Agri devolution is a failure

One of the big disappointments of the Local Government Code is the failure of LGUs to pick up the responsibility for agricultural technical support for farmers. This failure has severely crippled Philippine agricultural productivity over the last 30 years and a big reason why we have food insecurity.

The law may have good intentions but this failure in devolution trapped the agricultural sector in a cycle of low growth and fragmented service delivery. The Department of Agriculture lost control over the implementation of national policies at the local level. The resulting “devolved but undelivered” services have suppressed agricultural productivity.

A long time LGU official in Nueva Vizcaya wrote to me expressing his frustration at the failure of BBM and the presidents before him to see how devolution has caused a severe problem in our efforts to grow our own food.

Virgilio Tiongson, former provincial administrator of Nueva Vizcaya, observed that our present food crisis started thirty years ago when decentralization took effect.

He said his 12 years as provincial administrator covered functions and powers decentralized by the National Government to the province.

Decentralization, he said, created a unique DA-LGU partnership that resulted in an operational dysfunction at the ground level, very unlike in the previous centralized system.

“The DA-LGU partnership in agriculture is now locked in a stalemate due to incompatibility of structures, goals, orientations and expertise.

“The DA is a national agency of highly-educated and trained professionals with expertise in agriculture, protected by security of tenure, dedicated mainly to the pursuance of food sufficiency, global competitiveness and national development.

“Their counterpart LGUs is a government unit whose persuasion and motivation are largely political, exacerbated by a short three-year tenure with prospect of two re-elections.

“Unlike DA officers and employees, elected LGU officials are only required to have the ability to read and write. There is therefore a comparative mismatch on job qualifications or academic backgrounds and orientations.”

Mr. Tiongson observed that LGU officials are unable to appreciate the requirements of complex, long-gestating agricultural programs and projects.

“With certain exceptions, LGUs, instead of becoming champions of agricultural production, have evolved into local power centers preoccupied with re-election challenges.

“Inevitably, agricultural programs and personnel are consigned to lower budget allocation… unable to hire more competent manpower as demanded by recurring episodes of low agricultural production with low prices of farmers’ produce.”

Tiongson recalled the suggestion of a former agriculture extension worker that I wrote about in my column last June 22, 2022, and said he agreed with it.

“To transfer all agriculture service, extension and research to state-run provincial agricultural colleges/universities. These institutions are more aware of local agricultural issues on the ground and possess the technological resources, capabilities and expertise, including marketing support. Actually, this is not a novel approach, as such has been a lynchpin agricultural strategy in many western countries for decades.”

Tiongson wondered if we can expect our government to fix the broken system brought about by this failure of devolution. I don’t think so. Our government is notorious for sticking to failed policies probably out of laziness or worse, hoping a successful outcome will eventually happen. That’s sheer stupidity but that’s our government.

Take a look at our agrarian reform program that has impoverished our farmers and reduced their productivity to the point that we have become the world’s largest importer of rice in recent years. It should have been trashed by now and replaced with something better.

Before the enactment of the 1991 Local Government Code (Republic Act 7160), the DA exercised highly centralized control over agricultural support, coordinating directly with farmers through provincial and municipal extension workers. The DA provided farmers with various types of technical support to enhance productivity and promote food security.

DA technicians and extension workers train farmers on modern farming techniques, crop management and soil and water conservation. With the exception of a handful of LGUs, no one is competently providing that kind of help our farmers need.

The DA directly managed the distribution of crucial agricultural inputs, including high-yielding seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, particularly to small-scale farmers in low-productivity areas. These are just seen as opportunities for LGU officials to make some money from suppliers.

The DA used to provide technical support to government-supervised credit programs. In the absence of such support, resources are wasted and the usurious traders have been filling in the void.

The DA used to establish and manage model farms and seedling nurseries to test and showcase superior agricultural technologies and practices to farmers. That’s practically gone too.

After devolution, the DA’s role has shifted to broader policy making. And the LGU officials aren’t even required to listen to them.

National standards require one Agricultural Extension Technician per one to two barangays, but the actual ratio has hollowed out to extreme levels, such as one technician for every 150 barangays in some areas.

Extension workers employed by LGUs are isolated from national and international research networks. This denies smallholder farmers from modern knowledge on high-yield crop management, soil health, and weather-resilient technologies.

Many local agricultural officers are office-bound due to a lack of travel funds, preventing them from visiting the “last mile” farms that need technical assistance.

Shifting agricultural control to LGUs exposed the sector to partisan politics. Local politicians frequently deprioritize long-term farming programs in favor of highly visible, politically advantageous infrastructure projects like basketball courts and health clinics.

The failed devolution has resulted in a serious crisis in our agricultural sector. Maybe part of the record P1.32-trillion National Tax Allotments given to LGUs should be clawed back to fund a return of agri extension services to DA.

Giving the DA the means to carry out national plans and programs that it had before devolution is essential for national food security.

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on X @boochanco