Rice self-sufficiency: the elusive dream (Part 1)

Before I entered PhilRice in 1993, I really didn’t care whether my country was self-sufficient in rice or not, as I only know about raising strawberries and knew rice only as food on the table with or without viand (there was milk or sugar to eat it with anytime, anyway, as my Ibaloi husband would recount always of his foreigner cousin’s line: “In Bodihew, I ate dabay!” , but that is another story). When I entered PhilRice, I sort of just embraced the policy of rice self-sufficiency which I read was PhilRice’s ultimate mission. I even brought this optimism to graduate school so that in one of our courses in Macroeconomics, when our professor asked about the policy direction of PhilRice, I proudly and nonchalantly answered “rice self-sufficiency”. The reaction of my Professor which I so remember to this date was a dismissing “God bless PhilRice!” The comment kind of breached my optimism and made me wary about every news of a projected target year when rice self-sufficiency will be achieved. True enough, every change of administration, every change of Agriculture secretary brought a new target year. Yet there never was a target year met.

Ten years after, I got a chance to work with a Harvard-graduate, former Department of Agriculture policy planner, then IRRI economist who opined, complete with facts and figures, about the ‘difficulties’ of the Philippines’ short-run self-sufficiency policy and the wisdom of probably following the Malaysian rice policy path still not forgetting to work for self-sufficiency in the long run. This time in my mind, “Well maybe, it’s really not too bad if we are a little less than self-sufficient, we can always import from our neighbors and it is even cheaper.” I actually felt better knowing that our being not self-sufficient was not really because our farmers are lazier or our technologies cruder but that really, we are just less endowed with land and rivers. It bred a new line of optimism in me: maybe, it’s not just about rice self-sufficiency at all costs; maybe it’s also about diversifying farmers’ income, diversifying crops, and improving the rural non-farm economy.

Bringing with me this new optimism, I left PhilRice again for graduate school only to witness from a distance the soaring rice prices in my beloved country, the seemingly lack of rice in the world market, the alleged hoarding of rice by rice-exporting countries, and the wild search of explanation for this ‘event’ by PhilRice and IRRI policy researchers. At one point, I personally witnessed how fishers’ wives scrambled to Gloria’s Bigas ng Bayan every Tuesday mornings in Sagurong, San Miguel Island in Albay to get their P18 per kg-NFA rice because the markets were selling at P30 to P35. While the seller (the owner of the house where I stayed in the duration of my field work) was instructed to sell only to the poorest of the poor households, this policy led to conflicts over who is poor or not, so what she did was to defy the policy, make her own schedule, and ensure that all households get a share of the village allotment. The stark reality of the benefits of being rice self-sufficient once again dawned on me. (At that point, I was mighty glad I was working on a research subject related to marine resource conservation, not on rice socioeconomics or policy!)

Now I am back in the Philippines: new Philippine president, new Agriculture secretary, same policy direction: rice self-sufficiency at all costs; rice self-sufficiency to be achieved in 2013, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2025 (a.k.a in the secretary’s term of office). Now I am back at PhilRice: new director, seemingly new R&D programs, same policy direction: rice self-sufficiency at all costs. (Now I am back at PhilRice: a household of my own, P30 per kg rice, a son who eats ‘dabay’, a husband who eats 2 cups rice and now half, same policy direction: save on anything but not on food; rice self-sufficiency at all costs!)

So (after that long introduction), what is my “take” on rice self-sufficiency?

Policy direction: Sustainable rice self-sufficiency

Year it can be achieved (business as usual): unattainable

Year it can be achieved (with interventions): ~ 2040 onwards

How? (Old solutions, not short-term solutions) Water, water, water and seeds

Reliable, controllable and affordable irrigation water supply

Facts and Figures

• Average yield in irrigated ecosystem has more than one ton per hectare advantage over rainfed areas
• Around 600,000 hectares difference in area harvested during wet season and dry season
• Around 9% of the increase in yield from 1997 to 2007 period is owing to irrigation (Mataia, et al., 2009)
• Around one ton per hectare yield difference between irrigated wet season and rainfed wet season
• Around 1.5 ton per hectare yield difference between irrigated wet season and rainfed wet season
• Technology adoption is much higher in irrigated ecosystem (PhilRice-SED data)
• Reason for non-adoption of existing crop management technologies especially on land preparation, nutrient management, land preparation : unreliable, uncontrollable or unaffordable irrigation water supply
• The existing package of modern rice technologies works best with proper irrigation.

