Why not try agriculture? DA to hold agri summit to get young Filipinos into farming, fishery
In a move to encourage more Filipino youth into farming, a two-day agriculture summit will be hosted by the Department of Agriculture (DA) from May 11 to 12.

"The first-ever 'Youth in Agriculture Summit' is slated as the DA recognizes the power of the youth as prime movers in transforming the Philippine agriculture and fishery sector towards modernization and industrialization," said Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Saturday, May 8.
“The Filipino youth is a key driver to ensure the attainment of a food-secure and resilient Philippine agriculture, leading to a better performing economy, today and in succeeding years. And given the country’s aging farming population, the engagement of the youth is crucial to boost the agri-fishery sector,” he added.
Statistics showed that the number of farm workers has been declining at the rate of 1.5 percent every year since 2007. In a span of five years, from 2015 to 2020, employment has slumped from 11.8 to 9.8 million.
This is because majority in the youth sector opted to enter into other industries as they looked at agriculture as a dying and obsolete industry, according to Dar.
The two-day summit will serve as a venue for the youth to interact with youth leaders and youth advocates, build their network, and learn from their experiences through various breakout sessions.
With the theme, “PLANT: Producing Leaders in Agriculture towards the New Thinking,” the event will also highlight opportunities that are available for the youth sector through various programs and services of the DA.
It will be streamed via the department's official Facebook page.
“Our youth plays a crucial role in the government’s food security target. We need them to get on board as they have the defining attributes when it comes to bright and fresh ideas, their out-of-the-box thinking, and full grasp on modern trends and technologies will be a game changer in food production,” the DA chief said.
Dar assured the youth that the department has numerous projects and programs to support them to start their agri-fishery enterprise and realize their aspirations.
The summit will be led by the office of Undersecretary for Special Concerns Waldo Carpio, in collaboration with the Bureau of Agriculture Research (BAR), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fishery (PCAF), and the National Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development (NCI-SRD).