ENDEAVOR
Sonny Coloma
“The average age of the Filipino farmer is 57 years old.”
A few years ago, a billboard along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) declared this in an apparent effort to make passersby aware of the waning interest in Philippine agriculture.
In a research paper written for the Scalabrini Migration Center, Maruja M. B. Asis, PhD, posed a crucial question – “Sowing Hope: Agriculture as an Alternative to Migration for Young Filipinos?”
Affirming that the average age of Filipino farmers is between 57 and 59 years old, she pointed out: “Young Filipinos are increasingly less interested in the agriculture industry, in part due to farmers being underpaid and underappreciated.”
She cited three key trends that underpin the decline in interest on agriculture among Filipinos.
First, with a median age of 24 years old, having attained a higher level of education and being more tech-savvy compared to previous generations, the Filipino youth are exposed to a wider array of career opportunities.
Second, agriculture’s decreasing share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) reflects its decreasing productivity that translates into a declining quality of life and an “unappealing” future among farmers.
Finally, there is the appeal of diaspora, the proverbial greener pastures in foreign lands that, ironically, has resulted in many of them being “concentrated in low-skilled and vulnerable occupations regardless of their high educational backgrounds.”
For all the foregoing reasons, the Manila Bulletin launched Agriculture magazine in 1997 under the stewardship of Zacarias Sarian, who in 1974, received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for literature and journalism for sparking interest in farming and agriculture.
Sarian joined Manila Bulletin in 1991 and headed the agriculture section, including the monthly Agriculture magazine in 1997. He also wrote the column Agri-Talk in the Philippine Panorama in which he heralded the success stories of farmers and farms until he passed away in December 2020 at the age of 83.
Continuing Zac Sarian’s legacy, the annual AgriMovers awards were given last week to celebrate the unique contributions of outstanding social entrepreneurs.
Francisco ‘Paco’ Magsaysay was recognized for steering Carmen’s Best Dairy Products, known for its best-selling ice cream brand. This venture grew out of Real Fresh Dairy Farms, Inc. in 2007 when Magsaysay’s father, former senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., realized that the Philippines imports 99.6 percent of its dairy. The farm practices High Temperature Short Time, a pasteurization process where milk is heated to 76.5 degrees for 15 seconds before being brought down to a cooler temperature, resulting in a creamy texture and delicious taste.
Rex Puentespina received the award for Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation, part of a family-owned group of businesses that has been in the agriculture industry for more than five decades. Malagos grows cacao to make artisanal chocolate; raises goats to make artisanal cheeses; produces and sells cut flowers and cut foliage; and runs a nature-themed resort that includes the first chocolate museum in the country, all within Davao City.
Its flagship product, multi-awarded Malagos Chocolate, was one of the brands that helped pave the way for Philippine cacao’s international recognition. Malagos artisanal cheeses made from farm fresh goat’s milk have likewise made a mark on the local food scene.
Princess Kumalah Sug-Elardo organized The People’s Alliance for Progress Multi-Purpose Cooperative in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in 2010, producing fine coffee under the Sulu Royal Coffee brand. The coop members have been able to send their children to school, put up houses, and a better water system. Peace and order are maintained and government workers have set up health centers.
The cooperative continues to grow its network, partnering with distributors and investors, as well as purchasing property where they plan to set up a training center. Sulu Royal Coffee’s efforts to engage farmers in coffee farming has brought peace in the rural war-torn areas of Mindanao.
Through the initiative of chieftain Bae Inatlawan, the Inhandig Tribal Multipurpose Cooperative (ITMPC) was organized in 1998. It focused on coffee and abaca as these high-value crops were deemed friendly to the forest environment that the tribes lived in at the foot of Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon.
In 2017, the cooperative topped the Arabica category in the Kape Pilipino Green Coffee Quality Competition organized by the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. and represented the Philippines in the Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle, Washington. The cooperative works with Mt. Kitanglad tribes to safeguard the forests in their ancestral domain and improve the education of indigenous youth.
Recognized with the Youth Award were sisters Dayang Iman Sahali and Alyssa Sahali Tan who are co-founders of Mangan by Iman, a Tawi-Tawi-based social enterprise that produces seaweed chips. It was founded by the erstwhile Manila-based Tausug sisters in July 2020 after they returned to their hometown of Panglima Sugala to weather the pandemic. They raised their aunt’s local seaweed chips business to world standards in an effort to elevate the lives of everyone along the value chain, and help sustain the operations of a local school.
Mangan by Iman also partners with local seaweed farmers, buying their harvests at competitive prices. Proceeds have been channeled to the rebuilding of the Tongbangkaw Elementary School, where the children of the seaweed farmers study.
As observed by Manila Bulletin lifestyle editor Arnel Patawaran, Zacarias Sarian’s name “will always be associated with the future each of us should like for ourselves — a future in which we can grow our own food — (as he) lived a lifetime planting seeds that, with hope, we could grow into the future he believed we deserve.”