Pragmatic solutions (not short-term)

• Government must have the political will to rehabilitate existing irrigation systems and invest in new feasible large irrigation systems and small-scale irrigation systems, too
• "Incentivize" private investments in small-scale irrigation systems
• Gasoline/diesel price stabilization
• Watershed improvement (forest watersheds and lowland watersheds)
• Call for applicable low-cost technologies for rainwater harvesting (aside from dams)
• Explore pond system common in China

Better seeds

Facts and Figures

• Adoption of high quality seeds is the main driver of yield growth in recent years. Around 18% and 15% of the increase in yield from 1997 to 2007 period is owing to use of certified and hybrid seeds, respectively (Mataia, et al., 2009)

Pragmatic solutions (not short-term)

• Increase budget for R&D
• Target area planted to high quality seeds by LGU

And now for some wild ideas (Facts and figures on the making):

• At least 1 single rice-farming household member to work as OCW for at least 5 years

• At least 1 household member of a rice farm household given scholarship for tertiary education

• Improving the rural non-farm economy

And some moves that just might contribute:

• Support RH bill!
• Privatize extension system for selected rice technologies

His Strength Is Perfect

(eto pa isang kanta na walang kupas ang katotohanang sinasabi. His strength is perfect, indeed)

by Steve Chapman Curtis

I can do all things

Through Christ who gives me strength,

But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me;

No great success to show, No glory on my own,

Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know…

Chorus:

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone;

He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on.

Raised in His power, the weak become strong;

His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect.

We can only know

The power that He holds

When we truly see how deep our weakness goes;

His strength in us begins

Where ours comes to an end.

He hears our humble cry and proves again…

I am Thine, O Lord

(Because of the popularity of contemporary Christian songs, hymns like Amazing Grace and the like have sometimes become relegated to choir singing or worse, funeral services. Sometimes though, it is good to savor the depths of the gospel and breadth of the message contained in some of these old hymns. The following hymn particularly spoke to me as we were singing it last Sunday. Read it, sing it and be blessed. - che)

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith,

And be closer drawn to Thee

Refrain:

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou hast died;

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord

To Thy precious bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to thy service Lord,

By the pow’r of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

And my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour

That before Thy throne I spend;

When I kneel in pray’r, and with Thee, my God,

I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know

Till I cross the narrow sea;

There are heights of joy that I may not reach

Till I rest in peace with Thee.

Chairo Paul C. Launio

Date Due:   November 17, 2011
Date Born: November 4, 2011
Time: 8:54 pm
Place: Pines City Doctors’ Hospital, Baguio City
OB/Gyne: Dr. Sebastian/Dr. Bansilo
Weight: 2.98 kg
Length: 49 cm

The Name

Chairo (pronounced Khah-ee-ro) is the transliterated form of an original Greek word which means "rejoice exceedingly" or “be glad (Source: http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=5463).

Paul, popular name but we particularly like Apostle Paul of the Bible who wrote most of the epistles and who knew how to rejoice, and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ--our utmost desire for Chairo.

Chronicles of Grace (Take 2)

March 10         Marlon and Che visit Palawan; Che accidentally tears her achilles tendon and

                        begins to wear crutches for a month and quad cane for another month.

End of March  Che tests positive.

May                 Che gets hospitalized for urinary bladder retention.

Oct. 26             Left PhilRice for Baguio.

Nov. 1              At Burnham lake/children's park with Marlon and Khane.

Nov. 2              At Pyramid cemetery with Manong Winston and family.

Nov. 4 ~ 6 pm   Che starts to labor.
Nov. 4 8:45pm  Baby Chairo arrives!

Nov.  4

Nov. 5

Nov. 6

 

Nov. 7

 Nov. 8

(Check out December 2007 blog archive entry and see how Kuya Khane and I look similar when we were just some days old.)

(We thank all those who prayed with us since I was pregnant and for my safe delivery. We rejoice indeed for Chairo's arrival. We praise and thank God for His goodness and faithfulness. Hail Him! - Che and Marlon)

Preaching the gospel to ourselves everyday

(Am currently reading the book "Discipline of Grace" by Jerry Bridges and one of his pleas is for us to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday. This is the same challenge Thabiti Anyabwile made in his book "What is a healthy church member?" where he said one of the marks of a healthy church member is being gospel-saturated. Below is his summary of the gospel. Just want to share it here because often, we only hear part of the gospel.)

