Related Literature

Local

According to the journal of ISSAAS (2015), as an agricultural country, the Philippines

must invest in promoting inclusive growth and developing more sustainable agriculture and food
systems that are resilient to disasters and effectively respond to the effects of climate change.
The primary goal is to develop the agriculture sector so that it can achieve food self-sufficiency,
uplift the rural community, and increase farmer income. Agriculture is estimated to contribute
approximately 40% of the economy's gross domestic product (GDP), and agriculture employs
two-thirds of the workforce. However, the agricultural sector has faced persistent challenges that
have resulted in low farm incomes, low rural employment, a lack of food security, and a lack of
agricultural competitiveness. Among the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals, the
Philippines should prioritize the goals of ending/reducing hunger, achieving food security,
improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. The current state of Philippine
agriculture, as well as the challenges and strategies for long-term development, were all
discussed. Among the challenges identified were a lack of important provisions that will ensure
food security and reduce rural poverty, a lack of programs that will link agriculture with
industry, and insufficient activities aimed at vigorously transferring advanced production, post-
harvest, and processing technologies to stakeholders. The University of the Philippines (UPLB),
as the country's premier university offering agricultural degrees, is a leader in developing a
network of an integrated system in agriculture education that effectively responds to the
challenges confronting the agriculture sector. For example, UPLB's programs for achieving food
and nutrition security, as well as its visions for internalization, were discussed. Programs and
plans on responsive and innovative teaching methods, as well as strengthening RDE integration,
were implemented in order to achieve the four dimensions of food security.

Sanchez, F. C. J. (2016). Challenges faced by philippine agriculture and UPLB’s [university of

the philippines los baños] strategic response towards sustainable development and
internalization [2015]. Challenges Faced by Philippine Agriculture and UPLB’s
[University of the Philippines Los Baños] Strategic Response towards Sustainable
Development and Internalization [2015], 21(2016), 191–199. https://agris.fao.org/agris-
search/search.do?recordID=PH2016000388
 “I am a staunch supporter of agricultural mechanization. I have time and again cited that
based on studies, two of the barriers confronting farmers, fisherfolk, and agricultural workers are
lack of technical expertise and mechanization…Together with the various government
departments/agencies and organizations such as those behind this event, we should focus on
working together towards breaking down those barriers”, as stated by Senator Villar (2017).
Sustainable agricultural mechanization can also help to develop value chains and food systems
by making postharvest, processing, and marketing activities and functions more efficient,
effective, and environmentally friendly.

Yap, J. J. (2016, January 16). “MAKINA EXPO 2017” HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF

FARM MECHANIZATION. Https://Www.Agriculture.Com.Ph/.
https://www.agriculture.com.ph/2018/01/16/makina-expo-2017-highlights-importance-
of-farm-mechanization/

Based on latest government estimates, the average farm mechanization level in the
country is 1.23 horsepower per hectare (hp/ha). When compared to Japan's 7 hp/ha, South
Korea's 4.11 hp/ha, and China's 4.10 hp/ha, this figure appears pitiful. The country's average for
rice mechanization is 2.31 hp/ha. “We will continue to boost farm mechanization to reduce
production costs, enable our rice farmers produce more harvests, earn bigger incomes, and
subsequently compete with their counterparts in ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian
Nations]. We have to mechanize Philippine agriculture to at least four horsepower (hp) per
hectare (ha), and be on a par with our ASEAN counterparts,” as stated by Dar (2021).

Arcalas, J. (2021, January 7). Mechanization Moves Agriculture Sector Slow, But Sure, To
Modern Farming. Https://Businessmirror.Com.Ph/.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/01/07/mechanization-moves-agriculture-sector-slow-
but-sure-to-modern-farming/

Foreign

Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on China's agricultural economy, as well as the

Chinese government's emergency measures to mitigate the economic effects of viral spread, can
provide much-needed lessons as the virus spreads around the world. Thus, this study gathered
over 750,000 words on the topic of COVID-19 and agriculture from China's two largest media
channels, WeChat and Sina Weibo, and used web crawler technology and text mining methods to
investigate the impact of COVID-19 on China's agricultural economy and mitigation measures.
The findings show that: (1) the impact of COVID-19 on China's agricultural economy is
primarily reflected in eight aspects, including crop production, agricultural product supply,
livestock production, farmers' income and employment, economic crop development, agricultural
product sales model, leisure agriculture development, and agricultural product trade, in the initial
phase. (2) The government's immediate countermeasures include resuming agricultural
production and farmers' work, providing financial assistance, stabilizing agricultural production
and product supply, promoting agricultural product sales, providing subsidies, advising farmers
on agricultural technology and field management, and assisting poor farmers to reduce poverty.
(3) The order of the government's immediate countermeasures does not correspond to the order
of impact aspects, indicating that more tailored policies should be implemented in the future to
mitigate the impact of COVID-19 strikes on China's agricultural economy.

Pan D, Yang J, Zhou G, Kong F (2020) The influence of COVID-19 on agricultural economy
and emergency mitigation measures in China: A text mining analysis. PLoS ONE 15(10):
e0241167. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241167
Dr. K. Alagusundaram, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Engineering), ICAR,
emphasized the need for agricultural implement manufacturing industries to produce high-quality
machines, drones, residue management equipment, and so on, in light of the recent COVID-19
outbreak. The DDG also emphasized the importance of addressing region-specific problems
collaboratively by ICAR, State Agricultural Universities, the Central and State Governments,
and so on.

Dr. Kanchan K. Singh, ADG (FE), ICAR, emphasized the importance of transforming the
challenges posed by the COVID-19 situation into opportunities. He urged a faster
implementation of skill development programs in order to generate employment for migrant
labor. He also emphasized the importance of developing a detailed region-specific plan for the
country's overall mechanization.
Dr. S.N. Jha, ADG (PE), ICAR, emphasized the importance of reorienting future
research efforts toward automations in agricultural operations using Robotics, Internet of Things,
Sensor Networks, and other technologies in order to mitigate the challenges posed by the
COVID-19 Pandemic.Dr. C.R. Mehta, Director, ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal highlighted the challenges
being faced by the tractor, power tillers and farm machinery manufacturing sector due to
migration of labour and availability of raw material during the COVID-19 period.
Shri T.R. Kesavan, President of the Tractor and Mechanization Association, spoke about
the "Impact of COVID-19 on Tractor and Farm Machinery Industry," while Shri S.V. Raju,
Chairman of the Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association (AMMA-India), spoke
about the "Impact of COVID-19 on Farm Machinery Manufacturing Industry in India."

Bhopal. (2020, July 10). Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare). Https://Icar.Org.In/. https://icar.org.in/content/webshop-
%E2%80%9Cimpact-covid-19-agricultural-machinery-manufacturing-sector-india-
present