By Jes Tirol
BOHOL: AN AGRICULTURAL PROVINCE WITHOUT AN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
Proem
The Province of Bohol is bruited as an agricultural province. Huge irrigation projects are constructed in Bohol to boost agricultural production. In other words, Bohol is self-sufficient in food products. Food is supposed to be available almost everywhere, be it in the farm or from the sea.
Plant-and-Forget
Today, there are two plants in Bohol that is "plant-and-forget then comeback-and-get." These are the coconut and the banana. You only plant it once and you can forget them and return only to harvest the fruits.
Rice was supposed to be a plant-and-forget affair. There is an old Bisayan word for it, ulilang. It means you plant dry-land rice, harvest it by cutting the stalks and new stalks will sprout again and you haverst again the new fruits. But it was forgotten long ago due to the popularity of the basak (rice paddies) type of rice production.
Historical Perspective
Throughout history, a community that is self-sufficient in food is always known to be progressive. After becoming self-sufficient in food the community tends to become self-sufficient in almost every other need.
The question is -- why is Bohol viewed as a poor province?
Agricultural Economics
When food is available, the other members of society not needed for food production becomes free to engage in producing other needed things. This situation was true during the Second World War. The Boholanos produced everything they needed, from food, clothing, soap, medicine, etc.
Again the question, why are we no longer producing by ourselves the other necessities in life?
Advent of Consumerism
Advanced countries, mainly the United States, developed the concept of consumerism. This concept changed the attitude of man from desiring only what they need, to desiring what they want. In fact it will change a desire to a need. Non-essentials like softdrinks are now thought of as a need.
When Coca Cola was first introduced in Bohol by the Americans, all street comers were supplied with coolers with Coca Cola. It was free and you can drink as much as you want. When the Boholanos learned to love the taste of Coca Cola, it was sold at a very low price in stores but free Coca Cola was still available at the town plaza. When people were transformed from "desiring" Coca Cola to "needing" Coca Cola, the item was then sold at the proper price to recoup the advertisement cost. Now you could not imagine a fiesta celebration without a softdrink.
Boholanos' Reaction
When the new need was developed the Boholanos' reaction was not to compete. Instead they turn to their farmlands to produce the cash needed to buy the softdrink. The old agricultural economics was altered to fit to the consumerism concept.
Why did we not make our biyabas (guava), bugnay, and alangitngit into a softdrink to compete with Coca Cola? Do you know that alangitngit, an innocent looking vine that turns into a large tree can be made into a nutritious softdrink? I just hope Engr. Marcial Lim will make his formula into commercial production.
No More Agricultural Economics
Nowadays we only have an agricultural economy but no longer an agricultural economics. Agricultural economy means that our agricultural products are the source of money to satisfy our consumer wants. Agricultural economics means that our agricultural products are our source of stability to free us to compete in other products. In agricultural economics it is you who will transform your agricultural raw materials into another kind of product.
We no longer have the cotton plants that Boholanos made into lumpot cloths that was much desired by the Chinese during pre-Spanish times.
The Fatal Flaw
Western civilization is steeped in the Darwinian Theory and Malthusian theory of competition in order to succeed. Orientals, including the Filipinos, are following the Kesler Theory of Mutual Aid and Cooperation in order to succeed.
The Darwinian Theory is taught in western schools and in our schools, but the Kesler Theory is not taught in our schools. So we are at a disadvantage, we do not know what we are! (Bohol Chronicle, December 2004)
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