Intuition Is The Highest Form Of Intelligence? Yes. In Fact, It Is The Oldest!

In his Facebook sharing of today, Wednesday, 10 July 2019, Ramon Yedra says, "Trust intuition. It may be the highest form of intelligence." The link is to the article by Alanna Ketler, "Scientists Explain How Intuition May Be The Highest Form Of Intelligence" (26 May 2018, Collective Evolution, collective-evolution.com). 

"Intelligence," says the American Heritage Dictionary (thefreedictionary.com) is "the ability to acquire, understand, and use knowledge." From the same source, "knowledge" is what you are familiar with, or have perceived, discovered or learned.

Let me be personal. I am a nonfiction writer online (blogger) and an Ilocano; now, I have the ability to continue to acquire, understand, and learn to use the English language, a foreign tongue to me. As of today, I have written and blogged at least 4,000 long essays of a minimum 1,000 words each in the last 12 years, averaging 333 essays a year, or almost 1 essay a day – and all in the English language. I am an alumnus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños and graduated when it was still a Cow College (University of the Philippines' College of Agriculture). I am a teacher with a Civil Service license, Professional. I did teach in high school and college.

No one on the side of either of my parents had been a writer or journalist. I discovered my talent for creative writing by intuition, when I was still in high school in Rizal Junior College (High School Dept). In our senior year, the Tagalog teacher conducted a contest among us Seniors, mostly Ilocanos, to select the Tagalog Editor for the upcoming RJC newsletter. This Ilocano won over all Tagalogs. Intuition kicked in – it dawned on me that writing was where I excelled. And so I have been a writer in the last half a century.

I am still writing on varied topics, from A to Z, from Archaeological Excavations to Multiple Intelligences to Zimbabwe.

How can I write those thousands of essays on hundreds of subjects in the English language when I am a Filipino and I formally studied Science, not English Lit? In one word: intuition. It works like this:

I do Internet search on the subject, even when the subject is as clear as day. And intuition tells me how to write it out from beginning to end, differently.

So now, I revise-reverse Thomas Alva Edison's definition into this:

"Genius is 1% perspiration and 99% intuition."

Interestingly, our friend Ramon has shared this Facebook link. I am reminded of his and my visits to the Bay, Laguna property of Valeriano & Olive Emata, the object of archaeological excavations by a UP Diliman team led by Victor Paz. There, among other things, they found obsidian cutting tools dating about 10,000 years ago. Prehistoric Filipinos in Bay were intelligent people using intuition long before historic Chinese came to the Philippines.

And what led to the Bay archaeological discovery? Mr Emata's intuition. So, those obsidian cut glasses in Laguna prove that intuition is the oldest form of intelligence!517

We Need Writers More Than Ever – Lovers Of Truth, Beauty & Goodness!

Filipino journalist Ellen Tordesillas shares the Facebook link above, saying "Ang galing naman ng writer na ito." This writer is very good.

The writer is American Jennifer Egan, who says in her article "We Need Writers Now More Than Ever. Our Democracy Depends On It" (11 December 2018, TIME, time.com):

We need to write now, write well – tell the truth in all its messy complexity. It's our best shot at helping to preserve a democracy in which facts still exist and all of us can speak freely.

Facts? Miss Jennifer says, "Online, lies and truth look the same." That I say is a very astute observation.

Our Miss Ellen is President of Vera Files; Miss Jennifer is President of PEN America and is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. They are talking of ethical journalism.

EJN says "The 5 Principles Of Ethical Journalism" (28 June 2019, Ethical Journalism Network, ethicaljournalismnetwork.org) are:

1.      Truth and Accuracy – "Getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism."

2.      Independence– "Journalists must be independent voices."

3.      Fairness & Impartiality – "Stories should be balanced and add context."

4.      Humanity– "Journalists should do no harm."

5.      Accountability– "When we commit errors we must correct them."

Let me grant that as a journalist, you have followed all those 5 principles of ethical journalism truly and without malice.

