By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
Last Sept 17, 2026 myself and 2 other companions went to the House of Representatives to meet with a former lawmaker and a sitting one. We lightly discussed with them some matters related to the need of using technology in agriculture that could help protect the environment, the health of the people, and sustainability of our food production.
In his Sept 3, 2026 column at the Manila Times, former DA Sec. Dr. William Dar wrote about Resilience Revolution in agriculture that should succeed in the face of the recent torrential rains and the Middle East crisis that resulted to unimaginable losses by food producers.
Our intentions in talking to the lawmakers were definitely in cadence with the general point raised by Dr. Dar in his column
I am once again, allowing Dr. Dar’s piece to take over this space. Here is a large selected potions of what he wrote, with a little cropping here and there.
There in an urgent need to transform our agriculture sector into a system made up of secure and adaptable networks that are very capable of overcoming climate shocks and geopolitical trade disruptions.
The intention is to build long-term food sovereignty and security, by developing and putting in place cutting-edge laboratory science, adaptive governmental policy, and community-driven field practices.
The overlapping effects of a resilient agriculture system can yield handsome dividends for communities. A good example is investing massively in water conservation systems such as aquifer recharging, diversion canals and dams, small water impounding, among others, can reduce flooding during heavy rains and help ensure water availability during the dry season.
Utilizing scientific experts and bright minds is part of the first foundation for a resilient agriculture system. In short, science.
The second foundation, which is instrumental in getting scientific solutions to the ground, is policy. This also covered subsidies, land use and zoning, smallholder involvement, and financing.
The third foundation is practice, or implementing actionable on-farm stewardship where resilience should result into the tangible and regenerative management that conserves and improves agriculture’s natural capital, particularly soil and water.
While among the primary objectives of the Resilience Revolution for agriculture is to ensure the food security and food sovereignty, it can serve as the impetus to transform our national economy.
Science is among the foundations of the Resilience Revolution for the country’s agriculture sector, as science-based solutions are vital if not indispensable in conserving water and soil resources, improving yields so farmers can earn more, developing plants that can thrive under drought or flooded conditions, adding value to agricultural produce, among many others.
And at the center of developing science-based solutions is research for development (R4D), and intensely developing the R4D system for the country’s Resilience Revolution for agriculture can have both a technical and cultural spillover to the industrial sector.
It is a big help if big food companies and firms needing natural ingredients will increase their R4D spending and forge stronger links with farmers and fishers.
State universities and colleges (SUCs) must also be among the leaders in developing science, technology, and innovation anchored on the Resilience Revolution, including their major responsibility of producing the human capital we need today and in the future.
More resilient communities can also be created by the Resilience Revolution for agriculture, making these communities attractive sites for doing business. And finally, a more robust agriculture sector created by the Resilience Revolution will be teeming with prosperous farmers and fishers, creating markets for finished products and various services. This eventually will result in the creation of more business to serve the needs of the prosperous farmers and fishers.**
