No Place Like Home

It is a given that the world is in a big financial crisis. The common tao does not understand how that can be? "Where is the money?" With everything that we are seeing around us; vast natural resources, advance in technology, impressive human power and intelligence, availability of common and scientific knowledge, it is a wonder to a simple folk how we can say that we are in crisis. Is it really a case when the world has suddenly become poor or wasted what we have, or mismanagement of the earth? The sad part of this is that small and developing countries like us which are very dependent on other countries would be the most hard hit. We are the first to suffer even though we are not the reason for the crisis. Can this be avoided? By all means it could.

I do not volunteer myself as an economic expert, nor a management guro, but I believe that it is not hard to see what we have missed here in our country that may or could have given us the progress and development we needed and therefore be insulated from the impact of the global financial crisis.

I always believed that the rise and fall, success and failure, life and death of our world lies in agriculture. Food is a very basic necessity. More than anything, humanity needs food. It determines the health and life of all of us. Without it, we can not grow and enjoy the whole of creation. Without it, we will not survive. Therefore, all efforts must be made in order to produce, sustain and preserve it. That is why, whenever and wherever agriculture is available, it must be propagated. It is not just a responsibility to the national citizenry but to the whole of humanity. Not all places are available for sustainable agriculture but it is always good news to know that even those countries, like Israel, that have difficulties to engage in agriculture still try to make do with what they have. And their results are magnificent! (http://www.israeliagriculture.com) Just imagine if those countries which h

as the land, the climate, the people, and the time to do it will also exert the same effort?

And one of those fortunate countries to have all the potentials for a successful agriculture is none other than our own native land....the Philippines. Our government had time and time again reported that it is giving everything for the development of our agriculture. We even have a department (Department of Agriculture) for it together with other related local and international agencies (Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Soil, National Irrigation Agency, Philippine Crop Insurance, International Rice Research Institute, etc.) Big funds had been allotted for it. But why is it that we are not that developed still? Almost anything can grow in this part of the world. The worst part of it is that we import our staple food which is rice! We have the land, water, technology, skill, labor, and climate to produce not only what we need but also to supply the needs of others.

The truth is we have not really given due importance to our most potent resource which is Agriculture. If ever ample funds were given for it, the funds had not really been used properly and much worse, had not been used at all but had allegedly gone to the pockets of corrupt officials. Scams had indeed penetrated the system based on the recent investigations by both Houses. Agricultural funds had become the target for evil intents by those in authority. Agriculture had become, for some selfish individuals, a perfect venue for obtaining wealth from government. In the end, the farmers suffer. They could not sustain their farming needs because of the inefficiency of the irrigation system, continued use of old and worn out farm implements, low grade fertilizers, new but hard to implement farming systems, unpredictable climate, absence of soil conservation techniques, frustration by the farmers. When farmers suffer, produce also suffers. Yields are less and at very low quality. Markets have less to sell because produce are not coming. Then, all people suffer. Because there are less supply and more demands, government has to resort to imports. That is a very bad sign. The fact that you are capable of producing what you need but are importing it instead, should make us feel sick!

Development. Development. Development. This is what we need. There are lots of resources in our country that will propel us to self-sustainability if not become a sought after international exporter if only we concentrate and invest on our natural resources. Our government policy had been always to invite investors first. Why invite investors first when we can do it by ourselves? If foreign investors are that willing to risk their money in our country, it must be worth it! Unfortunately, it seems that we are not in this mode and mood. We are contented in receiving our shares from investors and let them explore and develop what we have for their own profit. They gain more, but we gain so little for what we had given. I think the prevailing attitude of some of our leaders is, "It is the role of the next government, not us." The problem with this attitude is that the previous and the next government also thinks the same! No wonder, we had been plagued by many governments which only thinks of what the country can do for them and not what they can do for their country.

The good thing going for us is we always have these resources. Anytime, when the proper and well-motivated government comes, we can always rise up from where we are. We just have to pray that it is never too late. Else, God help us!