The farmer is the backbone of the society. For our food, he plants corn, vegetables, and fruits, as well as cotton for our clothing. Some farmers raise farm animals for milk, meat and egg. He works hard.
He toils away from dawn to dusk in the scorching heat and freezing cold. He takes his carabao to the fields in the early hours of the morning. He sows seed, waters the plants, and ploughs the fields.
He takes care of the crops and keeps pests or stray cattle from ruining them. He never takes a vacation.
He eats his lunch in the shade of a tree about noon and then rests for a short while. He goes for home in the evening, worn out and exhausted.
He lives a simple lifestyle. He stays in a small hut, eats simple foods, and wears rough clothing. In general a lot of farmers didn't finish their studies in school.
He is joyful when the crops ripen. He gathers it, thrashes it, and then sells the crops. He piles up debt when there is a poor harvest because he does not have enough money to buy fertilizers and seeds.
His cattle are his most important possessions. Crops often fail amid droughts and typhoons. The farmer is in great trouble.
His situation has recently improved, and his view on life has changed as a result of the use of farm technology, chemical manures, and credit facilities offered by cooperative societies and rural banks.
Yet the best part about being a farmer is that he has a greater choice of food than most urban dwellers do. He has better health and lives longer. He probably takes more pleasure in his work than the majority of city dwellers do. He is more likely to raise a family and thereby improve the future welfare of the country.
