Question 1 (opens 12 Nov.)

From my experience farmers may form interest group to access new technology. These groups are exclusive in the sens that farmers not interested in the new technology will not join and, very often once the technology has been delivered, the group will stop as he will have no more raison d'etre. It is therefore very rare to see interest groups formed for technology transfert purposes transform in formal groups or cooperatives.

What also exist is existing farmer organizations may deliver services to members, including technology transfert, but this one out of many other activities of the organization.  

I am glad that ICTs can now raise income by increasing agricultural productivity.  During my late father's time, he had limited crops as our farm was dependent on rain water.  His dilemma then was wether to continue farming or to convert the land into commercial use.  

Nowadays, however, the problem of the rural farmers is how to keep people working in the farmland as the new technology entice them to work in the city. 

Koy it is true, I agree with your brief reflection that during the earliest time, agricultural systems were completely different than this present era.  It is obviously due to the advent of new ideas, knowledge, information, techniques, and above all because of the rapid result of modern technology.  It is no doubt that agriculture is creating and producing economic development in each country.  However, I do not have concrete evidence and data of study of what is the effect of economic growth caused by agriculture during the 70's, 80's and 90's comparing it to this current year.  Probably this would be a motivating fact for some scholars to find out its relation to ICT research work.

In addition, I also go along with your observation that many of our fellow citizens nowadays prefer to stay in the urban places and developed areas rather than to remain and cultivate their own land to a productive source of economy.  That is why it becomes a common mentality of our beloved country men and women to move from one place to another, from rural to urban sites, and from one region to the city.  Cite for example the thousands of human mobility of the so-called internal migrants from various provinces who migrated to the crowded places of Metro Manila.  It is because many chose to dwell in the progressive place wherein the economic systems and standard ways of living are far different compared to the less fortunate areas.  Progressive regions and cities, naturally can aid these people to economically productive in a quick glance rather than remaining in the farm where they have to wait for months and years to obtain the yearning for economic development and sucess.

Very true po Sister Eva and Koy. There are production areas in the rural areas being left out because of migration from rural to urban areas. Its not really technology, but there are lot of cases where farmers themselves prod their children to have higher education and get courses on physical and natural sciences because of want to have better quality of life in the future. Take the case of the Banaue Rice Terraces of Ifugao Province (Philippies), there is now an observation that the remaining work forces in the terraces area are the older ones, because most of the children migrated to the urban areas and other countries. But maybe, when adequate interventions (road, irrigtion, technologies, other support structures and services) will be put in place in the rural areas, and agriculture will become scientifically modernized as well as agricultural labor productivity will be comparable to industrial labor productivity, many will remain in the rural areas. 

Hi Susan, thanks for your further support.  Actually I was hesitant to apply the term "migration" in connection with our discussion, since I was thinking that we might go and move beyond the boundary and periphery of the topic of our discussion, but it is true, we cannot avoid talking of migration even we are discussing ICT and agriculture, as what Fr. Gigi said that we are now in the age of "e-migrants and even e-refugees", and so interacting with these vital discussions, we cannot evade thinking of the "cause and effect" of the reality in which human migration is involved on it as far as ICT's migration is concern.

I agree with you Susan with your further exploration and contributing ideas, yes probably on that time it was not the motivation of our beloved citizens to move because of technology per se, maybe during that time radio is enough to acquire information and even this time, probably it is secondary to get hold of modern technologies, one of the main causes basically is actually to uplift economic condition in general, so that is why most of us Filipinos really aspire to finish our education and studies in order to make our lives better and to contribute to the building and betterment of our society (country or region) or to our own native place.

You are right what happened to the majority did not come back to develop their native place, because they found the "greener pasture" in the rural and rich places better than the prosperous natural resources hidden and untold or could be abandoned because still lack of capital, or impossibility to develop the farm, or because no ICT's means that could sustain in a better income opportunity and other many reasons.  

In this case, I can only understand the right and desire of our people to move.  The problem is what happen to the abandoned and underdeveloped lands and lots?  This could be other areas of reflection but #3 question is giving us already a lot of existing possibilities.

