Eradicating hunger and poverty requires sustainable solutions that acknowledge the disproportionate impacts these issues have on rural communities. Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SGD2) puts primacy on such linkages and addresses them by means of promoting resilient agriculture and empowering small-scale farmers.
As such, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomes the pronouncement of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) urging rice farmers to avail of their training courses under the Rice Extension Services Program (RESP). The six agriculture-related courses are as follows: Production of High-Quality Inbred Rice and Seed Certification and Farm Mechanization, Rice Machinery Operations, Drying and Milling Plant Servicing, Agro-entrepreneurship, Pest and Nutrients Management, and Digital Agriculture.
For 2022, TESDA has allotted over 50,000 scholarship slots under RESP. And as of mid-year, 25,494 rice farmers have reportedly already enrolled. Aside from training and assessment, each farmer scholar was also entitled to a PHP160 daily allowance.
The Commission lauds these efforts by TESDA to make the agricultural sector “viable, efficient and globally competitive” as mandated by Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Act.
Investment in the productive capacity of agriculture not only reaps economic benefits in the long run, provision of such programs also indicate a commitment to the achievement of SGD2 or food security.
At a time when our farmers are most vulnerable—from existing and emerging issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis, a fluctuating global market and high inflation—CHR reiterates the need to uphold equal access to land, technology, markets, and sustainable food production systems. The government must continue to strengthen its services to alleviate our farmers’ plight and support their livelihood.
We repeat our consistent call: Let us ensure that our farmers are provided with equal dignity and rights, inasmuch as they provide sustenance to ensure a productive population. ###