Innovative Agenda
Natural resources management
Championing appropriate policies
Appropriate laws, policies, rules and regulations need to be in place to make the public institutions work and to define the space within which the private sector has to operate. Most importantly, development, to be sustainable and equitable, requires the broad participation of stakeholders. Agriculture, beyond its economic and material contributions, is connected to the distribution of social and political power and to the culture and values that animate and enrich society as a whole. Socio-economic and policy issues, promoting the equitable sharing of costs and benefits of improved natural resources management, must be explored.
- a. Land use plan
- b. Soil and commodity mapping
- c. Water management
- d. Coastal areas management
Championing appropriate policies
Appropriate laws, policies, rules and regulations need to be in place to make the public institutions work and to define the space within which the private sector has to operate. Most importantly, development, to be sustainable and equitable, requires the broad participation of stakeholders. Agriculture, beyond its economic and material contributions, is connected to the distribution of social and political power and to the culture and values that animate and enrich society as a whole. Socio-economic and policy issues, promoting the equitable sharing of costs and benefits of improved natural resources management, must be explored.
Knowledge and information sharing
Development of adaptation measures and support mitigation measures, through science and technology, are critical to help smallholder farmers cope with the changing climates. This requires – scientific innovations designed for the poor, collective action, new and diverse partnerships, technologies adapted to smallholder scales, microfinance, processing and marketing, market opportunities, leveraging the power of ICT, etc. Scaling up and technology dissemination are facilitated using bench mark sites as training site s for partners and farmers, and for sensitizing policy makers. Governance is the “binding force” for the enabling of strategies on developing knowledge and sharing information.
Building climate-smart communities
Resilient development will be a priority in order to make smallholder agriculture increasingly productive, linked to commercial markets, sustainably implemented, and resilient to shocks, especially climate change. Achieving resilience for smallholder farmers will require investment in agricultural research-for-development (AR4D) so that farmers gain access to improved management practices and inputs, and to all possible options for a more profitable agriculture. The AR4D community must also become more effective in scaling-up innovations for wider impact. Outputs that improve social assistance, improving safety nets, early warning to avoid droughts or emergency aid recover from droughts, and actions to improve resilience such as increasing stocks of livelihood capital and biophysical resilience of the system will be critical. Improved cultivars, seed treatment, soil and water conservation measures, improved machinery and post-harvest facilities will be used and translated into farmer-friendly information for large-scale adoption. As smallholder farmers’ income increase and their livelihoods improve, they become more resilient since they are able to stand on their own.
Development of adaptation measures and support mitigation measures, through science and technology, are critical to help smallholder farmers cope with the changing climates. This requires – scientific innovations designed for the poor, collective action, new and diverse partnerships, technologies adapted to smallholder scales, microfinance, processing and marketing, market opportunities, leveraging the power of ICT, etc. Scaling up and technology dissemination are facilitated using bench mark sites as training site s for partners and farmers, and for sensitizing policy makers. Governance is the “binding force” for the enabling of strategies on developing knowledge and sharing information.
Building climate-smart communities
Resilient development will be a priority in order to make smallholder agriculture increasingly productive, linked to commercial markets, sustainably implemented, and resilient to shocks, especially climate change. Achieving resilience for smallholder farmers will require investment in agricultural research-for-development (AR4D) so that farmers gain access to improved management practices and inputs, and to all possible options for a more profitable agriculture. The AR4D community must also become more effective in scaling-up innovations for wider impact. Outputs that improve social assistance, improving safety nets, early warning to avoid droughts or emergency aid recover from droughts, and actions to improve resilience such as increasing stocks of livelihood capital and biophysical resilience of the system will be critical. Improved cultivars, seed treatment, soil and water conservation measures, improved machinery and post-harvest facilities will be used and translated into farmer-friendly information for large-scale adoption. As smallholder farmers’ income increase and their livelihoods improve, they become more resilient since they are able to stand on their own.
