'Kibbutz' A SOLUTION FOR URBAN DWELLERS?
The kibbutz aims for equality, where everyone shares resources and earns the same wages, and where every decision is made as a group
This is 21st Century Philippines. Cities, cellphones, buildings, cars, news and issues, we have them all. Issues are no longer new in this country. Every time I check my social media news feed, there are always issues for people to debate on. If the issue is serious, it tends to become everybody’s talk. From debates to Facebook posts you come across when you’re scrolling out of boredom, there’s always a problem to solve.
One of the recent issues revolves still on the problem of poverty, especially in this time of the pandemic. The question is, “With the growing population, how do we help our less fortunate brothers and sisters with the reality of hunger during this time of the COVID-19?” Unfortunately, this question is hard to answer, leaving the urban poor in the streets fighting for survival. The pandemic has also seen many people with little to no choice but to venture outside, exposing themselves to the virus.
I was, therefore, motivated to try and find a possible solution to the large populations of people living in poverty, especially in urban areas in the Philippines. One of these solutions could be finding viable spaces and the creation of small, agriculture-based communities, similar to the concept of the “kibbutz.”
A kibbutz is a community in Israel that is traditionally agriculture-based. The first kibbutz was called Deganya and was founded by Israeli pioneers in 1910. The word itself means “gathering” or “collective.” In a kibbutz, all wealth is shared. Profits are reinvested in the settlement after members have been provided with food, clothing, shelter and social and medical services. Adults have private quarters and children are generally housed and cared for as a group. Cooking and dining are done in common areas. In a kibbutz, a member earns his keep by working. There is a division of labor and members can stay if they do their part well.
The kibbutz aims for equality, where everyone shares resources and earns the same wages, and where every decision is made as a group. Houses in a kibbutz have no kitchens. There’s instead a dining hall where everyone can eat the food they grew and produced.
Most of all, the kibbutz method gives people a good home, reducing the urban-poor-in-the-street issue. Best of all, it provides jobs and a home to the homeless and jobless.
I think the creation of agriculturebased communities can help the urban poor of the Philippines because it has just the right reasons and methods of motivating people to work hard and help one another. Since everyone is encouraged to share, it could also reduce the “crab mentality,” a way of thinking that says, “If I cannot have it, then no one will.”
It could also boost Philippine economy because everyone earns, meaning, the members of the community are self-sufficient. In turn, there could be more and better funds for all. Also, since kibbutzim are closed, the spread of infection could be slowed down during times like this pandemic. Most of all, the kibbutz method gives people a good home, reducing the urban-poor-in-the-street issue. Best of all, it provides jobs and a home to the homeless and jobless.
In this proposed solution, the Philippine government needs to identify and provide spaces for urban dwellers who are living in poverty, and relocate them to these agriculture-based communities. Maybe, through these communities, we could help the urban people living in poverty after all. I know that it will not be an easy thing to do. But all it takes is a little patience and teamwork. In time, we could become a new Philippines, a better Philippines for all people, regardless of status or cultural group.
(The author is a 13-year-old incoming Grade 9 student at the Quezon City Science High School)