"The gospel or good news of Jesus Christ is that God the Father, who is holy and righteous in all His ways, is angry with sinners and will punish sin. Man, who disobeys the rule of God, is alienated from the love of God and is in danger of an eternal and agonizing condemnation at the hands of God. But God, who is also rice in mercy, because of His great love, sent his eternal Son born by the virgin Mary, to die as a ransom and substitute for the sins of rebellious people. And now, through the perfect obedience of the Son of God and his willing death on the cross as payment for ours sins, all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, following him as Savior and Lord, will saved from the wrath of God to come, be declared just in His sight, have eternal life, and receive the Spirit of God as a foretaste of the glories of heaven with God himself.

It is this message--briefly stated here-- that we must imbibe and delight in if we are to be healthy church members." - Thabiti M. Anyabwile (Author of the book "What is a healthy church member?")

Also, Jerry Bridges, in his book sums up one important spiritual principle:

"Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace."

(Great readings, indeed, because often we feel practically self-sufficient during our good days or when we perform well, and condemn ourselves and feel like incompetent fools during our bad days or when we fail. With the gospel, we are reminded that the blessings of God are not conditioned on our obedience or our performance, but the upon the infinitely righteous, holy and perfect obedience and righteousness of our Savior. And because of this, in gratefulness to this, we strive and desire to be obedient and perform well.)

Third trimester (Take 2!)

Time flies

Khane at almost 4 months old

Khane at almost 4 years old

New blog name

Please be informed that we changed our blog site name from to http://daijoubu-desu.blogspot.com to http://gracefaithwalk.blogspot.com. 

Ultrasound shows a boy (Take 2!)

Headboard

(Here is another of Khane's punchlines!)

Khane: Kiss sa cheek. Kiss sa other cheek. Kiss sa lips. Kiss sa nose. Kiss sa eye. Kiss sa other eye. Kiss sa headboard (referring to the forehead).

Of tearing my tendon while collecting seashells

No, I did not tear my tendon while collecting seashells from the shores of Palawan. I miscalculated my step while setting foot at Sabang, Puerto Princesa from a jeepney. My small jump overstretched my right foot tendon, and with it was my dream of seeing the underground river? Or, so I thought.

Marlon and I went to Puerto Princesa in Palawan to use my expiring Mabuhay miles, spend time together as a treat for our 4^th wedding anniversary, “ag-bonding” as many would say, and well, to pray and see the glory and wonders of God’s creation in this part of the world. It was on record supposed to be my first unofficial travel. I have been blessed to have traveled to almost all major cities in the country, and many major cities in Southeast Asia, but while there were many pleasure side trips during these travels, I have never boarded a plane just intended for pleasure and have never sprained my foot in any of these travels. It was also our very first travel for fun (we “honeymooned” at the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary in Baguio). But before we could even set foot at the Underground River, I had this little accident. I imagined right there and then that I will be immobilized for two weeks or more and so I thought, I should at least see this cave for the benefit to at least equal the cost. Against my hubby’s will, we proceeded; he carried me on his back to the pump boat, down to the other shore, then on to the paddle boat.

As with the Sumaguing cave in Sagada, and the Malabing caves in Kasibu, Nueva Viscaya, the Underground River was a magnificent display of God’s creation. It could well be explained as natural rock formations, yet just like how plants have xylem and phloem, how animals reproduce, and how babies are conceived and born, the stalactites and stalagmites are no ordinary outcome of natural processes. There must indeed be an intelligent Craftsman, a great Creator.

So after having been amazed at this wonder, we got back to reality and being strident believers of God’s sovereignty, both of us automatically tried to reflect and think on why God had permitted me to be sprained during what was supposed to be our special bonding time. We thanked God still, humbled ourselves and prayed for Christ’s forgiveness. Had I been in my usual performance-based, penalty-based system line of thinking, I would have thought, “What did I do wrong to deserve this?” But since having been enlightened that everything is only by grace and that we really deserve nothing, my thought was “What is Christ teaching me in this experience?”

