EXCERPTS: While Bt corn is meant to address the perennial problem of corn borer, it appears to be an expensive remedy... the National Crop Protection Center has been exploring and developing biological controls against the corn borer and other pests. These biological control agents are not only much cheaper (P70/hectare) but environment-friendly. And it is a local technology...

What is interesting about some of these programs is that they actively involve the farmers in developing farming practices and technologies, including plant varieties and pest controls, that will improve productivity, yield and income. The best practices are developed through extensive experimentation, which requires the participation of farmers...

The struggles of the farmers remain basic. The right to possess the land that they till is still a major concern with the agrarian reform program moving at a snail's pace... Neither the Department of Agriculture nor the Department of Land Reform are sufficiently geared toward bringing support services to small-scale farmers, forcing many farmers to give up agriculture and their land. There is so much potential out there, and so little is being done to realize it.
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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
By Marit Stinus-Remonde
Farmers not ready for 'Bt' corn
Manila Times, July 12, 2005
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/jul/12/yehey/opinion/20050712opi4.html

In June Greenpeace Southeast Asia released a report on the promotion and growing of Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) corn in the Philippines. Bt corn is a genetically modified seed developed by the global corporation Monsanto. The seed is engineered to be resistant to the Asiatic Corn Borer. The Department of Agriculture has been promoting Bt corn - and genetically modified seeds and foods in general - for several years. Improved yield and reduced use of chemical pesticides are the arguments used to convince the farmers in particular, the public in general, to accept and embrace modern biotechnology in agriculture.

If GMOs are already in our midst - either planted on fields or as ingredients in the food we eat - it is not because we have been convinced of the superiority of modern biotechnology but that most of us have other more urgent concerns and priorities. The aggressiveness of the government and companies such as Monsanto in pushing for the use and importation of genetically modified seeds and genetically engineered food products is a tide that is difficult to stem. So GMOs are here with us. But are they here to stay?

Greenpeace puts a big question mark to the superiority of Bt corn. Sure, yields may be higher than the average. There may be a reduction of use of chemical fertilizers. However, based on comparative figures, Greenpeace found that Bt corn seeds cost much more than the price of conventional hybrid varieties and Open Pollinated Varieties. Moreover, Bt corn crops require continued use of chemical pesticides, a condition that has deterred farmers from switching to Bt corn. At the end of the day, it isn’t the yield that matters but the net income realized. The farmers will look at the cost of production per unit, not the yield alone.

While Bt corn is meant to address the perennial problem of corn borer, it appears to be an expensive remedy. Greenpeace brings the good news that the National Crop Protection Center has been exploring and developing biological controls against the corn borer and other pests. These biological control agents are not only much cheaper (P70/hectare) but environment-friendly. And it is a local technology. Greenpeace reports that "the corn borer has been reduced to the status of a secondary pest [in Cagayan Valley] because of the success of the Department of Agricultures's Trichogramma program, which has reached about 60 percent to 70 percent of corn farmers in [Cagayan Valley]," quoting the Regional Crop Protection Center in Region II. The occurrence of corn borer in Isabela has reportedly been reduced by 80 percent to 85 percent.

Trichogramma is a wasp that attacks the eggs of moths and butterflies. It is, but one of several biological controls being promoted by concerned government agencies including the Farmer-Scientist Training Program. What is interesting about some of these programs is that they actively involve the farmers in developing farming practices and technologies, including plant varieties and pest controls, that will improve productivity, yield and income. The best practices are developed through extensive experimentation, which requires the participation of farmers.

The Trichogramma program in Isabela has enabled farmers to lower the use of chemical pesticides, and some have stopped using chemicals altogether. Greenpeace found that "low cost, availability, effectivity and significant reduction of chemical inputs have made Trichogramma an extremely attractive option for poor farmers."

The country's millions of small farmers may not necessarily be against Bt corn or other genetically modified plant varieties. But modern biotechnology is not a feasible option for the farmers. The struggles of the farmers remain basic. The right to possess the land that they till is still a major concern with the agrarian reform program moving at a snail's pace. Farmers already holding Certificates of Landownership Award have not been physically installed in the land despite years of waiting. The Department of Land Reform entertains petitions filed by former landowners in regular courts despite the Supreme Court's earlier ruling that regular courts shouldn't be handling such cases. Farmers already installed are being evicted by goons or through questionable orders of the courts. Neither the Department of Agriculture nor the Department of Land Reform are sufficiently geared toward bringing support services to small-scale farmers, forcing many farmers to give up agriculture and their land. There is so much potential out there, and so little is being done to realize it.

The reported success of the Tricho–gram–ma and other biological controls being researched and promoted by the National Crop Protection Center and interagency programs such as the Farmer-Scientist Training Program is good news for the small-scale farmers. Higher incomes and improved productivity of the farmers benefit the entire country, both in term of food security and economic development. Bt corn may hold potential for productivity improvements, but it is not a viable crop alternative for a majority of Filipino farmers at this point in time.

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