One of the pressing concern of our province is the issue of food security. Many thought that food in the urban centers is expensive, well obviously because they don't have farms and rely their food supply from far away corners of our country.
In our case, the cost of food in our province is expensive not because we are an urban center but because we don't produce enough. Even our basic supply of table salt is brought in from outside, its ridiculous that we are surrounded by seawater yet no one had ventured in salt production. Rice more often than not is imported, instead of our money to circulate within, most of it goes out.
To address this issue is to increase production. But we're not blessed with big landholdings and it is quite understandable that small scale farming is costly compared to a commercial one. One way to increase production is to form cooperative and farming be manage on a commercial scale, but that is unthinkable for most of our farmers because it will render them jobless. So for short term solution, they could gradually shift to less costly organic farming and high yielding variety-hybrid rice.
Vegetable raising on the other hand, they can adopt technology using hydroponics and aquaphonics. Instead of clearing our forest cover to plant veggies, we build typhoon-proof greenhouses. The good thing about this technology is that plants can be raised all year round inside the shelter and would mean a steady supply of fresh vegetables at cheaper price.
For the livestock industry, the cost of commercial feeds is high, for them to sustain is to shift from the non-traditional meat source like goat and sheep. With the increasing health awareness, some people are now shifting to less fatty diet and it could be an alternative. Small ruminants are all herbivorous, no reason for these livestock not to survive in our climate except if left to roam around, unattended.
We maybe a small island, but if we focus ourselves to doing something good, individually and collectively we can make a difference.
To address this issue is to increase production. But we're not blessed with big landholdings and it is quite understandable that small scale farming is costly compared to a commercial one. One way to increase production is to form cooperative and farming be manage on a commercial scale, but that is unthinkable for most of our farmers because it will render them jobless. So for short term solution, they could gradually shift to less costly organic farming and high yielding variety-hybrid rice.
Vegetable raising on the other hand, they can adopt technology using hydroponics and aquaphonics. Instead of clearing our forest cover to plant veggies, we build typhoon-proof greenhouses. The good thing about this technology is that plants can be raised all year round inside the shelter and would mean a steady supply of fresh vegetables at cheaper price.
For the livestock industry, the cost of commercial feeds is high, for them to sustain is to shift from the non-traditional meat source like goat and sheep. With the increasing health awareness, some people are now shifting to less fatty diet and it could be an alternative. Small ruminants are all herbivorous, no reason for these livestock not to survive in our climate except if left to roam around, unattended.
We maybe a small island, but if we focus ourselves to doing something good, individually and collectively we can make a difference.
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