While they may complain about the price of rice in supermarkets or enjoy so-called unli-rice meals at their favorite fast-food chains, urban Filipinos don’t always appreciate just how crucial rice is to our culture and way of life. And it’s not just because we’re among the world’s biggest consumers of rice per capita. More than a tenth of Filipinos rely on rice as a source of income as well as sustenance.
By some estimates, there are 10 million rice farmers in the Philippines, a country of just over 100 million. When you include people in rice trade and processing, as well the dependents of everyone in the rice business, you begin to see how much of the social and economic impact of rice in the Philippines.
Unfortunately, rice farmers, the very people we Filipinos depend on for the bulk of our caloric requirements, are among the most disadvantaged in the country. Decades of systemic problems have resulted in a situation where farmers are finding it harder and harder to make a living. Below are some of the serious challenges Filipino rice farmers face.
1.) High Input Costs
Many Filipino farmers are simply unable to take their production further due to the high expense of many critical inputs. Compounding this is the low palay prices that could be expected after harvesting, which keeps many farmers in a perpetual state of struggle and often in serious debt.
Partly due to market forces and exploitative practices, basics such as fertilizers, high-yield seed grains, and mechanized farm equipment are prohibitively priced for many farmers, who must then struggle harder to produce a profitable crop through more labor-intensive methods. Advanced farm inputs such as agricultural drones and AI and data-driven farming, which would save labor and prevent waste, are even more out of reach.
2.) Lack of Post-Harvest Facilities
Most of the crop losses of farmers are post-harvest. This has been largely attributed to the historically poor private and public investment in infrastructure that can prevent these losses.
The lack of storage facilities, farm-to-market roads, and equipment needed to prevent losses from exposure, pests, and natural deterioration have been perennial issues for Filipino farmers.
The lack of these facilities and equipment makes it difficult for most farmers to produce enough to turn in a profit, as these losses destroy a significant portion of crops even before they make it to market.
Additionally, the lack of these basic amenities makes it difficult or even impossible for farmers to earn enough to ensure a succeeding harvest without needing to take on significant loans.
3.) Climate Change
Climate change is causing seasonal typhoons to happen more frequently and with more ferocity while leading to dry seasons with unheard-of high temperatures. Both of these situations are damaging enough for most farms’ productivity. However, the negative effects of climate change do not stop there.
Climate change has also led to rising sea levels, a serious matter in an archipelagic country with a population that mostly resides and farms in the lowlands. Signs of saltwater intrusion have already been detected all over the country, in most of its so-called “rice bowls,” with experts predicting a crisis before the end of the decade. If it comes to pass, it could render millions of hectares of riceland unsuitable for most of today’s widely used rice cultivars.
4.) Market Forces
The market for rice has changed much over the past generation. Not only are cheaper imports from Vietnam and other Asian countries pricing Filipino farmers out, but domestic rice consumption has also been dropping slowly over the past few decades.
Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, the cost of necessary inputs only continues to rise. This has created severe pressures for rice farmers throughout the country, causing many to abandon farming to take their chances in the country’s urban centers.
5.) Land Rent
While land rent could be considered as another high-input cost, this is a uniquely serious issue given its political nature and also because most Filipino farmers do not own the land they cultivate.
Most of the ASEAN had implemented agrarian land reform policies decades ago to ensure not only food security but also better lives for their farmers. The Philippines has been late in implementing its own watered-down take on land distribution. The result is many farmers receive too little, too late and are often motivated to sell whatever land they do receive.
6.) Demographics
Fewer and fewer farmers want their children to have the life that they do. As a result, most of them do everything they can to ensure their children get better-paying jobs, often in the cities. As a result, the average age of Filipino farmers is 53, as few younger people are willing to take up farming. This means that productivity per farmer can be expected to fall, especially for such physically demanding crops as rice.
This is not an issue unique to the Philippines. Japan’s farmers, for instance, have an average age of 66. While more automation and technology more than made up for the labor shortfall in Japan’s case, it is doubtful that the same could be said of the Philippines, as the foundations for more widespread technology adoption are still in the process of being built.
While these issues are very serious, there have also been major inroads made towards mitigating or even solving them. Investment in farms and farmers continues to rise, albeit slowly, and new labor and cost-efficient methods are continuously being adopted by Filipinos at all points of the agricultural supply chain.
But while there is hope for the future, many Filipino rice farmers today will continue to face these issues — even as they feed a country that does not always appreciate them.
