LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – What does it take for a remote Ifugao village to be right in claiming it has ensured food security and improved productivity in agriculture?
Recognizing the need to protect the welfare of farmers, Haliap Barangay Council officials are now pushing the plan for the construction of a farm-to-market road to attain these objectives.
“With the number of residents living on farming, the need for a farm-to-market road is surely immediate and significant,” Punong Barangay Lawrence Putac said.
“As you know, we really have to support the agriculture sector,” he added.
For his part, Kagawad Bonnie Bongad emphasized: “A farm-to-market road is so important for our farmers.”
“Failing to do our part to help them may adversely affect their lives,” he added. Bongad is the chairman of the committee on agriculture.
The planned farm-to-market road is truly helpful for people of this farming barangay in addressing their desired better living conditions in the coming years.
Most local government units in poverty-stricken Ifugao are in dire need of farm-to-market roads.
Haliap’s main crops include rice, vegetables and high-value crops. Earnings of farmers are low.
The farm-to-market road shall certainly help lessen the difficulty of farm work. This remains as indispensable element of the intended project. So, this proposed project is based on utility and development aspects.
These contribute to the agriculture sector, but what is needed is concentrated focus on the social and financial implications on the future of modernizing this sector, not merely on rhetorics of politicians to “help poor farmers.” It is the poor farmers who suffer because of their ineptness and insensitivity to their needs.
But why do some officials insist that “flood control” projects are more important than farm-to-market roads? Because it is not. Too often, they are only thinking of their pockets. **By Anthony A. Araos
