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“Star Community Awards” For Inclusive Growth In PH Agriculture – c/o Philippine Agricultural Journalists

Writing & blogging the “’Nescafé Plan’ Wins PH 2021 Grand Anvil Award – Nescafé Thanks DA, LandBank, GIZ[1]"(25 March 2021, Asa Ka Pa!) based on real events, inspired in me an idea, what I now call “Star Community Awards” covering PH Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar.

Question: Is Mr Dar going to lead PH out of The Twilight Zone? Yes! I have the greatest faith in him with his much varied experiences leading local and international agencies in science. Consider: For 15 long years, he was Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in India. Mr Dar team-captained ICRISAT from dead last to #1 among the 15 international agricultural research centers under CGIAR.

Mr Dar’s ICRISAT slogan was “Science with a human face.” Today, I propose a national project for the Philippine Agricultural Journalists (PAJ), adopting a similar slogan – “Science with a community face” – for The Star Community Awards Project. (Still looking for sponsors.)
(original rainbow star image[2] from Vecteezy.com)

The Star Community Awards is for the inclusive development of PH Agriculture, where “inclusive” means progress reaching the poor farmers and fishers so that they are able to emancipate themselves from poverty – and sustain their families.

There will be a Star Community Award for each PH Region – and a Superstar. The criteria for judging will be what I call the “5 Cs of Community”:

1. Clustering of farms

2. Collaboration of LGUs, business, private sector, farmers & fishers

3. Cooperation among participants in a community project

4. Community actions

5. Communication for development.

1, Clustering
The clusters include farmers & fishers working together for the common good. These can be groups, associations, or cooperatives.

2, Collaboration
Each Star Community project to be considered for any award shall be a collaborative endeavor among these sectors: farmers & fishers, local government units, private sector, businessmen, and philanthropists. To ensure active & real collaboration, a working group (WG) will be formed with representatives from the different sectors, to serve as the governing body of the cluster.

3, Cooperation
Cooperation is expected within each and among clusters. Rules & regulations shall be promulgated by the WG of each cluster. The WG shall have such rules & regulations discussed in public and the results officially adopted.

4, Community
“Community” here is taken to refer to a conglomeration of farms, villages, towns and/or provinces working for a common project/program. Encouraged are the provisions of trainings, assistances in the forms of loans and machineries for fishing and farming:  multiple cropping, crop & livestock combinations, and products processing, up to and including postharvest handling, as the case may be, and marketing.

5, Communication for Development (ComDev)

Stories will be written by PAJ members during/after visiting the villages. Articles will be edited much as they may relate to community welfare, and published in the “Star Community Awards” PAJ-created website. Local correspondents will be encouraged for stories. All journalists shall be paid for their labors.@517


[1]https://asakaparin.blogspot.com/2021/03/nescafe-plan-wins-ph-2021-grand-anvil.html

[2]https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/220963-abstract-star-funky-vector-background

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