This times of unending challenges because of the pandemic and unending problems, we must focus our efforts on cultivating our agricultural sector before it gets even worse.

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The night was young. This article you are going to read is written and researched by my classmate. She asked me if I could post it here, and I said yes because I want to help her too, most especially now. The topic is about on agriculture. Upon hearing that word, what comes first in your mind?

Without further ado, enjoy reading this article!

Edward Everett once quoted:

"Agriculture seems to be the first pursuance of civilized man. It enables him to emerge from the life of the savage, and wandering shepherd into that of social man, gathered into fixed communities and surrounding himself with the comforts and blessings of the neighborhood, country, and home. It is agriculture alone that fixes men in stationary dwellings, in villages, towns, and cities, and enables the work of civilizations to go on in all its branches."

With Hopes of a Sounder Future

There have not been several advancements and innovations in strategies, methods, and technologies in the field.

We need a new approach. The Department of Agriculture (DA) focuses on "new thinking" in agricultural development.

It recommends moving away from a heavy focus on particular crops towards developing the overall resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability of the rural area. According to DA, their vision is a food-secure and the resilient Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk.

Ndiame Diop, World Bank Country Director, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines state their support with our country's plan.

"With the exception of several small natural resource-rich countries, no country has strongly transitioned from middle- to high-income state without having completed an efficient transformation of their agri-food systems. Transforming food systems and agriculture as a whole is challenging most of the time. But the country's new vision for agriculture, its current drive for diversification and use of advanced technologies, and its effective supervision of food supply during this pandemic simply show that the nation is well-equipped to overcome the challenge."

In the past, spending has gone principally via price supports for chosen crops and goods, as well as subsidies on inputs such as planting materials, fertilizer, and machines. These are all important for our agricultural sector.

However, these things are not the limit. We must go further beyond. There is a need to reorient significant public spending toward investments in public goods, including research and development (R&D), infrastructure, innovation systems, market information systems, and biosecurity systems, resulting in faster poverty reduction more significant productivity gains through an overall modernization of agriculture.

According to the World Bank Organization, report says that small farmers have difficulty accessing inputs and markets for their produce. At the same time, buyers such as agribusiness enterprises and wholesalers find it difficult to get the quantity and quality of products they need for processing on a timely basis.

This misalignment can be overcome with government support by getting together buyers and producer organizations and rendering support for planning and executing good business plans that help both parties.

There must be collaboration and synchronization with the two to create better results.

Interventions like farm stabilization, including cooperative farming projects such as better extension services, e-commerce, and investments in agribusiness start-ups, can further advance Philippine agriculture's modernization.

With hopes of a sounder future for our agricultural sector, we can support the "new thinking" our government had proposed. We must make sure that they allocate suitable funds and invest effectively and efficiently. We must remain vigilant and constantly aware. We must demand transparency of their actions to ensure that we are always on the right track.

Closing Remarks

If you have anything in your mind regarding this article you have just read, you can openly voice it out. I will be happy to hear from you. I hope you did not just find it fascinating. I also hope that you get the point here. After all, we are all humans, and we all have a choice. But when you are given one, make sure to make the most of it and choose the right one. Thank you for being here!