Thursday, April 10, 2008 Wenceslao: Start with the farmer By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
IN the discussion on the rice problem in the country, I have not come across serious discussion on genuine land reform. Not surprising. Land reform is a tricky issue to navigate in a country whose politics is being run largely by the land-owning class. But the agriculture sector won’t grow if the farmers are not freed from an oppressive setup.
I lived with farmers for around seven years and I therefore know whereof I speak. But it is not actually difficult for those who haven’t even set foot on a farm to see the inequity. The irony in the current setup is that those who are tilling the land and making it productive are the ones wallowing in poverty. Observe who are driving around in SUVs.
I won’t even talk about social justice, the usual argument of militants in pushing for genuine land reform. There’s the pragmatic aspect. While government neglect is one of the reasons why the country’s agriculture sector has become moribund, one should not forget the feudal setup that is keeping the said sector from achieving its growth potential.
Just look closely at your typical farmer. He tills the land from sun up to sun down, invests whatever money he has to ensure a bountiful harvest but has to give up a third of the fruits of his labor (harvest) to the land owner. That seems par for the course. But note: what the farmer earns through hard work the landlord gets---even more---and no sweat.
Lest I get the ire of the rich, I am talking here about the present, not about how the landlords or their ancestors sweat it out in the past to achieve their present economic status. My point in tackling the iniquitous setup the farmer is in is to illustrate how this has hampered productivity. Consider a situation where only the tiller reaps what he sows.
Which brings me to the problem of present and previous land reform programs of the government. A genuine land reform program should start with the farmer, meaning, to free him from an oppressive setup and (this is crucial), raise his productivity. It’s not only about giving land to the landless. It’s more about helping the farmer reach his potential.
Why do you think are children of farmers, after they are given education, leave the farm instead of sticking it out with their parents? Because under a feudal setup there is no potential for economic growth for landless tillers. Of course, implementing genuine land reform is tricky and possibly bloody. But arguments supporting it are compelling.