And now I say: Forget about those 5 principles of ethical journalism according to EJN! Because:

Quite ethical, still, your journalism may be award-winning but is not good enough!

As a self-styled journalist, I say, "Writers must write beyondthe truth."

To me, ethical is idealistic behavior; moral is personal. Journalism must be moral. To me as a writer – I'm creatively thinking now – these are the 3 moral jewels to keep shining:

Truth. Beauty. Goodness.

(Image of Truth, Beauty & Goodness from Best Of Cosmetology, blogspot.com)

Writers must write the fullest truth for the greatest beauty for the greatest good. Always.

To be practical, I say The Golden Rule of Journalism is this:

Write unto others as you would others write unto you.

Today, when you write an article, essay, opinion piece, editorial, speech, or sermon, in this Digital Age, there is no reason why you cannot quote or learn from what others have written or said about Truth, Beauty & Goodness in whatever field of science, art, or everyday living. Even Adam & Eve had an Apple to learn from! Into that Apple, God had computed sin.

Journalists must do research all the time on the truth, beauty & goodness of something or other, especially if controversial. Journalists have to connect that big or small Truth to Beauty and Goodness every single day. Anyone can claim, "This is The Truth." What about its link to Beauty? What about its relation to Goodness?

I say Truth has to do with Science and Folk Wisdom; Beauty has to do with the Arts and all Culture; and Good has to do with Religion.

Whoever you are, to be a world-class journalist, you must be Truthful, Beautiful & Good!517

PH Corn Traders As Raiders Of The Lost Art Of The Covenant – IMPact As Response

Traders are taking advantage of farmers, as always. 

Jasper Y Arcalas says, "Traders Offer Lower Prices For Luzon Corn" (05 July 2019, BusinessMirror, businessmirror.com.ph). Before this development, corn farmers in Cauayan City in Isabela had rushed to thresh their corn harvest to take advantage of the good weather," and now in their own rush, corn traders "have slashed their buying prices following the government's proposal to import corn."

You can't win against traders, can you?

The Philippine Maize Federation, PhilMaize says corn growers in Northern Luzon "are now complaining of falling farm-gate prices."

Is the DA and/or PhilMaize moving to protect the corn farmers against the crash of falling corn prizes impossible? Absolutely not!

Relevantly, I'm reading the coffee-table book titled The Filipino Farmer Is Bankable, subtitled Celebrating 25 Years Of The ACPC, 8.5"x11" trim size & 150 pages, that I authored & produced for the Agricultural Credit & Policy Council, which is under the DA, published in 2012 when Jovita Corpuz was Executive Director. On page 45 appear 4 photographs (my shots) and superimposed on them are the words:

As a good model, assisted by the ACPC, the Kalasag coop of small farmers learned to handle credit well in the growing and handling of a crop, in this case white onion.

Not written in that book but since I was the one who visited Kalasag in San Jose City, I know how the farmers protected themselves from the climate changes of the market – Kalasag had marketing contracts, covenants, with institutional buyers like Jollibee and hotels, prices firmed up in the contracts themselves.

Why have not the brains of PhilMaize thought of marketing contracts? With each willing consumer, the federation should be the one initiating what I call here an Inclusive Marketing Pact, IMPact, pactbeing an agreement between 2 parties for their common welfare, in this case between corn farmers and interested bulk buyers.

Inadvertently, the necessity of the contract was in fact demonstrated to me when I signed the ACPC contract to produce that Silver Anniversary coffee-table book on late February 2012 and I had to deliver printed copies of the book on or before 25 April 2012 in time for the celebration of the 25th year of the ACPC! The amount was in black & white: P1 M with which to pay me and the 500 copies of the book I had to deliver. 2 months and I did it! I was Author, Editor, Photographer, Layout Artist (I used a desktop publishing app) all rolled into one. I delivered, and the ACPC delivered.

A contract is a covenant. An art we have lost.

