Agricultural‌‌Issues‌‌in‌‌the‌‌Philippines‌‌Why‌‌Farmers‌‌remain‌‌poor‌‌instead‌‌of‌‌getting‌‌rich‌‌as‌‌food‌‌

 
suppliers‌  ‌
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ABSTRACT‌  ‌
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Agriculture‌‌is‌‌a‌‌critical‌‌sector‌‌in‌‌the‌‌economic‌‌landscape‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Philippines.‌‌It‌‌has‌‌an‌‌active‌‌role‌‌in‌‌  
national‌‌development‌‌particularly‌‌in‌‌rural‌‌development.‌‌However,‌‌the‌‌industry‌‌is‌‌largely‌‌characterized‌‌by‌‌  
small‌‌scale‌‌family‌‌farm‌‌holdings.‌‌Majority‌‌of‌‌the‌‌farmers‌‌are‌‌poor‌‌with‌‌low‌‌education,‌‌vulnerable‌‌to‌‌  
physical‌‌and‌‌economic‌‌risks,‌‌and‌‌financially‌‌stressed‌‌with‌‌zero‌‌savings‌‌or‌‌worse,‌‌indebtedness.‌‌As‌‌  
agriculture‌‌is‌‌in‌‌itself‌‌a‌‌risky‌‌financial‌‌and‌‌social‌‌enterprise,‌‌the‌‌pressure‌‌for‌‌the‌‌farming‌‌families‌‌to‌‌stay‌ 
afloat‌‌is‌‌unstable.‌‌This‌‌paper‌‌will‌‌be‌‌discussing‌‌the‌‌long‌‌standing‌‌issues‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Agricultural‌‌sectors‌‌  
especially‌‌farmers.‌‌The‌‌need‌‌for‌‌an‌‌enabling‌‌policy,‌‌further‌‌movement,‌‌enhanced‌‌institutional‌‌support‌‌  
system‌‌on‌‌agricultural‌‌production‌‌through‌‌provision‌‌of‌‌credit‌‌facilities,‌‌and‌‌the‌‌variety‌‌of‌‌programs‌‌  
designed‌‌to‌‌carry‌‌out‌‌this‌‌policy‌‌objective.‌‌This‌‌paper‌‌will‌‌also‌‌highlight‌‌the‌‌several‌‌consequences‌‌  
stemming‌‌from‌‌the‌‌ineffective‌‌credit‌‌program‌‌scheme‌‌implemented‌‌in‌‌the‌‌past,‌‌and‌‌the‌‌new‌‌policies‌‌  
currently‌‌in‌‌place‌‌to‌‌solve‌‌the‌‌issues.‌‌In‌‌support‌‌of‌‌the‌‌national‌‌goal‌‌of‌‌uplifting‌‌the‌‌lives‌‌of‌‌farmers,‌‌policy‌‌  
recommendations‌‌to‌‌address‌‌the‌‌agricultural‌‌credit‌‌gaps‌‌were‌‌likewise‌‌discussed.‌  ‌
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● Why‌‌are‌‌Filipino‌‌small‌‌farmers‌‌poor?‌  ‌
● ‌Why‌‌do‌‌they‌‌remain‌‌poor‌‌despite‌‌the‌‌fertile‌‌lands‌‌and‌‌abundant‌‌supply‌‌of‌‌freshwater‌‌in‌‌the‌‌  
Philippines?‌  ‌
● What‌‌hinders‌‌the‌‌farmers‌‌to‌‌become‌‌financially‌‌stable‌‌despite‌‌being‌‌the‌‌suppliers‌‌of‌‌our‌‌daily‌‌  
needs?‌  ‌
● How‌‌can‌‌we‌‌empower‌‌the‌‌Farmers‌‌and‌‌the‌‌industry‌‌of‌‌Agriculture‌‌by‌‌means‌‌of‌‌increasing‌‌their‌‌  
salaries,‌‌benefits,‌‌and‌‌to‌‌improve‌‌their‌‌lifestyle?‌‌    ‌
● Where‌‌do‌‌these‌‌issue/s‌‌come‌‌from?‌‌Why‌‌is‌‌it‌‌difficult‌‌to‌‌solve‌‌this‌‌problem?‌  ‌
