Choose candidates who are advocates of sustainable agriculture

Dr. Rex L. Navarro’s article titled “The rising hunger rate and the urgent need for the Food Security Act” (Commentary, 4/8/25) pertains to the Social Weather Stations survey conducted from March 15 to 25, 2025, indicating that 27.2 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger.

Having worked as an agricultural consultant of various international organizations in Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, and South Africa, Navarro has the moral high ground to express that: “The future of the Philippines depends on a bold and decisive commitment to food security and sovereignty—one that safeguards our present and future generations. The enactment of the Food Security Act should be a flagship policy initiative to secure a future where food is abundant, available, and accessible to all Filipinos.”

In a commentary titled “Food security and the 2025 elections” (3/3/25), Navarro stated that electing leaders who understand the importance of agriculture in both the economic and social fabric of the Philippines is crucial.

Relative thereto, I would like to present pertinent and interrelated data which are as follows:

The number of Filipino households experiencing involuntary hunger is generally increasing from 9.3 percent in 2019 to 21.1 percent in 2020, 13.1 percent in 2021, 11.7 percent in 2022, 10.7 percent in 2023, and 20.2 percent in 2024.

The number of self-rated poverty among families is generally increasing from 45 percent in 2019 to 48 percent in 2020, 46 percent in 2021, 48 percent in 2022, 51 percent in 2023, and 57 percent in 2024.

The number of self-rated food poverty among households is increasing from 31 percent from 2019 to 2021 to 33 percent in 2022, 35 percent in 2023, and 40 percent in 2024.

Agricultural output is generally declining from negative 0.25 percent in 2019 to negative 1.2 percent in 2020, negative 1.7 percent in 2021 to negative 0.1 in 2022, and 1.3 in 2023 to negative 2.2 percent in 2024.

The agricultural sector’s share of the labor force has dropped from 22.9 percent in 2019 to 20.7 percent in 2024, while the service sector’s share increased from 58 percent to 61 percent.

This can serve as a strong basis for the electorate to choose candidates who advocate for and promote sustainable agriculture. It can also serve as a guide for elected officials in the formulation and implementation of policies that will make sustainable agriculture a key pathway to achieve sustainable development.

Ed Enderez,

edmenderez@gmail.com