BBM Has It Right Extoling The Department Of Agriculture’s Farm And Fisheries Clustering And Consolidation Program – And Why Should We Do It?

There is a logical contradiction when ANN reports, “PBBM Urges Agri-Fishery Stakeholders To Forge Partnerships, Pursue Clustering And Consolidation” (Author Not Named, 13 Dec 2023, DA, da.gov.ph) – and yet the news is coming from the “1st National Cluster Summit Of The Department Of Agriculture-Farm And Fisheries Clustering And Consolidation (DA-F2C2) Program” held 12 Dec 2023. A “summit on clustering & consolidation” means the farmers have been practicing clustering & consolidation and this is a chance to share with the others their rich and/or enriching experiences and improve executions. The event would have been more correctly titled, “1^st National Business Cluster Meeting Of Farmers & Groups.” That is to promote the adoption of farm clusters for efficiency in the business of agriculture. (And yes, farmers should take farming as a “business” and not simply a “way of life.”)

ANN says (13 Dec 2023, DA, da.gov.ph):

President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr expressed full support for the 1st National Cluster Summit of the Department of Agriculture-Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (DA-F2C2) Program on December 12, 2023 to promote the adoption of clustering and consolidation strategy for stronger linkages among stakeholders.

I also encourage our fishers and farmers, investors, and other stakeholders to forge meaningful partnerships and wholeheartedly pursue clustering and consolidation so that the government can better serve your needs,” the President said in a message read by Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro.

“So that the government can better serve your needs” – the truth of the matter is that if farmers form clusters, 1^st, the farmers will serve their own needs better via economies of scale and, 2^nd, the govt (DA) can serve the nation’s needs better.

In a separate message, Senator Cynthia Villar highlighted that the government has a limited source of funds, “thus it is imperative that we encourage all farmers and fishers to adopt this strategy of clustering and consolidation” and optimize economies of scale.

ANN also says:

The F2C2 Program was established in 2020… to achieve and benefit from economies of scale, forge stronger linkages among producers to markets and global value chain, and improve the producers’ bargaining and market power. The program also seeks to establish better access to financing and investment sources and to domestic and export markets, ensure availability and use of technologies and facilities, encourage active “big brother-small brother” partnerships, and raise sector productivity and incomes of farmers and fishers.

With clustering, the farmers can pursue higher incomes, and the DA can pursue higher national needs. So, my personal advice to the DA is to pursue Regenerative Agriculture (RA) to solve Farmer Poverty and resolve Climate Change! I will keep repeating this:

RA helps solve Farmer Poverty because the total costs is low and the total returns is high. RA helps resolve Climate Change because, unlike Chemical Agriculture, RA does not generate greenhouse gases (GHGs) – it is the GHGs that generate Climate Change!

Farm clustering and/or consolidation with Regenerative Agriculture practices will finally show PH agriculture favorable for everyone!@517