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INITIAL‌‌HYPOTHESIS‌  ‌
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● Filipino‌‌farmers‌‌stay‌‌poor‌‌because‌‌they‌‌lack‌‌the‌‌support‌‌and‌‌opportunities‌‌in‌‌our‌‌country‌  ‌
● Farmers‌‌remain‌‌poor‌‌due‌‌to‌‌small‌‌income‌‌and‌‌tend‌‌to‌‌have‌‌more‌‌daily‌‌expenses‌  ‌
● The‌‌price‌‌of‌‌their‌‌harvest‌‌are‌‌too‌‌low‌‌when‌‌bought‌‌by‌‌suppliers‌‌    ‌
● Conducting‌‌Enhance‌‌Agricultural‌‌Education‌‌to‌‌student/s‌‌who‌‌are‌‌into‌‌agriculture.‌‌  
Empowering‌‌the‌‌industry‌‌that‌‌gives‌‌importance‌‌to‌‌the‌‌value‌‌of‌‌farmers‌‌and‌‌by‌‌giving‌‌them‌ 
the‌‌right‌‌benefits‌‌of‌‌their‌‌daily‌‌labor.‌‌    ‌
● Politics,‌‌Personal‌‌Agendas,‌‌Selfish‌‌Capitalists‌‌in‌‌the‌‌Agricultural‌‌industry‌‌are‌‌reasons‌‌for‌‌  
Farmers‌‌having‌‌a‌‌poor‌‌life.‌‌And‌‌up‌‌until‌‌now,‌‌it‌‌is‌‌still‌‌a‌‌major‌‌problem‌‌that‌‌needs‌‌to‌‌be‌‌  
given‌‌attention‌‌to.‌‌    ‌
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Sources:‌‌(PRIMARY)‌  ‌
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● Borras,‌‌Saturnino‌‌M.‌‌On‌‌just‌‌grounds‌‌:‌‌struggling‌‌for‌‌agrarian‌‌justice‌‌and‌‌citizenship‌‌  
rights‌‌in‌‌the‌‌rural‌‌Philippines.‌Q
‌ uezon‌‌City‌‌:‌I‌nstitute‌‌for‌‌Popular‌‌Democracy,‌‌‌2005‌‌   ‌
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If‌‌agrarian‌‌justice‌‌has‌‌been‌‌primarily‌‌about‌‌land,‌‌it‌‌has‌‌additionally‌‌been‌‌about‌‌  
political‌‌vote‌‌based‌‌system‌‌and‌‌majority‌‌rule‌‌state-building.‌‌By‌‌problematizing‌‌provincial‌‌  
democratization‌‌measures,‌‌this‌‌book‌‌attempts‌‌to‌‌show‌‌how‌‌ordinary‌‌depictions‌‌of‌‌poor‌‌  
people‌‌aggregate‌‌activity‌‌misses‌‌the‌‌mark‌‌regarding‌‌reality,‌‌yet‌‌additionally‌‌darkens‌‌a ‌‌
significant‌‌pattern‌‌in‌‌Philippine‌‌rustic‌‌governmental‌‌issues‌‌and‌‌society.‌‌Rural‌‌poor‌‌  
people's‌‌mobilizations‌‌from‌‌below‌‌are‌‌increasingly‌‌an‌‌integral‌‌part‌‌of‌‌the‌‌strategic‌‌battle‌‌  
over‌‌the‌‌current‌‌boundaries‌‌of‌‌democratization‌‌system-wide.‌‌    ‌
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● De‌‌Basillan,‌‌Mallat.‌‌The‌‌Philippines‌‌:‌‌history,‌‌geography,‌‌customs,‌‌agriculture,‌‌industry,‌‌  
commerce‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Spanish‌‌colonies‌‌in‌‌Oceania.‌‌Manila‌‌:‌N ‌ ational‌‌Historical‌‌Institute,‌‌‌1983‌  ‌
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The‌‌distinctive‌‌nature‌‌of‌‌environmental‌‌quality‌‌problems‌‌in‌‌agricultural‌‌areas‌‌and‌‌
 