The day after the Silver Anniversary celebration of ACPC, i wrote, "Book #7: The Old Man and the C. Or, How to Produce a Coffee-Table Book in 8 Weeks," which was published by the American Chronicle – that online mag has since died but I have a copy in my personal blog, Frank A Hilario (frankahilario.blogspot.com).

I Producer was protected by that covenant; so was Consumer ACPC.517

When Climate Change Ecologists Are Wrong, They Are A Trillion Trees Wrong!

Reporting 05 July 2019 on the findings of Swiss scientists, journalist Elias Marat says, "Planting A Trillion Trees Is Fastest, Cheapest Way To Reverse Climate Change: Study" (The Mind Unleashed, themindunleashed.com):

According to the new study published in the journal Science, planting about a billion trees across the globe could remove two-thirds of all carbon dioxide emissions worldwide – approximately 25 percent of the CO2 in the atmosphere – creating a vast natural means to trap and store the emissions in an affordable and politically non-controversial manner.

Thus, Mr Marat happily says: "And now, scientists are urging the world to plant billions of trees wherever possible as the cheapest and most effective way to handle the climate crisis."

Billion, or trillion? Anyway, a natural, affordable, non-political solution – that should be perfect.

But it's not. It's a trillion trees imperfect.

In fact, it's Unscientific! Those Swiss ecologists are ignoring the growth patterns of trees!

You cannot plant an instant forest, like you can plant an instant garden. It will take you at least 10 years before you can claim you have planted a tree, or forests of some trillion trees.

No Sir, Mr Crowther. A little more than 2 months ago, I already debunked your theory. The solution is not to be found in Forestry, neither in Agriculture, but in Horticulture – I already wrote about this (see my essay, "F.A.H. – Which Science Can Save The World Now From Climate Change?" 05 May 2019, Journalism for Development, ijournalismfordevelopment.blogspot.com).

Yes, Sir, Mr Crowther, the fastest, cheapest way to reverse climate change is not to grow a forest but to plant a garden!

It's not the tree, per se, that gobbles up the carbon dioxide, CO2, in the air – it's the leaves, you know, the green ones coming out of all growing plants, shaped differently, sometimes beautifully?

So how do we grow those leaves the fastest and the cheapest way?

Forestry? No. This science is misconstrued. You cannot plant a tree; you can plant only a seedling, say with 10 little leaves. In 3 months, let's say 100 leaves. You have a forest of trees in 10 years, or 3,650 days. Even so-called "fast-growing tree species" are too slow to cope with climate change.

Agriculture? No. This science is definitely out. Monoculture is the one that got us into trouble with the climate in the first place.

Horticulture? Yes! You plant a garden of flowers or vegetables and in 100 days, you have thousands of leaves absorbing all that CO2 in the surrounding air. Flowers or vegetables in vacant lots in your backyard, your city, or your farm. No soil left bare anywhere. When green grows over soil, there is a climate change in that place. That's what we can get with gardens big or small.

Actually, I already pointed out something like that 5 months earlier (see my essay "The Greening Revolution! This Is How To Defeat Climate Change!" 24 February 2019, Journalism for Development, ijournalismfordevelopment.blogspot.com).

Mr Crowther, our unleashing trillion trees will bring trillion delays in fighting climate change!517

Half News – PH Needs More Youth Entrepreneurs, Yentrepreneurs

This is a teacher speaking – so you have been warned. 

In this modern Digital Age, I have just noticed that our PH newspapers are still practicing ancient journalism. Wake up, media-people!

Facebook link shared by ER, I am reading the article by ABC, "Farm Advocate Expects More Youth Becoming Agripreneurs" (07 July 2019, xyz.com.ph).

CJ tells ABC:

Most important, the connection of people… land and agriculture should start at a young age. Integrating agriculture appreciation and experience, in elementary and secondary education, would be a step to engage more young people (with) farming.

That is, start them young. I say, not a bad idea.

CJ also says:

Yes, technology would be of great help to engage the younger generation in agriculture. However, it should not be (at) the extent of devaluing the best resource the sector has: Human resources or our farmers. Technology should be a tool to advance agriculture and not replace the human resources/farmers in the field.

