Overhaul present system for agriculture extension workers, build capacity for global competitiveness

An “overhaul” of the present system regarding agricultural extension workers is needed in order to build global competitiveness.

News reports cited Mr. Yasunori Araki, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, saying that the Philippines had a “very poor government (agriculture) extension system,” pointing out that only private firms had good extension workers. Mr. Araki further observed that Filipino agriculture extension workers are “not so competent” and “take too much time” compared to agriculture extension workers from Thailand and Vietnam and this is a major stumbling block in getting foreign investments.

We can explore different options in making these drastic and urgent reforms, One is to review our current agricultural extension policy and institutionalize programs for agriculture and fisheries extension workers; another would be to work closely with the private sector for capacity-building that is at par with private and global standards. We will exhaust all options and look at the best possible solutions to this decades-old challenge.

While we acknowledge Mr. Araki’s observations about the need to build and strengthen the capacity of our agriculture and fisheries extension workers and of the policy itself, we also commit to turning this situation around as efficiently and as effectively as possible so that we aren’t discounted out of the race by our investor-neighbors. Matagal na naman po nating sinasabi na, kung hindi tayo kikilos para sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda ay maiiwan talaga tayo sa kangkungan. This statement from the Japanese government is a harsh wake-up call, but we needed to hear it.

We have long said that government needs to invest more in the agriculture and fisheries sector if it is to turn this nation around. We are an agricultural country, first and foremost, and if we want to achieve developed-nation status in 15 years, we will need to make radical changes in the agricultural sector to ensure food security for ourselves and the region. Instead of being a top importer of agricultural staples, we should turn the situation around to be one of the top exporters in the region, if not in the world.

We also have gains by a public-private initiative called Agriculture & Fisheries 2025 (AF 2025) as a “template” for reforming other areas of the sector. The combined efforts of AF 2025 stakeholders have made us effective in increasing the agriculture budget by 54% in 2012, as well as increasing crop insurance coverage and increasing the budget for the coconut industry. We can continue to tap AF 2025 as a resource in strengthening the agricultural extension policy and programs.


A concrete next step is to review a pending bill strengthening the national agriculture and fisheries extension system. The bill has already been heard and is now with the Technical Working Group. We will review this piece of legislation while looking at other alternatives so we can find the best possible course of action.

This matter is long overdue and must be regarded with urgency.

'Farmtreneurs' key to food security and jobs creation

We will work closely with the Department of Agriculture and Malacanang in providing opportunities for those without jobs and displaced OFWs by enjoining them to venture into farming.

There are a lot of opportunities in farming. What is needed is a synergy of the whole chain—from the producers to the traders.

Malacanang has fielded the idea of providing hectares of land for lease to informal settlers, and we feel that this plan should also include OFWs and the millions unemployed in the country. We need to propagate the idea of having ‘farmtreneurs’. This means shifting the paradigm away from the idea of leaving the country for greener pasteurs. The opportunities will be here and Filipinos won’t need to leave the comforts of their motherland.

‘Farmtreneurs’ will be different from how farmers are generally perceived. We will build their capacity to earn more by providing them the means to sell their products directly to market via our fellow AF2025 convenors. We also have in AF2025 the built-in network to ensure the sustainability of the project. Having farmtreneurs would also address the need for increased crop output.

The DA has reported an unprecedented increase in the harvest of palay this year. But fisheries and livestock continue to lag behind. Having ‘farmtreneurs’ will help the whole sector as farming becomes more profitable for them. Increased output is essentially what is needed for food self-sufficiency.

This is an out-of-the box way of approaching decades-old problem of unemployment, poverty, and food self-sufficiency. And this is exactly the proverbial shot in the arm needed to boost further what the DA under the Aquino administration has accomplished. It is about time our agriculture and fisheries sector get the recognition and status that they deserve.

Create a new generation of 'farmtreneurs'

The government’s plan to relocate some 500,000 informal settlers in the metro to agricultural lands should extend to those who are jobless and unemployed who are willing to work yet do not have the opportunities.

Nearly three million are jobless. Our farmers’ average age is 57. We need to encourage a new generation of Filipinos to go into farming and agribusiness.

We are working closely with the Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. Along with the private sector, we convened the Agriculture and Fisheries 2025 (AF2025). AF2025 ‘s goal is to craft a long-term program that would address issues hounding the country’s agricultural and fisheries sector.

We need to create a core of young people and turn them into ‘farmtreneurs’ willing to go into farming and agribusiness and boost rural development and create jobs in the agriculture and fisheries sector. Instead of leaving the country to be employed abroad, we should encourage the jobless and unemployed to leave the urban centers and go into farming in the rural areas.

Creating a new generation of ‘farmtreneurs’ is key to achieving food security. Without a new generation of young farmers, we undermine the nation’s goal of ensuring adequate food supply for our people.

At an average age of 57, our farmers are an endangered species needing immediate government intervention. When we lose our farmers to call centers or jobs overseas, we lose our capacity to secure our food requirements.