industry‌‌based‌‌on‌‌the‌‌extraction‌‌of‌‌highly‌‌variable‌‌natural‌‌resources‌‌under‌‌strict‌‌
 
conditions,‌‌has‌‌important‌‌implications‌‌for‌‌policy‌‌design.‌‌By‌‌observing‌‌the‌‌source‌‌of‌‌
 
environmental‌‌quality‌‌problems‌‌and‌‌the‌‌strength‌‌of‌‌incentives‌‌for‌‌resource‌‌stewardship‌‌  
that‌‌may‌‌incidentally‌‌induce‌‌farmers‌‌to‌‌protect‌‌environmental‌‌quality.‌  ‌
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● ‌ ichanco,‌‌Leopoldo‌‌B.‌‌Philippine‌‌Agriculture.‌‌College‌‌of‌‌Agriculture,‌‌University‌‌of‌‌the‌‌
U  
Philippines,‌‌1959‌  ‌

There‌‌is‌‌a‌‌need‌‌to‌‌influence‌‌the‌‌future‌‌generations‌‌of‌‌Filipinos‌‌to‌‌rehearse‌‌ 
esteem-added‌‌agriculture‌‌to‌‌support‌‌the‌‌current‌‌farmers‌‌expected‌‌to‌‌resign‌‌in‌‌10‌‌years‌‌or‌‌  
something‌‌like‌‌that.‌‌Be‌‌that‌‌as‌‌it‌‌may,‌‌constant‌‌neediness‌‌levels‌‌in‌‌rural‌‌regions‌‌have‌‌
 
deterred‌‌Filipino‌‌youth‌‌from‌‌seeking‌‌after‌‌promising‌‌circumstances‌‌in‌‌this‌‌area.‌‌In‌‌this‌‌  
book,‌‌we‌‌suggest‌‌that‌‌the‌‌Philippine‌‌government‌‌work‌‌with‌‌private‌‌financial‌‌backers‌‌and‌‌  
socio-municipal‌‌associations‌‌to‌‌restore‌‌interest‌‌in‌‌agriculture‌‌by‌‌situating‌‌it‌‌as‌‌an‌‌ 
appealing‌‌and‌‌feasible‌‌alternative.‌  ‌
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● Spencer,‌‌J.E.‌‌(Joseph‌‌Earl).‌‌Land‌‌and‌‌people‌‌in‌‌the‌‌Philippines‌‌:‌‌geographic‌‌problems‌‌in‌‌
 
the‌‌rural‌‌economy.‌‌Berkeley,‌‌California‌‌:‌U
‌ niversity‌‌of‌‌California‌‌Press,‌‌‌1952‌  ‌

Poverty‌‌incidence‌‌in‌‌the‌‌Philippines‌‌is‌‌rising‌‌based‌‌on‌‌the‌‌national‌‌official‌‌data‌‌
 
released‌‌by‌‌the‌‌government.‌‌Poverty‌‌incidence‌‌among‌‌the‌‌population‌‌rose‌‌from‌‌24.9‌‌
 
percent‌‌in‌‌2003‌‌to‌‌26.4‌‌percent‌‌in‌‌2006‌‌and‌‌then‌‌inched‌‌up‌‌further‌‌to‌‌26.5‌‌percent‌‌in‌‌2009.‌‌
 
This‌‌is‌‌in‌‌reverse‌‌of‌‌the‌‌downward‌‌trend‌‌and‌‌is‌‌a‌‌major‌‌decrease‌‌from‌‌the‌‌path‌‌toward‌‌
 
achieving‌‌the‌‌Millennium‌‌Development‌‌Goals.‌‌
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● Kahan,‌‌David.‌‌Entrepreneurship‌‌in‌‌Farming,‌‌FOOD‌‌AND‌‌AGRICULTURE‌‌ORGANIZATION‌‌  
OF‌‌THE‌‌UNITED‌‌NATIONS‌‌Italy:Rome,‌‌2012‌  ‌
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‌In‌‌agriculture,‌‌through‌‌targeted‌‌agricultural‌‌entrepreneurship‌‌education.‌‌  
Entrepreneurship‌‌shifts‌‌attention‌‌from‌‌producing‌‌more‌‌of‌‌the‌‌same‌‌things‌‌to‌‌producing‌‌  
value-added‌‌goods‌‌and‌‌services‌‌through‌‌managed‌‌agricultural‌‌risks.‌‌To‌‌encourage‌‌opportunity‌‌  
seeking‌‌and‌‌value‌‌creation‌‌in‌‌this‌‌sector,‌‌there‌‌is‌‌a‌‌need‌‌to‌‌train‌‌current‌‌farmers‌‌to‌‌become‌‌more‌‌  
entrepreneurial‌‌and‌‌to‌‌educate‌‌future‌‌generations‌‌to‌‌become‌‌agricultural‌‌entrepreneurs.‌‌This‌‌  
commentary‌‌presents‌‌four‌‌current‌‌strategies‌‌to‌‌increase‌‌interest‌‌in‌‌agricultural‌‌entrepreneurship‌‌  
in‌‌the‌‌Philippines‌  ‌