippines who have ignored and squandered the Water which God gives us every year, however, these countries have efficiently managed whatever water they have, including wastewater.
So how do we prepare for El Nino?
My stock answer has always been: Irrigate.
That may sound paradoxical because how do you irrigate where there is a drought?
Again, my answer is: Emulate the Kung Fu Masters by using the strength of the “enemy” to overpower him.
This is what Israel, Southern California, Peru and other desert countries have been doing.
This is precisely the philosophy behind the adoption by the Department of Agriculture of the Solar-Powered Irrigation System or SPIS.
The idea of embracing Solar-Powered Irrigation for Philippine Agriculture came to my mind when I was in Aparri, Cagayan in May of 2016, shortly before I assumed office as Secretary of Agriculture.
Beside the parched rice fields was the mighty Cagayan River but whose water could not be used to irrigate the farms because the banks were so high.
That was when I remembered what I saw in the Tilapia Farm of my friend, Rocky French in the middle of the desert in Coachella Valley, Southern California.
Using hundreds of solar panels to run three water pumps, Rocky drew water from underground to fill up his ponds and raise world-class quality Tilapia.
In the same area, vegetable plantations growing Bell Peppers and others and vine yards were thriving in spite of the fact that there would only be about four rains a year.
The area virtually has El Niño or drought all year round but the farmers do not complain of crop damage or inability to plant.
The reason is simple: they use the power of the Sun, which causes the drought, to power Solar Pumps to produce water.
Also, the sustained and sufficient sunlight promotes effective photosynthesis thus resulting in greater productivity.
The El Niño or drought has been occurring with greater frequency over the last two decades, hitting our farms every two years now.
Unless we decide to invest in Solar-Powered Irrigation and implement it nationwide, our farmers will always suffer every time El Niño hits the country.
Not even an agriculture expert with several Phd’s could stop that or ease the suffering of our farmers.
I made this call as early as 2016 but mine was a voice in the wilderness.
In fact, one economic mind said that he does not see the correlation between Solar-Powered Irrigation and greater productivity.
With the El Niño hitting us again now and farmers crops getting devastated, we see the clear correlation.
We have to change our “Post-Disaster Intervention” mindset now or else we will regret it.
Let this be a fair warning to our policy makers and budget managers.
(Photos downloaded from public websites show productive farms in the Negev Desert in Israel, Southern California and Peru. The last three photos show a newly-completed Solar-Powered Irrigation System funded by the DA.)
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