I DON'T know yet if these belong to a strategic planning or not, but I believe this is one thing social enterprise and development organizations and even people's organizations should not overlook in crafting or innovating their social enterprise and development paradigm and formulating their operational plans.
It has become apparent by now that we are going through a period of megatrends, one that creepingly shapes the way we think, live, work and relate.
Here are some of these megatrends which may have a direct impact on everything we do or plan to do.
Population expansion, urban migration and urbanization. The continues bursting of population, already 112 Million as of 2016; the unabated migration of our people from provincial towns to megacities like Metro Manila and Cebu, and growing metropolis Angeles, Baguio, Cagayan, Davao, Calabarzon, Iloilo; the rapid urbanization of surrounding areas around megacities and provincial city centers - are causing the marginalization of rural areas, the blurring of urban-rural distinctions, and the changing of mindsets, lifestyles, work preferences, food intake patterns, and relationships of people.
These challenge planners, architects, engineers to rethink their concepts and designs of infrastructures, transportation systems, inflows and outflows of food supplies, all towards building smart cities, highly adaptive to changing conditions. They also challenge politicians to review regulation and protection policies.
Rapid expansion and invasion of supermalls and convenience stores. This megatrend apparently changes today's consumer's food habits and our entire food system. This megatrend has been developing well side by side with urbanization megatrend, not only because the drivers of these megatrends are the same power holders, but that the urbanization can only be made complete when it likewise control food systems. This megatrend generates a new generation of consumers more conscious of choices, convenience, and their individuality, with little regard for food safety.
This also forces food processors, wholesalers and retailers to be more competitive, stylish thus adapt better their packaging and value adding to the emerging new generation of consumers, conscious of more profit, even at the expense of food safety. But the more damaging and lasting impact of this is the marginalization and eventual demise of our agriculture, and irreversible risk to our food system, ecosystems, and the climate.
Internet connectivity. This megatrend has changed so much of our society, industries, and our being since the last decade or so. The way it goes right now, with the rapid proliferation of smartphones using 4G and soon 5G, this megatrend will soon be at the heart of every industry, employment patterns, job definitions, relations between people. The ones who can adapt their businesses or any activities to it, even to the specifics and small items will probably survive and thrive. But those who cannot will likely be at the losing end of every initiative and every economic transaction.
Climate change. Afterall several years of debates on this, it is now clear that climate change has become a megatrend that is rapidly shaping and reshaping our perceptions on many things, from birth to death, from production to consumption, up to how we should manage our farms, societies and the futures of our children and the generations after them. This has already challenged our scientists, agriculturists, farmers, politicians to rethink how to adapt well to the present while reconstructing systems, measures and legislation and regulations that will delay, or hope to reverse, the apparent irreversibility of the climate change intensification.
Breaking of territorial borders and challenging sovereignty. The offensives of neoliberal globalization are certainly a no joke megatrend especially for Asians in general, and the Southeast Asians in particular. Contrary to the obvious propaganda hypes by the apologists and implementers of neoliberalism, this megatrend is actually entrenching the plunder, economic impoverishment and political subjugation of smaller nations like Philippines by big monopoly capitalist countries led by US, China, Japan, Russia, Germany, Australia, Canada, France and UK and their MNCs and trilateral financing institutions controlling and dictating global transactions. Worse, this has opened the floodgates for the exportation and expansion of terrorist organizations created by the same monopoly capitalist countries as their effective instruments of business and war.
Rapid resurgence of liberation movements. The rise of strong men and the shadows of the national security state in Asia is fueling the rapid polarization of people in our societies and nations, mass discontentment amid the so-called good tidings of "neoliberal trade", and so with the resurgence of armed liberation movements challenging the ruling system despite the modernization of national defense and security systems sponsored by US, China and Japan. The Philippines probably top the pack of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma having this megatrend.
There may be other megatrends I missed here, but the above are the ones that have direct impact on our nation's condition, behaviors of various critical citizens groups, and the general life choices of our people, though many of us seem not to be bothered more, or perhaps ignore for lack of a broader framework to appreciate and judge them.
In the development circle, there is an adage that any development agenda is only as good as the people who carry it. The tao allegory of "the frog in a well" is likewise instructive of the need for a paradigm that sits on a higher plane to understand the bigger and more dynamic world pushed by these megatrends.*
(For feedback, please email to ombion.ph@outlook.com)
