Young, Healthy and Bright Farmers
Will Make The Philippines
Self Sufficient In Food
The Pilipino farmers are getting old. According to the records of the National Census and Statistics Office, the average age of the Pilipino farmers is 55 years old. This average age is past the prime life of a man.
This aging of the Pilipino farmers simply means the young Pilipinos are the least attracted to make a living in the farm and engage in agricultural entrepreneurs. It is hard to imagine and remember the Philippines’ poorest of the poor are the Pilipino farmers. While farmers of other countries like Australia, Malaysia and Thailand are progressive, Pilipino farmers remain poor, majority of whom are below the poverty line.
Why are the Pilipino farmers poor? First, the parents have bias against farming. They prefer their children who are of high IQ to study and become a member of glamorous profession like in the medical and legal professions. Those with lowest IQ may proceed to study farming.
Second, consumers give less appreciation to agriculture products being sold in the market. For example, buyers as much as possible will pay the least price to a kilogram of squash, eggplant, tomato, papaya. They bargain much with the retailer. Sometimes, neighbors who are sufficiently capable to pay reasonable price like the price of green papaya and malonggay will first show their admiration to the commodity and then request the producer to give it for free. This is showing less appreciation or none at all of the labor of the farmer.
Is it true that even in gift giving, much is given to the rich person than what is given to the poor? Is it true that alms offered to a rich person is much higher than alms given to a poor? Yes.
Our lack of appreciation of the products of the farmers, gives them less motivation to produce the food requirements of our people. Yes, because of our value in the choice of profession and livelihood. Those who belong to the agriculture sector also belong to a group below the poverty line.
The people must remember that a successful farm businessman must be a man of excellent health and be among the brightest. The work place of a farmer is in the farm expose to all kinds of weather and climatic conditions. A rice farmer, from land preparation to harvesting, must be in the farm daily to take care of his crop. He cannot be a week-end farmer otherwise his crop will be a failure. During rice transplanting, he is on the knee deep mud while the rest of his body is either exposed to the rain or sunshine.
A fishpond operator is similarly exposed to all weather and soil elements as he takes care of his fishes. If not, the absence of one of any life requirement such as oxygen, water, proper temperature, his fish will die.
An accountant, if compared to a farmer, has a workplace in a well ventilated, maybe air conditioned room and sitting on a swivel chair comfortably working.
Let us remember that farming in order to be profitable must be properly managed. A farmer takes care for lives of plants and animals. He must know biology. Farming is a business, therefore, he must know accounting to be able to solve for his profit. He must know human relation as he deals with people. He must know veterinary medicine to produce high quality pork, meat, poultry and eggs, fish and vegetables.
Hence, a farmer must be of excellent health condition, quite good and of high intelligence. This is the only way the Philippines can improve the economic condition of the farmers. The consumers must learn to appreciate the value of farm products.
In the study in management, maximum production is possible if all the factors of production is available with excellent manpower to implement the project. These six (6) Ms: money, management, moment, machine, method, materials if man is highly capable, skillful and well motivated in the implementation of the project will make the Philippines self sufficient in food. Encourage the youth, healthy and the brightest to make agriculture their profitable business and to provide food to the consumers. /MP
This aging of the Pilipino farmers simply means the young Pilipinos are the least attracted to make a living in the farm and engage in agricultural entrepreneurs. It is hard to imagine and remember the Philippines’ poorest of the poor are the Pilipino farmers. While farmers of other countries like Australia, Malaysia and Thailand are progressive, Pilipino farmers remain poor, majority of whom are below the poverty line.
Why are the Pilipino farmers poor? First, the parents have bias against farming. They prefer their children who are of high IQ to study and become a member of glamorous profession like in the medical and legal professions. Those with lowest IQ may proceed to study farming.
Second, consumers give less appreciation to agriculture products being sold in the market. For example, buyers as much as possible will pay the least price to a kilogram of squash, eggplant, tomato, papaya. They bargain much with the retailer. Sometimes, neighbors who are sufficiently capable to pay reasonable price like the price of green papaya and malonggay will first show their admiration to the commodity and then request the producer to give it for free. This is showing less appreciation or none at all of the labor of the farmer.
Is it true that even in gift giving, much is given to the rich person than what is given to the poor? Is it true that alms offered to a rich person is much higher than alms given to a poor? Yes.
Our lack of appreciation of the products of the farmers, gives them less motivation to produce the food requirements of our people. Yes, because of our value in the choice of profession and livelihood. Those who belong to the agriculture sector also belong to a group below the poverty line.
The people must remember that a successful farm businessman must be a man of excellent health and be among the brightest. The work place of a farmer is in the farm expose to all kinds of weather and climatic conditions. A rice farmer, from land preparation to harvesting, must be in the farm daily to take care of his crop. He cannot be a week-end farmer otherwise his crop will be a failure. During rice transplanting, he is on the knee deep mud while the rest of his body is either exposed to the rain or sunshine.
A fishpond operator is similarly exposed to all weather and soil elements as he takes care of his fishes. If not, the absence of one of any life requirement such as oxygen, water, proper temperature, his fish will die.
An accountant, if compared to a farmer, has a workplace in a well ventilated, maybe air conditioned room and sitting on a swivel chair comfortably working.
Let us remember that farming in order to be profitable must be properly managed. A farmer takes care for lives of plants and animals. He must know biology. Farming is a business, therefore, he must know accounting to be able to solve for his profit. He must know human relation as he deals with people. He must know veterinary medicine to produce high quality pork, meat, poultry and eggs, fish and vegetables.
Hence, a farmer must be of excellent health condition, quite good and of high intelligence. This is the only way the Philippines can improve the economic condition of the farmers. The consumers must learn to appreciate the value of farm products.
In the study in management, maximum production is possible if all the factors of production is available with excellent manpower to implement the project. These six (6) Ms: money, management, moment, machine, method, materials if man is highly capable, skillful and well motivated in the implementation of the project will make the Philippines self sufficient in food. Encourage the youth, healthy and the brightest to make agriculture their profitable business and to provide food to the consumers. /MP
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