CJ is talking about mechanization replacing manual labor in the farm.

She also says:

We need (a) fresher world view that agriculture is the game-changer; agriculture is extraordinary. Here, communicating agriculture in a positive way is the key.

(I hope this essay is communicating agriculture in a positive way.)

CJ says "The Garden Classroom" of AGREA Agricultural Systems International headed by Cherrie D Atilano is "one great program." I looked into agreaph.com, and no, AGREA is not engaged with youth entrepreneurship, only with youth and their school gardens.

While the title of ABC's XYZ article has the words "youth becoming agripreneurs," the content has nothing about "The How," only about "The Wish" to be aggie entrepreneurs. This is what I call half news – they are writing newspaper articles like they used to!

Anyway, since ABC and CJ started it, let's talk youth entrepreneurship, my yentrepreneurship. The image here of "How to find the right business idea in the Philippines" comes from FilipiKnow(filipiknow.net). Let's see how we Filipinos are training the youth to become successful farmers where their elders are now failing – after years of farming with patience, our farmers have hardly risen above the poverty line.

Aye, there's the rub!

I have been writing about entrepreneurship since at least 12 years ago; here are 2 essays of mine written 12 years apart:

"Entrepreneur On A Bicycle. John Gokongwei Jr Was Having Twice The Fun" (31 October 2007, Frank A Hilario, frankahilario.blogspot.com).

"Advantage Rice Farmer – With SRI, Lower Costs & Higher Returns" (20 May 2019, Journalism for Development, ijournalismfordevelopment.blogspot.com).

The title of the latter essay inadvertently yet half-defines what is entrepreneurship: lower costs & higher returns. Too many, if not all, of farmers have higher costs and lower returns!

So, if we want to have yentrepreneurship, first we have to teach the old farmers entrepreneurship – then I'm sure we don't have to push the youth into yentrepreneurship, as they will know which side of one's bread is buttered!

Or, directly in or out of the classroom, we teach the youth now their yentrepreneurship so that they can teach their parents!517

ZIDOFA's OregenA & Fermin Adriano's Supermarketization Of Rice

Without a roadmap, you get lost. Now, while I can't find a Roadmap to the Rice Garden of Eden within PH Agriculture, not to worry. "Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost" – Erol Ozan.

Early this morning, Friday, 05 July 2019, I found a lost loose-leaf 74-page printout report at home, prepared by the Asia Rice Foundation, ARF, that there is a "National Rice Roadmap" that was presented 30 October 2018 at the headquarters of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic & Natural Resources Research & Development, PCAARRD, at Los Baños, Laguna.

I learn from the Foreword by Emil Q Javier, Vice Chair of ARF and Chair of Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP), that the Rice Roadmap was drafted by a multi-agency panel as tasked by Secretary of Agriculture Emmanuel Piñol. Mr Javier says:

There was overwhelming support for the key targets, namely: 1) increasing average yield to six tons per hectare through more use of certified seeds and hybrids, and appropriate level of fertilizers, 2) reducing cost of producing palay to P8-P10 per kilogram, a big part by more mechanization, 3) reducing postharvest losses by 12%, with more drying facilities, 4) reducing marketing margins by P1.00 per kilogram of rice, and 5) assisting rice farmers and farm workers in low-priority provinces in the transition to open market.

Reflecting on his first 4 targets, Mr Javier says he sees a subtle "paradigm shift from rice self-sufficiency to raising farmers' incomes."

So, how good is the Rice Roadmap in raising farmers' incomes?

In her presentation of the Rice Roadmap, Flordeliza H Bordey, who is Deputy Executive Director for Research, Philippine Rice Research Institute, PhilRice, says:

The industry Vision is a rice-secure Philippines. It is anchored on the societal goal, availability and affordability of food for all Filipinos. For rice, it means availability, affordability, and accessibility of high-quality and nutritious rice at all times.

