"Reboot!" Agriculture Is The Economy’s Backbone, We Can’t Afford To Keep Neglecting It – We Need The Right Man To Reboot & Mind It To Good Growth

Agriculture – “Let’s start,” says former head of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and respected Inquirer columnist Cielito F Habito, “with finally having the right captain steer the sector away from persistent defeatism and protection, toward heightened productivity, dynamism, and genuine food security for all.” He says that at the end of his column of 04 April 2023 (“The Economy’s Backbone,” Inquirer.net, opinion.inquirer.net).

(“Rebooting” from eccp.com and  techyuga.com)

Repeat:

…Agriculture is truly the economy’s backbone that we can’t afford to keep neglecting… the way we’ve done for decades. Let’s start with finally having the right captain steer the sector away from persistent defeatism and protection, toward heightened productivity, dynamism, and genuine food security for all.

Not only a respected NEDA chief [under President Fidel Valdez Ramos, who was wise enough to consult people] – Mr Habito is an educational innovator. Via Cahbriba Alternative School (established in Los Baños 1987), Mr Habito with wife Pilar Relova introduced Harvard professor Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI); with MI, anyone may be assisted to pursue one’s intelligence among these 9 intelligences (alphabetized):

1.  Bodily-Kinesthetic – “Body-Movement Smart”
2.  Existential – “Life Smart”
3.  Interpersonal – “People Smart”
4.  Intrapersonal – “Self Smart”
5.  Linguistic-Verbal – “Word Smart”
6.  Logical-Mathematical – “Number/Reasoning Smart”
7.  Musical – “Sound Smart”
8.  Naturalistic – “Nature Smart”
9.  Spatial – “Picture Smart”.

Now then let us be “People Smart” and select, again, William Dollente Dar as the new Secretary of Agriculture! We need to continue the “New Thinking for Agriculture” that Mr Dar introduced when President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him to replace Agustin Piñol in 2019.

Here is what I wrote about it: “ONE DA – Yes Sir! Let DA. Let’s Do It!” (HABiTATS WiTH HUMANiTY, habitatswithhumanity.blogspot.com), focusing on Mr Dar’s New Thinking for Agriculture (NTA); here, I ask you to focus on the 12 key strategies for NTA, which are:

1. Farm Clustering/Bayanihan
2. Province-Led Agriculture And Fisheries Extension System (PAFES)
3. Agri-Industrial Business Corridors (ABCs)
4. Infrastructure Investments
5. Post-Harvest, Processing Logistics & Marketing Support
6. Digital Agriculture
7. Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Measures
8. Mobilization & Empowerment Of Partners To Attain Scale
9. Global Trade, Export Development & Promotion
10. Food Safety & Regulations
11. Ease Of Doing Business & Transport Procurement
12. Strategic Communication Support.

12. Yes, all 12 strategies under Agriculture Secretary Dar’s 2019 New Thinking for Agriculture are all important and must be realized together!

William Dar was Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s Secretary of Agriculture in 1998. During Mr Dar’s term, the ADB website says, “Philippine agriculture achieved a remarkable 9.6% growth, which has never been achieved until today” (ADB Knowledge Events, events.development.asia).

As President Rodrigo Duterte’s Secretary of Agriculture, Mr Dar introduced the “New Thinking For Agriculture” with the battlecry, “Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita” (da.gov.ph) (“Bountiful Harvests & Bounteous Incomes” – my translation). There was palpable hope rising among public and private groups with Secretary Dar.

Reboot! Let’s be “Life Smart” and listen to ex-NEDA Chief Habito for sound agri-economic advice!@517