So you’ve heard a lot from those guys, now you gotta listen to me whether

you like it or not.

What do you guys think about the agricultural status of our farmers in the
Philippines? Do you think we are still on the old fashion way? Or are we
already using robots to do farming for us? HAHAHAHA Kuyaw diba?
Exaggeration rana siya.

Before I start, I want you all to imagine that each one of you are farmers. Let’s
just say, you do your farming in a traditional way and you’re aiming to produce
a decent number of crops for trading. Also, you have a family to feed, it
consist of 6 members.

Your goal is to produce 100 kilos of cabbage to trade next month out of your
small property. But after an extensive hard work, you can only produce 10
Kilos, given that there is a heavy rainstorm from the past month, this 10 kilos
of cabbage is just enough to feed your family for the next 2 weeks…. isuwa
lang ninyog rice, butangan og asin or tuyo and ok na.

Question:
What do you guys will feel about it?

Worried? Frustrated? Will you guys think about improving your agricultural
production method? Maybe you want to find more opportunities to develop
your production process? Or engage in modern farming?

Or Is it better to stay where you at? Do agricultural sector needs

development?

Yes! Of course! Agricultural Modernization in developing economies may be

described of the transition from subsistence to diversified and specialized
production. If there is no such thing as development to this “transition” there
will be no progress, and there is a wide gap between wealthy and large land
holders.

Actually, there are stages in the evolution of agricultural production:

1. Subsistence-level traditional (peasant) farm

2. Diversified or mixed family agriculture
- Here, the produce of the farmers or a small portion of it will be for the sale of
the crops and the other portion was for consumption

3. Modern farm
- This kind of farming was focused on the production of crops just for sale.

But I want you guys to focus on ‘that one’ that doesn’t have any definition.

The subsistence-level traditional (peasant) farm.

In this stage, most of the produced of farmers are for their family
consumption, only a little for trading.

* Output productivity are low

* The traditional method of farming & tools was used
* Capital Investment is minimal
* Law on diminishing returns is in operation.

2 MINUTES, 41 SECONDS, AND 73 MILISECONDS

This is such a boring definition so why don’t we guys do a little different?

Kinsa ninyo diri ang na-miss maging bata?

Let’s play pretend, Let’s pretend that you guys are 5 years old, you go back to
being a kindergartens and I am your teacher, today, we will be reading a
story… and everyone should read.

There was a poor farmer named Bob who grew rice and rented a small plot of land
from a landowner.

Bob is a hardworking farmer, but no matter what he does, he can only harvest enough
for his family's consumption. 

Bob wished to produce more rice for trading, so he worked harder than he ever did. 

It took Bob a whole 3 months of hard work to finally harvest a total of 5 sacks of rice.
not much, but given the size of his land and his previous harvest, it is still a lot. 

Bob's family was also dependent on the harvest, his family of 7 members can
consume 1 sack of rice per month, so he needs to secure his family's needs to prevent
starvation. 

Bob was thinking of selling 2 sacks of rice and keeping the other 3 sacks for
consumption because there are still 3 months until the next harvest. 

Bob sold two sacks of rice for P4,000.

Bob said, "Yes, it's better than before."

but his landlord visited him and said, "Bob, I see that you already harvested, Why
don't you pay for your rent?" 

After that, Bob paid his P1,500 rent.

Only P2,500 is left. 

Bob said, "It's fine, there is still much left." But another person visited and said "Bob,
I see that you already harvested your last crops, how about buying another seed?"
Bob paid P1,000 for one sack of rice seed.

only 1,500 left. 

Bob said. "It's fine, there's still much left, I can still save it." But Bob's money lender
came and said, "Bob, I see that you already harvested your last crop, you owe me
P1,000. How about paying for it?" 

Bob had paid off his debt; only P500 remained.

Bob, looking at the last 500 pesos, is dejected. "I worked hard for the last 3 months,
but this is not enough to buy my family a decent meal." 

Bob's fellow rice farmers, Jack and Robert, passed by and said, "Oi, Bob! How's your
income? Is it good?" said Jack.

Bob did not reply, so Robert said, "Haha! I told you to start changing your farming
methods! use fertilizers so you can harvest 2 times faster" 

"Just stop resisting! That is why you're so incompetent! .... and poor" came after Jack. 

Just like that, the two left laughing. 

"Maybe I am, but as long as me and my family are surviving, it's fine."

(((( 3 MINUTES, 6 SECONDS, AND 90 MILISECOND)))

 Based on that story, do Bob deserved to be called Incompetent?

NO! But sadly, people link peasant farmer’s resistant to change as a sign of
incompetence. Do you agree?

Farmers are reluctant to change, especially when they are exposed to

starvation, because they farm, not to earn income but TO SURVIVE.

So if risk and uncertainty are high, small farmers are reluctant to shift from a
traditional technology and crop pattern nga over the years mao ilang naandan
and what they understand kaysa sa bag o nga nag promise og higher yield or
output pero mas greater og risk of crop failure or will make their situation a lot
worse…. sila gihapoy luoy.

And even though there are programs that aims to raise agricultural
productivity, they all still suffered because of failure to provide adequate
insurance.

Again, in Subsistence farming kuno, it says the farmers there are resistant
to change. And most people actually often misunderstood them and labeled
them as incompetent.
But little did they know, farmers do behave in an economically rational manner
when confronted with alternative opportunities.

What I am trying to say here is that, farmers has reasons as to why they are
resistant to change, given the nature of their environment, uncertainties that
surround them, the need to meet minimum survival levels of output, and the
rigid social institutions which many peasant-especially women are locked.

So go back sa panglalait sa mga traditional farmers, If we fully understood

the major risk and uncertainty that farmers face, we would not have
characterized traditional farmers as Lazy natives.

I hope my voice reached the ears it supposed to be, thank you.

(((( 1 MINUTE, 59 SECONDS, 2 M.S. ))))