In reaction, Leonardo Gonzales, former Agricultural Economist of IRRI, says:

The (Rice Roadmap) is very clear on the Public Sector role in terms of strategic targets, interventions and core support. However, it is still lacking in defining the role of the players of the rice industry… It should reflect the element of being a market-driven and private sector-led operational plan.

Note: "market-driven."

ADB Advisory Council member Fermin Adriano points out in the same roundtable discussion:

There is now the phenomenon of the "supermarketization" of the market.

Rice now supermarket-driven? Already, ZIDOFA knows that very well. ZIDOFA is the Zarraga Integrated Diversified Organic Farmers Association of Zarraga, Iloilo. OregenA is the organic rice grown and marketed by ZIDOFA in supermarkets in Iloilo City. (Images above are from the OregenA Facebook page.)

ZIDOFA's open secret is not simply that it is producing organic rice but it has a solid contract with every supermarket that pays the agreed-upon price and not what the supermarket dictates. Supermarketization is welcome! ZIDOFA calls it the "closed-loop value chain," each farmer's high income being assured. There are no traders involved, so:

For ZIDOFA rice, always the price is right!517

Wanted: Roadmap To PH Agriculture In "New Thinking" – William Dar

I love that Roadmap image of "Advancing Digital Financial Inclusion For Smallholder Farmers" by USAID & mSTAR (crowd360.org), because it emphasizes Roadblocks we have been ignoring about PH farming:

(1)   Not competitive

(2)   Inappropriate credit products

(3)   Women disempowered

(4)   Postharvest losses

(5)   High costs of inputs

(6)   Lack of savings

(7)   Weather risks.

In his today's Manila Times column, "The 'New Thinking' For Agriculture" 4th of 4 parts (manilatimes.net), William Dar wishes for a "Roadmap for Philippine Agriculture" (my coinage). Nobody is talking about a Roadmap while everybody is talking about solutions to problems – The Adventurer's Approach. Without a Roadmap, you will be solving problems along the way – without knowing where you are going!

Along the way from here to there, Mr Dar wants the country to double the income of farmers and fishers – within at least 5 years. He says:

An agriculture sector where the smallholders become prosperous and are lifted out of poverty would become one of President Duterte's greatest legacies.

We should all be thinking of legacy. At 79, you don't have to tell me!

The roadmap should be guided by the following goals: increased productivity, profitability, competitiveness, sustainability and resilience.

No Roadmap, as of today. In PH agriculture, we are just wishing good luck for the farmers, not actually working for and with them to make their dreams come true.

"We" should include the government and the private sector, Mr Dar says:

The formulation of the roadmap should also involve smallholder farmers/fisherfolk, local government units, state colleges and universities (SCUs), civil society groups, and the private sector.

The farmers & fishers must be active workers in their own behalf. And these should be their active allies: LGUs, SCUs, civil society groups, businessmen - all part of the team to draw up the Roadmap leading to:

Productivity – Our farmers must increase the yield of rice. They must increase the variety of their plantings to high-value crops. They must increase their products out of their produce.

Profitability – Our farmers must increase their income from their labors. They must get what they deserve as workers of the soil.

Competitiveness – Our farmers must contend with other farmers from other countries because the reality is that Filipino farmers are more expensive in their farming than the Vietnamese and the Thais – shame on them! And to think that the Philippines is supposed to have the best agricultural university in Asia!

Sustainability – Our Filipino farmers must be able to sustain in their endeavors their productivity, profitability, and competitiveness.

Resilience – Our farmers must be able to bounce back from adversities, natural or man-made.

To fund travels within the Roadmap, Mr Dar suggests "Higher budget and investment for Philippine agriculture" in these terms:

With a forward-looking Philippine agriculture that has a roadmap, the government jointly with the private sector and with the strong and popular support from the citizenry, must provide the necessary budget and investment to grow and develop Philippine agriculture.

Now, why is that PH Agriculture Roadmap missing? It can only be explained by poor leadership, starting from the top!517