One thing that I am thinking now, and this would partly lead to react and engage in  the  #3 question, if we are talking in the level of education, agriculture and ICT, I think we need to consider how to enculturate and educate in the mentality of our "young generations", who could be the potential producers, entrepreneurs, and consumers someday to really value the course of study that could benefit in terms of agricultural development particularly those who are lands holders.  This might also be  in relation to what the other associates here in this forum have already reflected.  Here not to judge the choice of all our beloved Filipinos but to propose that there are other options for advancement.

Going back to those graduates who returned to their native lands, in the (Philippines  context) after acquiring academic and material resources, we can see the positive effect, some of them became the assets of the economy, contributors to the socio-economic advancement in our country, for they are now the producers, capitalists, and famous product consumers.  Sometimes we can reflect the reality in the provinces and some regions and barangays of our country, who among those has the capacity to purchase and introduce television after radio, or cellular phone and i-pad and other modern technologies equipment and devices, and eventually became ICT's advocators and promoters?  Definitely those who can afford, in this case, we can think that somehow there is positive result out of the labors and sacrifices our fellows from other rich and progressive places. 

Thanks for bringing this up, Andy. I do recall that Busuanga was one of the first pilots for the Tambili Project sponsored by UNESCO and DANIDA during the nineties. Tambuli (or conchshell) has been touted as an early ICT success story. The project concept was to provide small farming and fishing communities with low-cost, low-powered FM transmitters that would generate localized community radio programming and would become the voice of farmers' associations, mother's clubs and out of school youth. The project was headed by veteran rural farmcaster Ka Louie Tabing? Based on your post, it appears that it wasn't that effective. Is that the case?

Sir Sandy, I remember Ka Louie Tabing being here not so long ago. His visit was followed up with a Community Radio Broadcasting Training. They indeed put up a community radio in Coron but I’m not really sure if it is part of the Tambuli Project as this one was funded by the National Nutrition Council. The station was initially located inside the compound of the Palawan State University - Coron Campus but was eventually moved out to the town proper for better audience reception. I participated in the workshop and was actually allotted airtime for my own program (General Information). Indeed, there were segments allotted for farmers and fishermen. In this sense, ICT was serving its purpose of reaching out to the grassroot farmers and fishermen. But still, even with this initiative, self-sufficiency with rice and vegetables production has sadly not been achieved.

I know Tambuli Project as well..... Nice experience with the people in Laurel.

I have had the opportunity to visit Laurel, Batangas ad take part in the Tambuli Project when I was taking up courses in UP diliman under Dr. Quirante.  It was such a wonderful experience bonding with the people of Laurel.  This experience became an inspiration to take part in community development projects.  It was in this first experience that developed in me my the passion for community involvement/development.  Currently, I am involved in a community project (Literacy Program) in Botolan, Zambales with an Aeta community.  We train volunteer aeta teachers to teach basic education to young aetas.  I look for funding to support this endeavor for the aeta's education, livelihood projects, and the building of school infrastructure.  To note, interpersonal communication is my specialization, research is my craft, while development communication is my passion--- this i always tell my students in Mass Communication. 

Based on my experience, the community radio project in Laurel ws very much welcomed, initially.  Yes, it became the voice of the frmers, the mothers, the youth, etc.  Some of them were even trained, if I am not mistaken, by the KBP to operate a community radio station;  some even had the opportunity to be trained as radio broadcasters.  It was also fun to have experienced to take part in one of their "Baranggayan".  the "Baranggayan" segment's concept is to broadcast via community radio their meeting in the local community with intermission numbers from the kids singing, mother's telling their stories, etc.... By the way, the community radio's  "station ID" was DWTL (TL which means "Tining ng Laurel).  However, the reason for its "ineffectiveness" (based on research) was that there came a time that DWTL was used for political purposes.  the radio station was used by politicians to campaign for themselves.... I also heard that when this happened, the station was transferred to the local parish for operation to avoid "ploticking".  Nevertheless, there came a time the the local parish priest seemd to be supporting another local politician....