Inclusive market-oriented agriculture
Inclusiveness overrides differences of race, gender, class, generation, and geography, and ensures inclusion, equality of opportunity as well as capability of all members of the society to determine an agreed set of social institutions that govern social interaction. Inclusiveness includes the poor in the whole agricultural value chain. Inclusiveness also provides more strategic opportunities for women (by improving their livelihoods and well-being) and children (by combating childhood malnutrition). Focus on women’s needs and opportunities, their participation in decision-making on choices of crops and crop varieties, input and output marketing, and household food management must also be intensified. Market-oriented development highlights the power of market opportunities to offer more prosperous lives for smallholder farmers and their families. For over four decades, finding a single “magic bullet” technical solution to solve hunger and poverty or to stimulate prosperity particularly in marginalized, harsh environment has been elusive. Smallholder farmers must be given assistance to gain access to innovations designed for the poor, to help them connect to markets, but in a way that builds their own resilience rather than creating dependency. ‘Value chain’ systems are particularly relevant to commodities – crops, livestock, vegetables. Through multi-sectoral teamwork, a value chain perspective will broaden and deepen our historical crop production focus to also address obstacles such as insufficient access to productivity-boosting inputs, and the need for more robust output channels for crop products. Interdisciplinary science investigates the interactions between social, economic, knowledge and technological factors that are important in value chains. The market-oriented approach builds on three powerful principles: (a) that markets motivate growth (b) that innovation accelerates growth and (c) that inclusiveness ensures that the poor benefit. It is a process of moving along a development pathway from impoverished subsistence farming, to prosperous market-oriented farming. To make the strategy efficient, there must be research innovation, which improves productivity, reliability and sustainability of smallholder farming.
Environmental protection
Agriculture represents one of the most cost-effective ways to improve pressing environmental challenges: land degradation, water quality, loss of biodiversity and climate change. Our mission is to help farmers and other stakeholders in improving our environment while also expanding their sources of revenue.
Education/capacity building
Empowerment of communities, individuals and strengthening institutions can be achieved through concerted efforts to stimulate sustainable development. Capacity building of GOs, local farmers and NGOs will be carried out to promote the effective dissemination of technologies. Youth, women and landless people shall be involved in the capacity building activities.
Inclusiveness overrides differences of race, gender, class, generation, and geography, and ensures inclusion, equality of opportunity as well as capability of all members of the society to determine an agreed set of social institutions that govern social interaction. Inclusiveness includes the poor in the whole agricultural value chain. Inclusiveness also provides more strategic opportunities for women (by improving their livelihoods and well-being) and children (by combating childhood malnutrition). Focus on women’s needs and opportunities, their participation in decision-making on choices of crops and crop varieties, input and output marketing, and household food management must also be intensified. Market-oriented development highlights the power of market opportunities to offer more prosperous lives for smallholder farmers and their families. For over four decades, finding a single “magic bullet” technical solution to solve hunger and poverty or to stimulate prosperity particularly in marginalized, harsh environment has been elusive. Smallholder farmers must be given assistance to gain access to innovations designed for the poor, to help them connect to markets, but in a way that builds their own resilience rather than creating dependency. ‘Value chain’ systems are particularly relevant to commodities – crops, livestock, vegetables. Through multi-sectoral teamwork, a value chain perspective will broaden and deepen our historical crop production focus to also address obstacles such as insufficient access to productivity-boosting inputs, and the need for more robust output channels for crop products. Interdisciplinary science investigates the interactions between social, economic, knowledge and technological factors that are important in value chains. The market-oriented approach builds on three powerful principles: (a) that markets motivate growth (b) that innovation accelerates growth and (c) that inclusiveness ensures that the poor benefit. It is a process of moving along a development pathway from impoverished subsistence farming, to prosperous market-oriented farming. To make the strategy efficient, there must be research innovation, which improves productivity, reliability and sustainability of smallholder farming.
Environmental protection
Agriculture represents one of the most cost-effective ways to improve pressing environmental challenges: land degradation, water quality, loss of biodiversity and climate change. Our mission is to help farmers and other stakeholders in improving our environment while also expanding their sources of revenue.
Education/capacity building
Empowerment of communities, individuals and strengthening institutions can be achieved through concerted efforts to stimulate sustainable development. Capacity building of GOs, local farmers and NGOs will be carried out to promote the effective dissemination of technologies. Youth, women and landless people shall be involved in the capacity building activities.
Formula for New Philippine Agriculture
8. New Philippine Agriculture = ƒInanglupa 4 (Cs + Ps) 4 Cs = Consortium, Convergence, Collective Action, Capacity Building 4 Ps (Pillars) = Inclusive, Science-based, Resilient and Market-oriented
8. New Philippine Agriculture = ƒInanglupa 4 (Cs + Ps) 4 Cs = Consortium, Convergence, Collective Action, Capacity Building 4 Ps (Pillars) = Inclusive, Science-based, Resilient and Market-oriented