Over the past 200 years, agricultural development has driven broader economic growth around the world. The Green Revolution of the 1960s-1980s doubled food production and reduced poverty. However, attention and funding for agriculture declined from the 1980s-2000s. Rising food prices and population growth have prompted a renewed focus on supporting small farmers and increasing agricultural productivity to ensure adequate food supply. The document outlines 19 specific measures that could help the Philippines' 12 million small farmers and fisherfolk become more productive and prepare the country for potential future food shortages.

2.  Over the past 200 years, nearly every part of the
developed world has seen and agricultural
transformation. As farming improved, so did
incomes, health, and economies. More recently,
we’ve seen amazing progress in parts of the
developing world.
 During the Green Revolution, which took place from
the 1960s to the 1980s, improvements in staple
crops such as maize, wheat, and rice helped double
the amount of food produced, saved hundreds of
millions of lives, and drove broader development
throughout much of Asia and Latin America.

3.  There were also some serious unintended
consequences-particularly regarding the
environment-that left us with important lessons for
today. But the efforts demonstrated that large-scale
progress against hunger and poverty is possible.
 Following this period, there was a sense that the
problem of inadequate food supply had been tackled.
Governments and donors shifted their attention to
other concerns. From 1980 to 2004, donor countries
cut the percentage of development assistance for
agriculture from more than 16% to less than 4%. In
addition, agriculture accounted for only 4% of public
spending in developing countries.

4.  In the last several years, the global
community has begun to refocus its attention
on agriculture. Rising food prices and
concerns about feeding a growing population
are prompting more and more organizations
and governments to understand the urgency
of supporting agricultural development.

5.  Agricultural development is a proven engine of
growth that reduces global hunger and poverty.
Historical evidence from 18th century in England,
19th century in Japan, and modern China shows
that agricultural growth was a key factor in
industrial growth and economic development.
 The recent global recession and food price crisis
added to the suffering of people living in poverty
and with chronic hunger. Around 75% of people
in developing countries live in rural areas, with
the vast majority dependent on agriculture for
their livelihoods.

6. 17 PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT
1.Problem of Land Tenure
Land is one of the most important
factors in agricultural production. The
land tenure is the way land is owned
in a society.

7. 2. Problems of Basic Amenities
 Like electricity cinema, standard schools, good and
functioning health centers, recreational parks for
relaxation, good roads, telephone, television
viewing centers etc, are lacking in the rural areas.
This often leads to the following:
a) Rural-Urban drifts, that is, people leaving the
village for jobs in the city.
b) Reduction in the working population in the village.
c) Low agricultural production.

8. 3. Problems of Finance or Poor Financing
(1) very poor
(2) cannot secure the necessary collateral for loans
(3) cannot have access to enough credit facilities.
(4) Cannot pay the high interest rates on loans either
from financial institutions or money lenders.
(5) Cannot procure the most sophisticated machines.
(6) Cannot employ agricultural specialists whose
salaries and wages are far above what the farmers
can afford.

9. 4. Poor Transportation
1. Bad roads
2. Inadequate vehicles
3. Vehicles lack spare parts
4. High cost of bringing the farm products from rural
areas to urban centers
5. Lack of transportation which increases the activities
of middlemen in the movement of agricultural
products from the farm to the urban centers where
they are consumed
6. Lack of transport facilities which increases
perishability of farm crops.

10. 5. Poor Communication
Lack of good radio, television,
telephone, telex, fax machines for quick
messages and assessment of latest
discoveries in the agricultural sector.
This makes the professional
agriculturists to be unaware of recent
developments in his field.

11. 6. Problems of Good Storage and
Processing Facilities
Storage facilities:
(a) Perishability of crops like tomato, pepper, etc.
(b) Pests and diseases which attack farm products
(c) Farmers fumigating their products.
(d) Glut during harvests and famine outside harvest
(e) The quality of farm products being reduced.
(f) Farm products wasting.
Processing facilities:
(1) Very expensive to procure
(2) Highly technical for local farmers to operate
(3) Very difficult and expensive to maintain.

12. 7. Lack of Good Agricultural education
Dogmatic and adamant to changes
 Very superstitious in their beliefs
Very suspicious of any new innovation
 Unscientific in mind and thinking
 Not willing to accept technological changes
 Very uncooperative, hostile and
unaccommodating
 Unwilling to even learn how to use and
apply fertilizers, insecticides and new farm
tools.

13. 8. Poor Extension Activities
 Extension workers are too ill-equipped for
the work.
 The period of training is too long.
Language barriers.
 Lack of recent research work.
 The uncooperative attitude of farmers.
Lack of vehicles.
Poor remuneration.

14. 9. Poor Tools and Farm Machines
Poor tools can lead to:
 Drudgery of the farmer
 Time wasting
 Short life span of the farmers
 Low yield
 Low farmers income.
While machines are:
 Very expensive to procure and maintain
 Highly technical to use
 Cannot be used in small farm holdings
 Cannot be used in some soils.
 Cannot be used for some crops like yam.

