“For The Farmers, My Dreams Are Simple” – President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr: “Sustainable Livelihood, Food Security And Affordable Food For All”

BBM Sir, I admire your 3-layered optimism for Agriculture as the new President for our dear Philippines. Azer Parrocha says, “Marcos Bares 3 ‘Dreams’ For PH Agriculture Sector” (15 August 2022, PNA, pna.gov.ph) – “sustainable livelihoods for farmers, food security, and affordable food for all. And zero hunger.”

This is BBM’s original Pinoy statement in his vlog:

Simple lang naman ang pangarap ko. [Una], kailangan magkaroon ng kumikitang kabuhayan ang ating mga magsasaka ng sa ganon ay maengganyo ang susunod pang mga henerasyon na ipagpatuloy ang industriyang Ito. Pangalawa, magkaroon tayo ng seguridad sa pagkain na 'di umaasa hanggat maaari sa ibang bansa. At pangatlo, ang magkaroon ng murang pagkain para sa lahat. Ang pangarap ko ay wala nang gutóm na Pilipino.

(“My dream is really simple: First: Our farmers would have profitable livelihoods so that the next generation will continue to pursue this industry. Second: We would possess food security and as much as possible not depend on other countries. And third, that we would have food reasonably priced for all. My dream is for zero Filipinos to go hungry.” –  my translation)

Actually, BBM Sir, your presidential dream is not simple. Where will your Agriculture Head find the magic formula to make your 3 wishes come true!?

As an agriculturist (UP Los Baños '65) and full-blooded Ilocano (FBI), I would like to help you BBM Sir consider how “profitable livelihoods” can come about for our farmers. Like you have to remove bad habits of farming. Example: In the upper image, farmers are planting too-old seedlings – and throwing and injuring them! We now have transplanters (lower image from techandlifestylejournal.com/).

And the best way to reduce the cost of farming is to decrease to 0% chemical fertilizers and increase to 100% organic fertilizers. Remember, Sir, chemical fertilizers generate greenhouse gases (GHGs) that generate climate change.

Yes Sir, we can produce our own organic fertilizers. I also have my own rotavator formula, which has been proven with my brother-in-law Enso Casasos’ experience of 40 years.

This Ilocano has an inexpensive method of producing organic fertilizer automatically via the rotavator – I challenge you BBM Sir to sponsor techno demos of this, “My Rotavator Challenge” – at least 1 demo in my hometown Asingan, Pangasinan, and 1 demo in Batac, Ilocos Norte, your father’s hometown.

Nothing sophisticated, BBM Sir – priorly, we will modify the rotavator mechanically to run automatically and work its magic, cutting both weeds and soil to pieces and mixing them in each complete rotation of the blades. This is what I call Rotavator Organic WEALTh (Weeds-Enriched Automatic Layer of Trash Triggering Terrestrial Health).

To see is to believe! BBM Sir, WEALTh will help bring richness to soils without importing fertilizers, grow healthy crops without spraying chemical pesticides, harvest healthy farm produce, earn much and honestly from farm labors – at the same time produce zero GHGs and help reduce climate change!

Our farmers out of poverty, Filipinos food-secure with healthy and affordable foods, and kinder climate change – Heaven on Earth!@517