We can never know for certain, and we can only believe as much as what our spirit and faith will help us see. We think that one thing God is reminding us is to not get caught in the temporal things of this world. It is not that God does not want His children to have fun and engage in pleasure activities, because His words clearly say, “…I have come that they may have life and have it to full,” but God may be reminding us of what it means to have life to the full. As John Piper puts it in the case of America, “the greatest tragedy in America today is the “Great American Dream of houses, cars and collecting seashells.” While we did not only go to Palawan to see the sights, but to retreat and spend time together, spraining my foot more clearly reminded us of God’s goodness and purposes, and bonded us much more than if I had not been sprained. As I had almost the same weight, sometimes even heavier than Marlon, he never dared carry me. In this escapade, he got his chance and we had really good laughs. We were also reminded that indeed, our life is at the mercy of our Maker. At any time, in any place, or in just a snap of a finger, we can lose a limb, any part of our body or our life. We thanked God that this time it was just an overstretched tendon.

And well, while we were not able to set foot at Honda bay and collect our seashells,Paul’s idea of Romans 8:28 (And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.-NIV) is wondrously comforting. I was not yet out of my crutches when I tested positive. God is great and He is good.

(I wrote this some months back but never had time to post it. I still limp from time to time due to pain in my tendon, but I thank God He restored my tendon enough to be able to carry this new life He's given. Blessings, -che)

God's Faithfulness to HPC in the last 15 years

As He was to His Old Testament covenant community from the wilderness to the Promised Land, God has been faithful to us since our establishment in General Lim Street to our settlement in Dreamland. Being the first formal convert-member at HPC, I wit­nessed how God’s faithful hand has been all the way with us . . .

. . . In the midst of our moving from place to place. From the spacious building rented by Grace Missionary Training School (GMTS) to house church­es in Upper Pinget to our present church building, transferring our worship center, carrying our things along, and keeping God’s flock in the fold were not easy. Our nomad-like transfer to 4 sites in Upper Pinget in a span of 6 years alone were not a simple journey to endure.

. . . In the midst of financial crises. Many times and at different magnitudes, we were seized with financial difficulties: overdue building rental and utility bills; missed or late support for Ptr. Daniel and other workers; not enough seminary support for Ptr. Joel; lack of funds for countless activities that neces­sitated sacrificial giving from specific members; non-continuous church building construction.

. . . In the midst of complaining and mur­muring. We have to admit that just like the wilderness generation of God’s people, dissatisfaction, apathy, quarreling, disunity, and non-submission once existed amongst us.

. . . In the midst of leap of doubt and brink of scatter . . . At one span of time, many of us won­dered whether or not there is still value in sticking together as a local congregation. Some opted to find hope in going away, a few attempted to find home in another local church, while those who chose to stay suffered increas­ing agony in the heart because of bitter causes.

. . . In the midst of our successes and victories. Among others, our establishment as a church, acquisition of church lot and construction of our church building which both came after years of praying; the people who were added to our number over the years; the few but growing new generation of leaders now being discipled for Christ’s service.

In all these things our church experienced, God’s faithfulness was at work. In our hardships and downfalls, He sustained us. In our triumphs, He was behind them all. For how could we, weak and unfaith­ful people, deserve all these blessings if God had not kept and gripped us? This must be grace, an ava­lanche of unmerited favor!

. . . So what now? We received grace so let us share grace! How? Let us persevere to glorify and enjoy Him in our life by committing to participate more zealously in the mission and vision of our church.

(This is Marlon's column that came out in the 2011 HPC anniversary newsletter. Just want to share it here. God is faithful.)

A Prayer for the Future (and for the present if it applies)

(by Sir Frances Drake Quoted in OC Missionary Prayer Letter of Jeanie Curryer, September, 1997)

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

(Disturb us Lord indeed, indeed when this happens.-che)

Three Wooden Crosses

(please click the title link to listen to this song by Randy Travis, an all-time favorite)

Songwriters: Johnson, Douglas M.; Williams, Kim E.;

A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher
Ridin' on a midnight bus bound for Mexico
One was headin' for vacation, one for higher education
And two of them were searchin' for lost souls

That driver never ever saw the stop sign
And 18 wheelers can't stop on a dime

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there's not four of them Heaven only knows
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It's what you leave behind you when you go

That farmer left a harvest, a home and 80 acres
The faith and love for growin' things in his young son's heart
And that teacher left her wisdom in the minds of lots of children
Did her best to give 'em all a better start

And that preacher whispered, "Can't you see the promised land?"
As he lay his blood stained Bible in that hooker's hand

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there's not four of them Heaven only knows
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It's what you leave behind you when you go

That's the story that our preacher told last Sunday
As he held that blood stained Bible up for all of us to see
He said, "Bless the farmer and the teacher and the preacher
who gave this Bible to my momma who read it to me"

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there's not four of them now I guess we know
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It's what you leave behind you when you go

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway