THE Philippines now stands at a historic crossroad, as its population continues to grow, urbanization is accelerating, and climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and intense.
And our agricultural sector is experiencing ever increasing pressure.
If that was not enough, we face a troubling paradox. Specifically, millions continue to experience food insecurity and nutrient deficiencies, while obesity and diet-related diseases are rising. Hence, food security can no longer be defined simply by the availability of calories. In fact, the challenge today is broader as the emerging concern now is about nutrition security. It also boils down to affordability, accessibility, sustainability, and resilience.
The question before us is clear: How can we produce more nutritious food with fewer resources while protecting ecosystems and ensuring inclusive economic growth? The answer lies in science-driven transformation supported by sound policies and effective implementation.
So, at this historic crossroad, we should discuss how science, policy, and practice can transform Philippine food systems to achieve healthy nutrition, climate resilience, inclusive prosperity, and sustainable development.
And we should not only discuss — we must take action on as humanity stands at a defining moment as the challenges confronting us are no longer isolated problems. They are interconnected and systemic. Climate change, food insecurity, malnutrition, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, energy constraints, environmental degradation, and persistent poverty are converging into a complex development challenge.
The food system At the center of these challenges lies one critical system: The food system.
So, it is also time we discuss food security issues not only with the agriculture sector as the main issue. Instead, we should look at the bigger picture or how the agriculture sector is interconnected with various components and sectors to attain sustainable production of food.
I say this as food systems influence human health, economic growth, environmental sustainability, social equity, and national security. They determine whether children grow healthy or suffer from malnutrition. They determine whether farmers thrive or remain trapped in poverty. They determine whether ecosystems regenerate or degrade. And they determine whether nations achieve resilience or become increasingly vulnerable.
Food systems are therefore not merely agricultural systems. They are health systems. They are economic systems. They are environmental systems. They are social systems.
And ultimately, they are systems that shape our collective future.
The transformation of food systems has become indispensable to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the vision of a prosperous, resilient, and sustainable Philippines.
Leaving the old paradigm Let us also leave the old paradigm where land and water resources are the major pillars to produce more food, as the future of food systems will not be determined by expanding cultivated land or increasing water utilization.
Rather, the future of food systems will be determined by expanding knowledge, innovation, and institutional effectiveness.
And given the rapid progress of technology in the past years, especially in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization, we must harness science to generate solutions.
For its part, policy must create enabling environments and practice must bring innovations to scale.
The ultimate objective is to drive transformation that requires greater investments in: – Climate-smart and resilient agriculture; – Advanced breeding and biotechnology; – Digital and precision agriculture; – AI and data-driven decision making; – Sustainable intensification; – Circular bioeconomy innovations; – Nutrition-sensitive agriculture; and – Nature-based solutions.
And let me emphasize or reemphasize that innovation must not be confined to laboratories and research institutions.
This has been my message more than a decade ago, as there are research institutions that have matured technologies that hardly or never reach farmers and fishers, most especially the smallholder food producers.
So, innovation must reach farms, innovation must reach communities, innovation must reach enterprises, and innovation must reach consumers.
Hence, science fulfills its mission only when it improves people's lives. And in this case, science should level up the productivity and profitability of food production systems, that in turn will provide affordable and nutritious food for the population.
In the Philippines, the actors to transform the national food system are all there, including: Department of Agriculture (DA) and its numerous attached agencies; Department of Science and Technology (DOST), particularly the agencies that have matured crop production and value-adding technologies; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that can open up more markets for the country’s food products, and train farmers to become entrepreneurs and exporters; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on conserving land and water resources, and integrating agricultural production with forest resources.
Equally important are the state universities and colleges (SUCs) that have research for development (R4D) activities and have demonstrated capabilities to deliver matured food production and value-adding technologies to the ground or grassroots.
Let us also involve the local government units (LGUs) from the provincial to the barangay level. The governors can set the provincewide objectives to make each locality part of the wider food system, and designate the roles of cities and municipalities in producing crops, value-adding, providing logistics, and marketing products through designated retail and wholesale centers.
We should also involve the private sector, particularly large agribusiness firms that already have mutually beneficial arrangements with smallholder farmers and have programs on the ground with them to innovate crop production and reduce environmental impact.
Congress also has a crucial role here not only in crafting laws but in exercising its oversight function to ensure that the vital laws to transform our food production system are well-funded and executed well.
Among the laws Congress can craft in the future are formally integrating SUCs into the agricultural extension and services ecosystem and mandating the DA and DOST to disperse the matured technologies of SUCs to smallholder farmers.
Institutional efficiency is also key to transforming our food system, and this also means the concerned institutions should make sure graft and corruption are uprooted from their culture.
Institutions are also useless if these are manned by the wrong or incompetent people, or led by those who are influenced more by politics than serving the people. So, let us strengthen the civil service system to promote from the rank and file the public servants who are truly knowledgeable and have the heart to serve the country.
For the second part of this column-series, I will discuss why regenerative agriculture is the centerpiece for transforming the country food system, and more on the role institutions should play in that transformation.
This article is culled from my plenary presentation yesterday during the 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
And for sure, I will discuss more in the second part of this column-series.