The Agriculturalist, Part One

Archibald Santos was born to a middle-class family of import-export traders in Manila who had prospered in peace under the American occupation, and even gave their son an English name as a sign that they wanted to emulate the people who had, for all their flaws, brought peace and order to the Philippines. Archibald was even given a scholarship to study in the United States itself, due to his' doing well in his studies at home. With naive anticipation, he had allowed himself to be shipped via boat and train to Minneapolis, where he had met a brilliant fellow student, Norman Borlaug. Borlaug and him were friends, despite the attitude of the campus towards Nonwhites, and both of them cooperated in advancing agricultural research.

But as the Great Depression drew on, and the Second American Civil War began to rumble, Archibald Santos had to leave the University of Minneapolis, leaving behind his friend to die in a riot against the MacArthur Junta. By then, however, there were irreconcilable differences between their approaches that would have led to enmity had he stayed and his friend lived.

Archibald walked through the dirt trails criss-crossing the new 'experimental farms' the Government had leased from the local smallholders, wearing only a simple white shirt and tough jeans - only his glasses, clipboard, and escort of aides marked him as an official. As he did so, the middle-aged man mused about those irreconcilable differences. Borlaug wanted to develop new breeds of rice and wheat, to spread the use of fertilizers and pesticides all across the world. Archibald wanted to use more potatoes and sweet potatoes in agriculture, agruing for their nutritional superiority to rice and grain. As he and his escort stopped to record the amount of crops being harvested, Archibald mused that he hadn't changed his mind; he had just included new and better ways of farming rice in his own agricultural revolution.

Looking around him, Archibald can now see that the farmers had adopted his recommendations well, constructing a system of deep sinks and raised beds*, the former which took in water in the rainy seasons and allowed for the farming of rice and ginger (there were deeper ponds for fish), and the latter which allowed for the growth of dryland crops, including the Sigarilyas/Winged Bean**, a plant that, just like peas and other legumes, added to the fertility of the soil by naturally extracting nitrogen from the air. Another plant Borlaug had neglected in favor of rice and wheat.

One of the farmers waved at him; it was Danilo, the headman of the nearby village. He had been the person Archibald had to pay to change the way he and his people dug up their fields and rice paddies and adopt this new 'Filipino Cropping System'. Now, carrying a large sack of rice over his shoulder, Danilo approached him, saying:

"Kaibigan (Friend)! You were right! Not just that, but the next village - the one you paid to plant potatoes, they're having the best harvest of their lives as well!" The brown-faced, wrinkled farmer, clad in a mud-stained white shirt and red trousers - how like a Katipunero - was smiling at Archibald, but did not show him any deference. That was what the Agriculturalist was going for. Archibald smiled widely, gave his clipboard to one of his aides, and embraced Danilo, getting his booted feet wet in the mud too.

The embrace lasted for a few brief moment, before Archibald said, "So, will you spread the word? The Federal Government cannot pay every vilage to change the way they do things." Or keep the stuff that does work; Borlaug would have advised farmers to buy fertilizer from abroad instead of just using crop rotation.

Danilo continued to smile; a signal of agreement, before he said, "So, want to eat dinner with my family?"

Archibald's grin was wide as he thought of how increased agricultural profits had allowed Danilo and his village to afford brick houses instead of just straw huts. "Sure; can my aides come?"

Danilo would have balked in olden days, but with the rich harvest he had received just now, and the profits that had come from adopting this new way of planting crops, he can now afford such expense. He extended his hand to Archibald for him to shake, and said: "My wife and children would be happy to receive your group."

Archibald would then muse; once dinner was done, he planned to announce a new gift; a set of new plows made up of steel mixed with chromium, made as a proof-of-concept by the Federal Steel Enterprise. That ought to be a surprise...

*IRL Sorjan Cropping System.

**nutrition1.knoji.com/winged-bean-nutr…

France has suffered much, not only in recent times, but also throughout the past. In the 19th century the second French Empire met its demise at the hands of the Prussians whom had baited the foolish Napoleon III into the disastrous Franco-Prussian war. Following this defeat, the Third Republic rose in the empire’s stead and elected to continue persecuting the war against Prussia. However, a beacon of hope not only for the French but rather all mankind shone from Paris in 1871. The workers of Paris chased away the government and proclaimed the Paris Commune. The world’s first socialist revolution occurred and for a few months liberated the proletariat and created a free, egalitarian society. Unfortunately, it couldn’t last as the Commune struggled for months and crumbled under pressure from both the Republic and the Prussians surrounding Paris; as well as infighting and a lack of martial expertise and organization the Parisian government was defeated and the war came to a close.

The French government and people harbored much resentment for the newly unified Germans whom completely and totally embarrassed them. France had essentially become a powder keg of resentment, differing ideologies and class struggle. The increasingly conservative government became more and more lax on capitalists and the divide of the classes only continued to grow in the years leading up to the Great War.

When the Great War kicked off in 1914, most French people were enthusiastic about the war; a chance for redemption and payback against the Germans who had so grievously wronged them just a few decades prior. It was soon discovered that war is hell though. As the French trudged through the years of the world’s most destructive conflict yet, morale and support at home steadily decreased as France suffered defeat after defeat and couldn’t break the German defense of their homeland. No one seemed capable of making any gains. After what seemed like an eternity, the war finally came to end in 1929 with the world’s great powers at an impasse. No one gained anything from the conflict, especially not the lower classes whose lives were seen as expendable for a cause that people had quickly realized was worthless. In the next few years after the war, the French economy continued to decline and many wondered what would become of the disgraced nation in the future. The economy began an upward trend in 1942, yet was still very far from recovery or what anyone would call ‘stable’.

The Republic maintained a very tenuous control of the nation, amidst more and more infighting and tension that came to a head in the winter of 1946. Popular demonstrations filled the streets all over France, featuring movements of all sorts of people and ideologies, fed up with the governments indifference to the plight of its citizens. It wasn’t long before radicalized soldiers and sailors joined the movement and the conservative government and many businessmen fled Paris to the safety of southern France, or so they had thought. They found no welcome there either. The failing government tried to rally some small forces to fight back against the revolution, yet they didn’t stand a chance against the might of the rightly furious citizens. Despite fighting with everything they had, the conservatives were driven across the ocean to Africa where they found no respite either as they were driven out by Algerian nationals. In a desperate attempt to survive, the retreating old republic escaped to French Indochina and claimed that someday they would return to their homeland.

In the years following the resounding victory of the people, a new republic was established for the people, by the people. Sweeping reforms occurred throughout France once the new government was firmly established in 1947 as a broad front of anarchists, and socialists confirmed the government. Educational reform, agricultural and industrial cooperatives were formed in the next few years via the approval of the people. With the reactionaries crushed, France rebounded into a new era of stability and peace for its people as living standards improved across the board and poverty was reduced to nearly none. The 50’s were a great period of recovery and many looked to the future with enthusiasm.

In 1960 France stands at a crossroads between internationalism and isolation as tension continues to grow between the anarchist and socialist factions within the republic. Yet, many feel now that France has recovered it may be their duty to spread the revolution to the far corners of the Earth… Which falls perfectly in line with President and Head of the Committee of Public Safety: Jacques Villeneuve’s vision for a better world.
Meanwhile, the old republic stands on its last legs on the southern tip of Vietnam as it struggles to survive against the Vietnamese reclaiming their home in a bloody and vicious battle for liberation. It’s likely that the old guard will finally meet their final demise, and the People’s Republic shall rejoice.