This faded Amorsolo

When we were younger, our textbooks and classroom posters impressed on us all these images of the Philippines as an Amorsolo painting: rice fields of blazing green and gold, men and women smiling among the crops, pure sunlight so exquisitely illuminating the scenes. But after the tragedy last month in Kidapawan—where, instead of these picturesque elements, we saw violence, blood and tears among farmers ironically pleading for rice—it has become clear that this country is now far from the agricultural paradise it once dreamed itself to be.

The Kidapawan incident sheds light on a bigger picture: that agriculture in the Philippines is immensely struggling as a sector. Further, the tragedy should remind us why we need to care about it, now more than ever.

Consider the often-overlooked fact that our agriculture sector, despite representing a large percentage of employment, holds a huge concentration of poor Filipinos. Socioeconomic reports from the fourth quarter of 2015 indicate that agriculture represents some 30 percent of the country’s total employment yet contributes only about 10 percent of our GDP (gross domestic product).

In fact, the agriculture sector has been found to persistently pull down the country’s economic growth and has gained very little economic progress in decades.

What do these facts mean for the Filipino farmer? It means that despite the months of hard labor, there is actually little income to look forward to and a dismal chance of getting any financial breathing room.

Sadly, it is typical for a farmer in the Philippines to be trapped in debt: loans for seeds, for fertilizers, for land lease, for the children’s school fees. A season’s harvest may barely cover these—or not at all. To keep his or her living, the farmer has to incur more loans. Seeds, fertilizers, lease—the vicious cycle starts again.

When we were younger, our simplistic view of the world allowed us to believe that if we planted food, we would have enough to eat and some more from which to earn. Today, we know that this simple ideal is more of a pipe dream, as we see that the very people who are producing our food are going hungry and penniless.

But why is this so? Why are our farmers poor? Over and over again, experts cite these major factors for the sluggish performance of the agriculture sector: natural disasters and calamities; ineffective, badly designed, or weakly implemented agricultural policies and programs; and corruption in the government preventing funds from reaching the intended agricultural beneficiaries.

These lead to more hindering causes: a lack of financial support as investors are scared off by the risks in the sector; inadequate technology to improve the productivity of agricultural workers and lands; and a lack of human resources as fewer people see the appeal of entering or staying in agriculture.

Looking at these factors, we ordinary citizens (millennials or otherwise) may find it hard to imagine how we can get involved in revitalizing the sector. How are we to act, for instance, in the face of large-scale, systematic forms of corruption such as the pork barrel scam and the fertilizer fund scam? What can we do to help our farmers when even government support cannot fully reach them?

As with most matters, it starts with us being more conscious and deliberate with our decisions. It may be as simple as choosing to buy local produce, or as significant as partnering with local farmers for business.

And now that we have a chance to participate in the changing of our country’s political landscape, it is vital that we consider in our votes the agricultural platforms of the candidates we are electing into office. Following that, we must not stop clamoring for accountability and conscientiousness among our public officials.

It’s a mountain to move, and we may be tempted to ask: But why bother? The facts and numbers seem to indicate that it may no longer be worth it for this country to put such a premium on agriculture. The sector struggles to cope with nature and systems, while other, more modern industries only seem to boom. Already, the Philippines has become the world’s top importer of rice; why can we not afford to shift any more focus away from the agriculture sector?

Because agriculture is this country’s lifeblood. Despite the poverty associated with the sector, millions of Filipinos still rely on our farmers for that most basic necessity: food. Our lands are fertile, and our agricultural workforce the most hardworking. Our food security starts here. Our true economic progress starts here—if only we’d treat agriculture, not as a weight burdening the country’s economy, but as a key to lifting it.

When we were younger, we were taught about the value of farmers and about the respect and dignity their work inherently deserves. Now, we know that this country has been failing them and that we need to stand with them. We know now that revitalizing agriculture is more than just bringing back the idyllic beauty of this faded Amorsolo—it is about our sustenance, our economy, and the lives of the ones who give life to the nation.

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