ikeseneres

HOW TO BREAK DOWN MICROPLASTICS USING FUNGI FROM COCONUT HUSKS Sometimes innovation starts by looking differently at something that we have always taken for granted. Consider the coconut husk. Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, recently attracted attention with a science project involving fungi found in coconut fibers. Her research, conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Anthony Amend at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, investigated fungi associated with tannin-rich coconut fiber and their ability to degrade plastic and sunscreen compounds. Her project won first place in Microbiology and third place Best in Fair at the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair. This makes me ask a very simple question: Can we not develop that kind of technology in the Philippines? We are, after all, one of the world's major coconut-producing countries. The coconut industry covers about 3.67 million hectares and provides livelihoods to more than 2.74 million coconu...

HOW THE GOVERNMENT, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE ACADEME AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY COULD WORK TOWARDS FOOD SECURITY It is often said that Filipino farmers cannot succeed because they lack four basic resources: irrigation, access to credit, post-harvest facilities and farm-to-market roads. That may be true, but I believe our farmers need much more than these four resources. Amid all the problems and bad news coming from our agricultural sector, there is a bright spot that deserves attention. It is a simple example from Tanay, Rizal, showing how the government, private sector, academe and civil society can work together. In cooperation with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Local Government Unit of Tanay provided mechanized shredders to Moolk Farm, a private agricultural enterprise. The machines were manufactured by RU Foundry and Machinery, Inc. of Bacolod City. But the story does not end with the delivery of machinery. Ramon Uy, Sr., who operates the company, also teaches farmers compost...

WHAT DOES MEXICO’S DUAL DECISION TO REPLACE GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN AND BAN GLYPHOSATE MEAN? What should we make of Mexico’s decision to protect its native corn and prohibit the planting of genetically modified corn? And what can the Philippines learn from it? First, let us clarify something. Mexico has indeed amended its Constitution to protect native corn and prohibit the planting of genetically modified corn. The reform describes corn as an element of national identity and calls for protection of biodiversity, food sovereignty and agroecological production.  But Mexico has not yet completely banned glyphosate . It has been trying to phase it out while searching for practical alternatives. In September 2025, Mexico prohibited 35 hazardous pesticides, but glyphosate was not among them.  This distinction is important because there are both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is obvious: Mexico is protecting biodiversity, traditional seeds and its ability to determine...

HOW TO COMBINE RAINWATER COLLECTION, FLOODWATER IMPOUNDING AND AQUACULTURE Everyone is complaining about floods, but I still do not see a complete and holistic solution to the problem. I do not claim to have the full answer. But perhaps we can start with some obvious ideas: rainwater collection, floodwater impounding and aquaculture. Our laws already recognize the importance of rainwater collection. Republic Act 6716, enacted in 1989, provides for rainwater collectors in all barangays, although the law assigns the construction responsibility primarily to DPWH. The question is: after all these years, why do we still seem to be treating rainwater as something to get rid of instead of something to save? The same question applies to floodwater. Why wait for another law before we start impounding water? We already know that strong floods kill people and destroy homes, farms, roads and businesses. If we can slow down floodwater upstream and temporarily store it, why shouldn't we do so? W...

MUNICH HAS PROVEN THAT IT IS CHEAPER TO CONVERT TO ORGANIC FARMING THAN TO FILTER WATER CONTAMINATED BY CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS What kind of government is able to discover an opportunity at the crossroads of water management and agricultural policy ? Apparently, the government of Munich did. When Munich's municipal water utility, Stadtwerke München (SWM), became concerned about agricultural pollution in its drinking-water catchment, it did not simply wait for the problem to become a water-treatment problem. In 1992, it launched the Ökobauern program to encourage farmers in the Mangfall Valley to shift from conventional to organic farming.  The idea was surprisingly simple: pay farmers to protect the water. SWM compensated farmers for income losses and investments associated with converting to organic agriculture. The first 23 farms signed agreements in 1993. Today, more than 185 farmers are participating in the Mangfall Valley, farming about 4,600 to 4,650 hectares organically. ...

WHY GOOD SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL ORGANIC FARMING Food is supposed to give us life, and not kill us. As stewards of God’s creation, we are supposed to protect the earth in general and the land that we cultivate in particular. And that includes the soil upon which we grow our food. Using our God-given common sense, we should know that we must keep the soil alive . If the soil dies, how can we continue growing the food that keeps us alive? Unfortunately, we seem to be doing the opposite. It is ironic that we use chemicals to kill insects that feed on our crops, and then continue eating those crops. It is equally ironic that we apply excessive chemical fertilizers to increase production while neglecting the biological life of the soil that actually helps plants grow. The grand irony is this: we are poisoning the soil that gives us food, and then worrying about the quality of the food produced from that soil. This is why I find the work of the Department of Agricu...