The government drive to make the agriculture sector a key economic driver in the years forward is at peril unless sustainable farming is adopted as a matter of policy.
This was made clear by global water activist and best-selling author Seth M. Seigel who told a public forum convened at the Manila House Private Club in Taguig City that sustainable farming and the conscientious use of water is essential in national development and expansion.
“The point is, sustainable farming is a global necessity (but) that you cannot have sustainable farming so long as you continue to focus on flood irrigation,” Seigel said.
The New York-based lawyer and entrepreneur noted that President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. started a whole new conversation in the country when at his inaugural state of the nation address (SONA) he vowed to transform the agricultural sector “from an economic laggard to one of the main drivers of growth and employment” in the Philippines.
Agriculture accounted for 10.07 percent of local output growth, measured as the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, based on government data, steadily lower the past 10 years when this accounted for 14.1 percent of the economy in 2011.
Nevertheless, Seigel lauded the policy decision identifying agriculture as one of five priority growth drivers, with the government allocating the equivalent of $500 million for the sector.
He worries that water as national resource does not attract the policy importance it deserves among policymakers given that its extraction for agricultural purposes accounts for at least 70 percent and as high as 95 percent in any country, the Philippines included, at present.
That global population seen hitting 10 billion to 11 billion by 2050 from some 8 billion at present is another source of resource uncertainty given also that water extraction and climate change have reduced the amount of available water per capita by 50 percent, according to Seigel.
Rice is the largest known crop grown in the world and in the Philippines as this accounts for nearly three million hectares, with all of them using the flood irrigation model, he noted.
“What is not widely known is the degree to which rice production accounts for greenhouse gases, particularly methane, which is 50 times more hazardous for the environment than carbon. Rice universally accounts for twelve-tenths of all greenhouse gas emissions,” he explained.
This particular point relates to gases as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor and so-called fluorinated gases allow sunlight to pass through the atmosphere but trap it there and warm up the planet as a result.
He added that this unwanted side impact is made worse by a government-initiated inquiry stablishing that of the 20 largest rivers in the country, 17 of the rivers will experience diminished flow, resulting to water scarcity or shortage in just a few years.
“Whether it’s 2025, 2026 or 2027, the trend line is there and it is concerning,” Seigel stressed.
He argued that conserving water as national resource is a public policy issue deserving greater policy importance than it receives at present just as much as determining that carbon emissions are an important policy issue.
“Smart people know you can’t plan for water scarcity the day water scarcity crushes you. You need to plan 10 or more years before,” he warned.
But fortunately for people everywhere, technology exists allowing policymakers to achieve a desired water conservation goal that permit even industry-size users such as power generation companies and large- or small-scale farmers to thrive without destroying the environment, Seigel said.
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA), for instance, may allow the conduct of a pilot program demonstrating just how effective such a technology is in conserving water and protecting the environment at the same time, Seigel said.
