AJAD Volume 20 Issue No. 1 June 2023

In both Thailand and Indonesia, the public sector's agricultural research investments have substantially contributed to agricultural productivity growth, as have international investments in agricultural research, through the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) system. But both countries' own expenditures on agricultural extension failed to produce significant productivity benefits. These findings imply that the magnitude of domestic investment in agricultural research is suboptimal in both countries. This is reflected in estimated marginal rates of return to this form of expenditure of between 25 percent and 30 percent per annum in real terms, well above the rates of return normally expected from public investments.

Agriculture in the development literature has been postulated as providing impetus for urban industrialization through its role in capital accumulation. While large states with concomitant large export potential of agricultural surpluses may subscribe to this paradigm and may also allow growth of a rural agricultural sector in parallel with an urban industrial sector, small states find it difficult to use the agriculture sector as a springboard toward national economic growth by virtue of size limitations. Small states require alternate capitalization modalities to grow their economies, and some have sidelined agriculture in favor of urban activities, such as manufacturing, finance, banking, and tourism. It is plausible, based on demonstrated successes like Singapore, that structural transformation may take a path in which the agriculture sector is initially sacrificed in favor of more high value urban activities. Since its independence in 1965, Singapore made policy decisions to focus on developing its non-agriculture sectors such as finance, banking, and entrepôt trade. In 1983, the country even reduced its agricultural activities to less than one percent of land area located in six agrotechnology parks. Capital accumulation through the non-agriculture sectors proceeded to consequently make its GDP per capita one of the highest in the world. However, the country did a "U-turn" in the 2010s to re-invest in agriculture, but through high-tech farming, such as indoor plant factories, indoor aquaculture, and alternative (novel) proteins. The increased level of food self-production is strongly augmented by importing food from over 170 countries in diverse geographic regions, so as to confer supply resilience. This alternate development pathway, which emphasizes urban industrialization, may serve as a "leapfrogging" model for small cities and small developing states in a contemporary, technology-enabled landscape.

Geopolitical issues pose a challenge to the holistic management of fisheries and associated ecosystems in two Philippine fisheries management areas (FMAs 5&6) encompassing the West Philippine Sea. One way to allay these issues is through a common values approach based on heritage. This paper presents evidence of the heritage value of FMAs 5&6 that could be integrated into an ecosystem approach to fisheries management to manage conflicts. This presupposes a common understanding of their heritage value and the fundamental principle that sustaining this value is good—in fact, essential—for everyone and our planet. Heritage value is assessed as a composite and dynamic unity of human gains and investments in the ecological value, economic value, and value to society of ecosystem services, which create cultural significance and socioeconomic worth for communities and peoples. Ecological value is assessed by way of selected indications of the ecosystem services of the two FMAs; economic value is assessed using published estimates of the monetizable and nonmonetizable value of these services; and value to society is evaluated based on influences on cultural identities, ways of life, and amenities in surrounding lands and contiguous waters. The values are highly significant and beneficial not only to Filipinos but also to others around the South China Sea and beyond. However, the ecosystem services underlying these values—and users' access to them—are at risk. They need to be protected from climatic and anthropogenic threats, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, pollution, coastline modifications, island building, and violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provisions on safeguarding the marine environment and fishers' safety.

Smallholder rice farmers in four target provinces surrounding Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia face problems of crop failures and low yields due to biotic and abiotic factors and a lack of suitable seeds and technologies. This paper reviews the status of rice production in the four areas and discusses the approaches to foster wide-scale dissemination and adoption of high-yielding, stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) with resistance to biotic factors and tolerance to drought or floods. Baseline and endline surveys were conducted as well as extensive linkages with stakeholders, capacitybuilding activities, quality seed production at institutional level, field demonstration, and seed dissemination. The study summarizes data from 1,220 baseline respondents on demographic details, varietal use, knowledge assessment, and needs. The survey showed an aging profile, of which almost 25 percent are women, use of traditional and modern varieties with low yields of 2.5 t/ha, abiotic stress occurrence, and that only 14 percent of farmer respondents have heard about STRVs. In 30 months, training activities, varietal information, and diffusion of seeds reached 13,080 farmers. Results from 339 field trials showed the yield advantage of 1.0 to 1.5 t/ha of STRVs compared with those of farmer’s varieties. An endline survey from 424 farmers in 2018 showed recognition for government extension, better awareness of STRVs, high willingness to adopt STRVs at 92.4 percent of the respondents, preferred varietal traits, and additional training activities are needed. The barriers to adoption that were identified were concerns on low market price and marketability. Participatory trials and farmers’ field days were effective for early adoption as the visual performance of STRVs increased interest among farmer groups. Key government agencies are needed to promote and sustain registered seed production, availability of STRVs, and crop suitability. The support of the Royal Government of Cambodia and its new seed policy address problems on seed quality and availability.

The study aims to provide viable criteria to assess land suitability for apple growing in Kashmir Valley, India. It used a Delphi survey and the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) approach to determine factors influencing apple production. The evaluation criteria were obtained through multiple rounds of the Delphi survey of stakeholders. The Delphi outcome was extended to enable prioritization of the criteria, using a pair-wise comparison process. Results show that experts value physical and economic considerations (accounting for 87% of the overall weight) more than social factors. Furthermore, location-specific factors (i.e., cost-benefit ratio and landholding size) have significant bearings on land suitability for apple in the study area. The Delphi-AHP method proved to be useful as it incorporated core issues of agricultural land use by creating a common framework for suitability evaluation and eliminated uncertainties in the decision-making process.

Milkfish production is an important sector of the Philippine aquaculture industry. The Ilocos Region (Region 1), particularly the province of Pangasinan, is the country’s largest producer of milkfish. However, production and environmental constraints confront the milkfish industry, such as insufficient egg supply, degradation of water quality, limited processing facilities and technology, and noncompliance of small-scale processors to food safety standards. To achieve sustainability and resilience, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) commissioned a value chain study to examine the current and “new normal” threats posed to Region 1’s milkfish industry. The study aims to develop intervention models to create a “smart” milkfish value chain. In a smart value chain, the industry players access quality information better, and there are technological innovations along the chain. Various milkfish industry players, such as hatchery operators, growout operators, market intermediaries, retailers, and processors, were interviewed for the study. Furthermore, consultations with various stakeholders, such as relevant government agencies and industry practitioners, determined the most suitable solutions to address the value chain’s core issues. The value chain analysis surfaced a need for an effective strategy to help farmers adopt technological solutions. In addition, the efforts of various support institutions should be harmonized and rationalized. We are proposing these interventions: (1) create a regional milkfish seedstock command center; (2) implement a science and technology community-based farm; and (3) establish a bangus processing enterprise development hub.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Pro-Poor Development Policies: Lessons from the Philippines and East Asia is a collection of 25 essays on Philippine economic development, written by eminent scholars, to honor the illustrious academic and public service of Arsenio M. Balisacan. Professor Balisacan’s numerous publications cover wide areas of economic development, including poverty, inequality, human development, agricultural and rural development, competition policy, and political economy of policy reforms. These are all themes covered by the 25 chapters, two of which Dr. Balisacan is a co-author, and, many of which cite his published work.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Urban and Regional Agriculture: Building Resilient Food Systems is an essential read for academics, policymakers, urban planners, and practitioners interested in understanding and promoting the potential of urban agriculture to create sustainable and resilient food systems. The book provides its target audience with valuable insights, interdisciplinary perspectives, and engaging case studies, offering a comprehensive exploration of the current state of urban agriculture and its role in achieving food security, environmental sustainability, and social equity in a rapidly urbanizing world.