Quo Vadis

That was a phrase that struck me eons ago. Whoever put it up in the school’s bulletin board should probably have put it in Pilipino or English, so I would have really understood what it was trying to say, so I would have really asked myself and pondered upon and meditated on my, er, direction.
 
Nevertheless it is a phrase that keeps popping up in my mind rather frequently lately. Other people must be asking themselves the same question. It is good to ask oneself once in a while where one is going – a kind of self-reassessment.
 
The launching of the Farmers’ Contact Center offered that rare chance to take stock of oneself… as an institution, that is. It occurred to me that it was a turning point in the Department of Agriculture’s history. It was a big move, rather akin to a mother extending both arms to take care of one hundred children all at the same time, each one of them clamoring for attention. At least, that was how it felt initially, while we were working on the pre-launching regional consultation workshop.
 
The FCC launch in Bohol held November 28th is an eye-opener. The determination in the voice of our Director and the insights shared by the Secretary perceptively stirred those who were present, probably more so those who were involved in the nitty-gritty of the preparations months before the actual launch.
 
Secretary Yap’s message was stunning in its clarity, yet demanding action: we need to give farmers the right information, at the right time. It was that simple. The Farmers’ Contact Center aims, first and foremost, to give timely and right information by bring the experts in agriculture and fisheries within the reach of farmers and fisherfolks.
 
Further, agriculture is not (primarily?) a social concern; it is or it should be a business concern – that’s why logically and necessarily the FCC has to lead eventually to electronic trading. The power of ICT should help farmers and fisherfolks get good price for their produce.
 
But then again, arguably that is still several steps down the line.
 
The Secretary’s dictum matches Director Saliot’s reminder: the Farmers’ Contact Center is a concrete step towards empowering our agriculture and fisheries sector.
 
Quo Vadis? There is no other way. In the light of globalization, which exerts immense pressure on our producers to find more sustainable and efficient food and biofuel production techniques; in the face of climate change, which Secretary Yap describes as a handicap for our farmers and fisherfolks; in the midst of escalating prices of agricultural inputs… there is no other way but to get our act together. There is no other way but to respond to the call… literally and figuratively, within the context of the FCC.