If
you think that planting food for a living ensures food on
the table, think again. Farming is not recession-proof.
In fact, farmers have struggled with the issue of food security
for years. Between typhoons, droughts, influx of pests,
soil corrosion, and a host of other factors, farmers have
learned that there are no certainties in farming, just like
in all other businesses. In fact, because of the many natural
forces that play a hand in their productivity, farmers are
often tempted to wallow in fatalistic thinking.
But
in Davao, a group of farmers have defiantly challenged this
notion. A coalition was formed among 494 agriculture-based
cooperatives in the hope of significantly improving the
farmer’s quality of life. This was to be done by achieving
food sufficiency and increasing profitability.
The
farmers worked together to formulate and prioritize initiatives
that would further these goals. The primary initiative was
to strengthen the identity of and cohesion within each cooperative.
Without strong unity, the farmer’s principal medium
of expression would be drowned out by the voices of other
formal and informal institutions. The second priority was
to rigorously promote use of new technology. Among the most
notable modernization efforts of the time were the integrated
pest management and the application of drum seeder in rice
planting. Thirdly, farmers now sought to be actively involved
in the design of support infrastructure and post-harvest
facilities. This ensured their input had been sufficiently
considered and that knowledge can be passed on to the actual
users after construction. Lastly, everyone was encouraged
to exhaustively capitalize on resources being offered by
line agencies, government organizations, people’s
organizations and other cooperatives. Soon, the farmers
of Davao were carrying a noticeably optimistic and more
empowered outlook on work and life.
This
had been backed up by tangible improvements in productivity
and income. Rice farm productivity levels increased by one
metric ton per hectare while corn production increased by
two metric tons per hectare. Overall, this program benefited
over 26,000 farmers. Production increases also occurred
in high value crops, vegetables, fish catch and pond yields.
A conspicuous rise in disposable income can be inferred
with observations of an upsurge in home improvements, new
appliance purchases, farm implement investments, and loan
repayments throughout Davao.
