Lopez Avenue, Los Banos, Laguna 4030, Philippines The Philippines is a poverty-stricken country whose agricultural research and education have been patterned after highly industrialized nations particularly the United States. Development paradigms have put science and technology at its nerve center. For the Philippines, this means dependence of poor, barely-schooled farmers on packaged technologies from the government.
Farmers are the main actors in food production yet they are continually crippled by poverty.
Development paradigms should instead put the people at its nerve center. Beyond these tangible results, however, is a far-reaching, intangible gain. With this experience, we dare the academe to take a bold step, venture beyond reductionist paradigms and make research truly participatory.