15. 10. Unstable Policies and Programmes
of Government
Even government comes with different
programmes which often tell on the
farmers.

16. 11. Poor Marketing System
 Activities of middlemen who try to remove all
the gains
 Poor pricing policies.
 Non-functional food commodity boards for
food crops.
 There is also fluctuation in prices
 Poor marketing channels for farm produce
 Lack of good roads.
 Poor storage facilities.

17. 12. Pest and Diseases
 Increase the cost of production
Reduce the quality of farm produce
 Reduce the quality of farm produce
Reduce farmers income
discourage farmers from further
production.

18. 13. Unpredictable Climate
Drought or long period without rain which leads to
poor harvest.
 Flooding or excessive rainfall which reduces yield.
 Excessive sunshine, which leads to increase in
temperature.
 Inadequate sunshine which reduces the
photosynthetic ability of plants.
Unfavourable climate which also reduces farm
activities.

19. 14. Agricultural Inputs
 Agricultural chemicals like insecticides
 Inputs like improved seeds and seedlings
 Agricultural inputs are very expensive.
 The application of these chemicals can lead to
pollination of the environment.
 Some inputs are very substandard and do not meet
the desired result.
 Inputs like fertilizers are very expensive and also
inadequate.
 Most of the inputs are imported and are very expensive
to procure.

20. 15. Sociological and Psychological
Attitude Towards Farming
 Young people feel that farming is for the
dropouts and a profession for poor
people.
Farmers are believed to be low class
 Young people also prefer white collar
jobs

21. 16. Smuggling
 Illegal exportation of food.
 It increases the cost of farm products.
 Places money in the hands of few
individuals.
 It can cause hunger in the villages

22. 17. Environmental Degradation
 Pollination of the environment
Soil erosion
 Setting up of forest fire
Deforestation
Improper waste disposal

23.  Resource specialists and economists are
agreed that the most serious shortage the
global economy will face in the next ten to
twenty years will no longer be energy.
 The rising food prices at the beginning of 2011
which have precipitated riots in many parts of
the world are symptomatic of the shortages in
food that we shall be facing more and more in
the coming years as hundreds of millions in the
emerging markets, such as China, India,
Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, and the
Philippines graduate from grinding poverty to
middle-class status.

24. The most critical resources in the next
decade or so will be food and water.
More than ever, the Philippines will
have to give the highest priority to
agricultural development. Fortunately,
a focus on agriculture will kill two birds
with one stone: reduce poverty, which
is predominantly a rural phenomenon,
and increase the supply of food for
everyone.

25. How do we make the 12 million
small farmers, fishers, and
landless rural workers be more
productive?

26. 1.Develop private-sector-led agriculture-
fishery diversification plan anchored in
specific industry roadmaps that are market-
led and competitive.
2.Eliminate quantitative restrictions (QRs) on
rice and shift the role of the National Food
Authority (NFA) to buffer stocking and
logistics. Adequate protection and
preparedness, however, should be provided
to the farmers.

27. 3. Revitalize tree crops (coconut, rubber, oil
palm, coffee, cacao, bamboo, etc.) through
productivity enhancement and related
programs.
4. Allow suitable public lands for plantings of
tree species, including rubber, bamboo, and
oil palm.
5. Sustain fishery, aquaculture, and
mariculture programs.

28. 6.Redefine the Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries
Development Zone (SAFDZ) to focus on products
and services with comparative advantage. Ensure
ACEF matching grants for common service
facilities.
7. Revisit the Land Use Act.
8.Strengthen the agricultural extension system by
returning the administrative control of agricultural
extension to the Department of Agriculture.

29. 9. Establish incentives to private extension
system such as contract growing, sugar mill
district development committee, and input
supplier.
10. Establish/upgrade regional testing
laboratories and train personnel.
11. Increase irrigation area through
rehabilitation and new construction of small
irrigation systems. Ensure that non-rice
irrigation also benefits.

30. 12. Adopt the Farming Systems Approach
among small holders farmers, supported by
appropriate technology, better marketing,
value adding.
13. Implement capacity building programs
(including entrepreneurship and informal
training) for rural folks for farm and non-farm
enterprises, including establishment and/or
strengthening of farmers organizations.

31. 14. Implement DA organizational rationalization to
secure organizational agility and effectiveness,
including the food control system for assuring food
safety and quality and bio-security.
15. Establish a Council of Leaders to provide policy
advice and support to the DA Secretary, and to
advocate for more resources.
16. Institutionalize small farmer representation in
policy-making, planning, implementation, and
monitoring.

32. 17. Institutionalize third-party assessment of
logic and outcomes of programs and
projects.
18. Together with the Department of Agrarian
Reform, DA to provide support to CARP
beneficiaries to capacitate them to be
productive.

33. 19. Create a separate Department of
Fisheries and Aquaculture to maximize
development of underutilized ponds,
inland waters, and coastlines to
produce protein and increase exports.

34. These measures can go a long way to
prepare the Philippines for the food
shortage problem that will be faced by
the global economy in the next ten to
twenty years.

35. DAGHANG SALAMAT