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Farmers
There are a number of issues that they have to deal with every day, among them are the following: low income, lack of land rights, high cost for basic requirements, and lack of post-harvest facilities. Rice, meat, and vegetables are all everyday food staples that are heavily incorporated into our culture and daily life. We often only think of when we’re going to eat the food that we’re used to receiving but never about where it comes from. According to Statista (2018), about 13% of employees in the agriculture industry in the Philippines were paid an hourly basic salary that was less than two-thirds of the national average in 2018. Over the past several years, the percentage of underpaid workers in the agricultural industry has varied between 10 and 15 percent. The exploitation of Filipino farmers is a very common yet unscrutinized issue. People barely know anything in regard to this critical problem that our country has yet to solve. Our campaign plans to spread awareness, be their voice, and provide ways to help our rightful providers. We see their suffering, it is our job to make the world hear them.
We cannot let this system of borderline slavery to continue.
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Most farmers in our country do not own the land they take care of and give their entire lives to, and they’re often underpaid and overworked. Although ASEAN had implemented reform policies for agrarian land decades ago, many farmers receive their property too late and insufficiently, which frequently drives them to sell the land they do receive. Many essential inputs are so expensive that many Filipino farmers are unable to increase their productivity.
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Basics like fertilizers, high-yield seed grains, and automated agricultural equipment are too expensive for many farmers, forcing them to work harder to produce a viable harvest using more labor-intensive techniques. This is partly because of market pressures and exploitative behaviors. This is made worse by the anticipated low prices for rice, which leave many farmers always struggling and frequently deeply in debt.
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Farmers also have to face the Lack of Post-Harvest Facilities. For years, Filipino farmers have struggled with a shortage of storage facilities, farm-to-market routes, and the tools necessary to guard against exposure, pests, and natural degradation losses. Due to these losses, a sizable amount of crops are destroyed even before they reach the market, making it impossible for most farmers to produce enough to generate a profit.
Fight for Them.
It is hard for them to fight for what is fair for them because of the multiple dangers they’re up against— often times the armed and violent forces at their exploiters’ disposal could bring even death, which is proven by the many massacres against farmers throughout history. This brings forth the importance of our campaign— we advocate for the rights of our farmers, not just because they are the ones who provide our food, but because it is our duty as human beings to defend those who are facing injustices.
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