Road To Food Sovereignty! “The Fruit Trees Planted Today Will Not Bear Fruits Tomorrow”

“Please understand that the reforms and improvements we do in Philippine Agriculture today will not yield results tomorrow, maybe not even under this administration but we have to these just the same because food security is not just about having food today but ensuring food for the generations to come.”

Essentially, this was what I, as Secretary of Agriculture, told the President and the members of the Cabinet in a full-Cabinet meeting as I explained that a positive agricultural and fisheries production would largely depend on the reforms instituted by the administration.

After decades of neglect, so much needed to be done to address the problems in Philippine Agriculture.

The last soil survey before President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office was done 40 years ago, the construction of irrigation systems had a backlog of 50,000-hectares every year, the hatcheries were in serious state of disrepair, the fishing grounds were devastated by dynamite fishing, the basic infrastructure like farm to market roads had a backlog of about 13,000 kilometers and the water supply was threatened because of the absence of a conservation and management program.

These problems were addressed under this administration but it would take sufficient funds and years of patience to fully accomplish the task and see the positive results.

Katulad halimbawa ng advocacy ko to plant fruit trees, industrial trees and high value crops in the deforested highlands of the country, especially Mindanao.

It would take years before the program could even make a difference given the hundreds of thousands of hectares which had been deforested.

Ito ang katotohanan sa agrikultura.

If you would like to improve the Cacao or Coffee industry by introducing new varieties, you will have to develop a clonal garden first and distribute the planting materials to the farmers.

That would take years, kasi walang kape na namumunga pagkatapos ng isang linggo mula sa pagkatanim.

Ang malaking problema lang ng agrikultura sa Pilipinas ay ang pabago-bagong mga programa everytime new officials assume office.

Hindi dapat nakatali sa political term ng mga lider, katulad ng six-years ng Presidente, ang ating mga agricultural and fisheries development programs.

Pardon me for saying this but I compare our agriculture and fisheries programs ay tapal-tapal at laging naka focus sa short-term solutions.

Kaya ang nangyayari ngayon, instead of long-term production programs, ang solusyon ay importation.

There is really a need to institutionalize agriculture and fisheries development initiatives by passing legislations which would set a 10-Year Program complete with funding which could not be altered maski sino pa ang Agriculture Secretary.

Specific industries like National Hog Industry Development Program, or Poultry, Corn, Coffee, Cacao or Fisheries na nakabalangkas ang mga gagawin for the next 10 years, may target at may automatic appropriation every year.

The short-sighted food supply mindset should be changed with a long-term food sufficiency and food security strategy.

#GovernanceIsCommonSense!

#InterGenerationalResponsibility!

#WeDoThisForOurChildren!

(This video presentation was produced by the Beauty & Bounty of Mindanao Media Team for the Mindanao Development Authority.)