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William Dar – “Push Agriculture Forward Via Science With A Filipino Face!”


When PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar was Director General of the India-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), January 2000-December 2014, ICRISAT’s slogan was, “Science with a human face.” (But this is getting ahead of our story.)

Above, dated 26 April 2021, Mr Dar presents his thoughts on “Sulong Pilipinas: Partners For Progress” (Push Forward Philippines) virtually in “A Pre-SONA Economic Development and Infrastructure Clusters Forum.”

Mr Dar says:

Despite no respite from the rage of the so-called “Perfect Storm,” the Department of Agriculture (DA) remains undaunted by the challenges confronting the farm and fishery sector(s), staying focused, believing that the current crisis also presents opportunities for innovation, transformation, and regeneration.

That is, amid the “Perfect Storm,” he says, in reference to climate change; what he is presenting via the DA is a system-wide Climate Change in PH Agriculture.

Mr Dar needs academic Education, national Exposure and international Experience – and he has all 3 Es in excellent forms – to successfully lead PH Agriculture in thriving such as amidst the current man-induced typhoon of disease duly denying demand doubly belabored by business bullying bureaucracy.

Mr Dar knew adversity from birth; his parents could not afford to send him to high school – lovingly, one of his uncles did. He went on to earn his BS degree in Ag Education and MS in Agronomy from Benguet State University, and his PhD in Horticulture from UP Los Baños. From there, he became the first Director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research and later the Director General of the Philippine Council for Agriculture & Resources Research & Development. Then he became Secretary of Agriculture under President Joseph Estrada.

From the Philippines, he was in the middle of his 15 years being Director General of ICRISAT when “Climate Change” became the world’s byword because Al Gore and the Intergovernmental  Panel for Climate Change co-received the Nobel Peace Prize 2007. Mr Dar himself led ICRISAT, one among the 15 international agricultural research centers under the CGIAR Group, including IRRI, from dead last to #1.

So, if anyone could save our troubled PH Agriculture, he would have to come from Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, somebody named “William Dar.”

In his Sulong Pilipinas presentation, Mr Dar sees PH agriculture as resilient:

Agriculture was so made that a crisis always turns out as an opportunity for renewal. God designed it that way – crops will ripen, be harvested and die, but tomorrow will be another occasion for planting, recovery and renewal.

Planting, Recovery and Renewal are where Mr Dar excels.

On “Food Security As An Overarching Goal,” he says:

The food security imperative revolves around increasing our farm productivity to guarantee adequate food supply. However, availability of food at affordable prices to our consumers, particularly the poor, (must complete) the equation.

I doubt if you noticed. In my quote above, Mr Dar said, “The current crisis also presents opportunities for innovation, transformation, and regeneration.” With Mr Dar leading, we Filipinos will Innovate, Transform and Regenerate PH Agriculture using Science with a Filipino Face!@517



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