Thomas Lamung

“Only through our efforts, the Philippines can survive. Therefore, I continue my work with pride, joy, and determination, even with all its hardships.”

“In the Philippines, we are familiar with all sorts of crises, ranging from the natural to political to the horrendous pandemic that was COVID-19. Yet, even with all these issues, we are most affected by the constant threat of typhoons. Also called hurricanes, these tropical cyclones form within the ocean and develop sustained winds that destroy homes, farms, and many other buildings.

The constant rain combined with strong winds means that most of our crops end up flooded, ruining months of hard work, and depleting our expected income. Although typhoons are an unfortunate event out of our control, we must persevere and hope for a better season in the next year.

Though, it is not only natural disasters that affect our ability to produce plentiful crops. We are expected to produce high volumes of crops through hard work alone: an old and outdated mindset. To boost crop production, farmers need access to better-funded agricultural methods, such as proper seeds, machines, fertilizers, and farming techniques.

We farmers also need better education on new methods of planting and harvesting. For example, some of us are not equipped with the knowledge of inter-cropping, zero tillage, and other intensive agricultural practices. Only if every farmer had access to improved irrigation and cultivation techniques and technologically advanced machines, we would see a significant increase in the production of our farms. Unfortunately, we do not expect to receive any of the mentioned improvements.

Sadly, these are only a handful of the issues that farmers face in the Philippines. We plant, weed, and harvest for long hours underneath hot and harsh sunlight. We fight to protect our crops from insects, drought, and flooding. We face the damage of typhoons and intense rainstorms. Despite our efforts, we only get a very low income that barely covers meals for our families. Nonetheless, agriculture is and always will be a vital part of our economy and society. Only through our efforts, the Philippines can survive. Therefore, I continue my work with pride, joy, and determination, even with all its hardships.”