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It's sad to reminisce the time when the country basked in the glory of being Asia's agricultural hotshot. Our picturesque, verdant fields were the envy of our Asian neighbors. I think this was the main factor why-aside from the fact that we were way ahead in harnessing our lands for agricultural endeavor-the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations and the Philippine government partnered to set up the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Laguna, to spearhead the 'Green Revolution' not only to combat hunger, but to find ways to increase rice production.
Since 1960, IRRI has exceeded its expectations. Its 'semidwarf' rice variety saved India from famine in the 1960s. By 2005, it was estimated that 60% of the world's rice area was planted to IRRI-bred rice strains or their iterations.
It's ironic that, while the rest of Asia benefitted from IRRI's genius, our country faltered and has since lagged behind our neighbors. We failed to keep pace with the way their rice production grew by leaps and bounds over a short span of time. It's not so much about our inability to use IRRI's technology to the fullest, but because of utter government neglect.
For decades, farmers have agonized over the miniscule government support they got in terms of investment, funding and accommodations. Another stumbling block was the non-implementation of the land reform law that weighed down heavily on Filipino rice farmers.
Having little or no income sources to pay for the land awarded to them, farmers were compelled to rent the land they...