TITLE:Environmental Sustainability Issues in Philippine Agriculture

AUTHOR: Nicomedes D. Briones

In the Philippines, farming and fishing are major sources of income for rural
households. The country's farming systems are dynamic, multi-faceted, and oriented
toward efficient production and a consistent source of income. However, these have
had unfavorable environmental effects, including soil degradation, water
contamination, groundwater depletion, destruction of natural habitats, and biological
diversity loss. Exogenous environmental influences have an effect on farming
processes, which in turn have an impact on agricultural production resource bases.
Policies, initiatives, and intervention projects from different industries are in place to
mitigate the negative environmental effects of farming processes and to protect
agricultural production bases.
The Philippine agricultural sector, in general, has adopted the tenets of modern or
traditional agricultural practices to meet the urgent needs of a growing population
while addressing the problems spawned by rising poverty, fiscal deficits, and
globalization realities.

Intensive use of chemical inputs and improved crop varieties has become standard
practice for most Filipino farmers (from small-scale rice farmers or ornamental plant
growers to large-scale banana plantation operators). However, many existing farming
practices are becoming unsustainable as a result of their unavoidable environmental
costs, which are jeopardizing these farmers' livelihoods.
While policy measures (such as AFMA and the Fisheries Code) are being
implemented to make Philippine agriculture more environmentally conscious, there
are challenges in putting these policies into practice. The challenge stems from a lack
of funding and political will to make the necessary reforms, as well as communities'
basic inclination toward subsistence activities over environmental protection.

A land- or resource-use planning approach, as well as the formulation of specific

goals for alternative land uses, are needed for the transformation of the country's
farming systems. Planning is also needed to provide incentives for sustainable land
use and to encourage changes in attitudes and values toward better land options.
Constant pressure on forestry and fishery resources is an example of how ineffective
policy preparation can lead to indiscriminate use of common-property natural
resources.
These elements should be present in the system within which agricultural production
will increase without causing widespread environmental damage:

• Socioeconomic support to improve the capacity of farmers and fisherfolk in poorer

areas to manage their resources efficiently through holistic management systems, in
tandem with the equitable distribution of natural resources.
• Continuous assessment, tracking, and evaluation of environmental effects across all
segments of the food supply chain using knowledge management, decision-support
systems, sustainability metrics, and geographic information referencing (especially by
linking agro-ecological zone characteristics to district and national planning units.)
REACTION:

Overall, appropriate precautions are needed to ensure that agricultural technology is

implemented in a way that the natural environment is not being harmed. These
protections could involve technologies that are both acceptable and environmentally
sustainable (e.g., integrated pest management, agroforestry). As a result, in the
emerging global environment, a responsive Philippine agriculture must be anchored
on the following concerns: efficiency and growth, for increased productivity and
competitiveness; equity, where the benefits of growth must be shared equitably; and
sustainability, which means that growth and equity must be viewed not only across
income groups but also across generations.
Environmental honesty stresses the importance of promoting and carrying out growth
in a sustainable manner. In areas where fisheries and agricultural production are
carried out, the protection of agricultural habitats must always be a top priority. This
is to ensure the Philippine agricultural sector's long-term viability, as well as the
environment's long-term viability.

The problem again is when politicians enter the situation. Corruption follows
immediately. Although plans and programs are already set, our resources and funds
are not being maximize to solve issues in environment sustainability in the
Philippines. Thus, the problem will still exist.

Agricultural methods have been improving steadily since the Industrial Revolution,
and much more so since the mid-twentieth-century "green revolution." At each point,
advances in farming techniques resulted in massive increases in crop yields per unit of
arable land. Over the last century, food production has quadrupled, sustaining a global
population that has quadrupled in size. When the world's population grows, so does
the amount of land devoted to feeding it. Meeting the need for increased agricultural
productivity in the coming decades, on the other hand, is likely to be much more
difficult than it has been so far. The reasons for this are related to environmental
factors. Many of the natural processes that make modern agriculture possible are
being disrupted by global climate change. Modern agriculture, on the other hand, is
partially to blame for the sustainability crisis. Many of the methods and modifications
that farmers use to increase productivity also have negative environmental
consequences.We also need to have solutions in the current agricultural problem and
attaining national target in agriculture without damaging and harming the
environment.