Sonny Coloma
“The average age of the Filipino farmer is 57 years old.”
A few years ago, a billboard along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) declared this in an apparent effort to make passersby aware of the waning interest in Philippine agriculture.
In a research paper written for the Scalabrini Migration Center, Maruja M. B. Asis, PhD, posed a crucial question – “Sowing Hope: Agriculture as an Alternative to Migration for Young Filipinos?”
Affirming that the average age of Filipino farmers is between 57 and 59 years old, she pointed out: “Young Filipinos are increasingly less interested in the agriculture industry, in part due to farmers being underpaid and underappreciated.”
She cited three key trends that underpin the decline in interest on agriculture among Filipinos.
First, with a median age of 24 years old, having attained a higher level of education and being more tech-savvy compared to previous generations, the Filipino youth are exposed to a wider array of career opportunities.
Second, agriculture’s decreasing share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) reflects its decreasing productivity that translates into a declining quality of life and an “unappealing” future among farmers.
Finally, there is the appeal of diaspora, the proverbial greener pastures in foreign lands that, ironically, has resulted in many of them being “concentrated in low-skilled and vulnerable occupations regardless of their high educational backgrounds.”
For all the foregoing reasons, the Manila Bulletin launched Agriculture magazine in 1997 under the stewardship of Zacarias Sarian, who in 1974, received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for literature and journalism for sparking interest in farming and agriculture.
Sarian joined Manila Bulletin in 1991 and headed the agriculture section, including the monthly Agriculture magazine in 1997. He also wrote the column Agri-Talk in the Philippine Panorama in which he heralded the success stories of farmers and farms until he passed away in December 2020 at the age of 83.
Continuing Zac Sarian’s legacy, the annual AgriMovers awards were given last week to celebrate the unique contributions of outstanding social entrepreneurs.
Francisco ‘Paco’ Magsaysay was recognized for steering Carmen’s Best Dairy Products, known for its best-selling ice cream brand. This venture grew out of Real Fresh Dairy Farms, Inc. in 2007 when Magsaysay’s father, former senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., realized that the Philippines imports 99.6 percent of its dairy. The farm practices High Temperature Short Time, a pasteurization process where milk is heated to 76.5 degrees for 15 seconds before being brought down to a cooler temperature, resulting in a creamy texture and delicious taste.
Rex Puentespina received the award for Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation, part of a family-owned group of businesses that has been in the agriculture industry for more than five decades. Malagos grows cacao to make artisanal chocolate; raises goats to make artisanal cheeses; produces and sells cut flowers and cut foliage; and runs a nature-themed resort that includes the first chocolate museum in the country, all within Davao City.
Its flagship product, multi-awarded Malagos Chocolate, was one of the brands that helped pave the way for Philippine cacao’s international recognition. Malagos artisanal cheeses made from farm fresh goat’s milk have likewise made a mark on the local food scene.
Princess Kumalah Sug-Elardo organized The People’s Alliance for Progress Multi-Purpose Cooperative in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in 2010, producing fine coffee under the Sulu Royal Coffee brand. The coop members have been able to send their children to school, put up houses, and a better water system. Peace and order are maintained and government workers have set up health centers.
The cooperative continues to grow its network, partnering with distributors and investors, as well as purchasing property where they plan to set up a training center. Sulu Royal Coffee’s efforts to engage farmers in coffee farming has brought peace in the rural war-torn areas of Mindanao.
Through the initiative of chieftain Bae Inatlawan, the Inhandig Tribal Multipurpose Cooperative (ITMPC) was organized in 1998. It focused on coffee and abaca as these high-value crops were deemed friendly to the forest environment that the tribes lived in at the foot of Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon.
In 2017, the cooperative topped the Arabica category in the Kape Pilipino Green Coffee Quality Competition organized by the Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. and represented the Philippines in the Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle, Washington. The cooperative works with Mt. Kitanglad tribes to safeguard the forests in their ancestral domain and improve the education of indigenous youth.
Recognized with the Youth Award were sisters Dayang Iman Sahali and Alyssa Sahali Tan who are co-founders of Mangan by Iman, a Tawi-Tawi-based social enterprise that produces seaweed chips. It was founded by the erstwhile Manila-based Tausug sisters in July 2020 after they returned to their hometown of Panglima Sugala to weather the pandemic. They raised their aunt’s local seaweed chips business to world standards in an effort to elevate the lives of everyone along the value chain, and help sustain the operations of a local school.
Mangan by Iman also partners with local seaweed farmers, buying their harvests at competitive prices. Proceeds have been channeled to the rebuilding of the Tongbangkaw Elementary School, where the children of the seaweed farmers study.
As observed by Manila Bulletin lifestyle editor Arnel Patawaran, Zacarias Sarian’s name “will always be associated with the future each of us should like for ourselves — a future in which we can grow our own food — (as he) lived a lifetime planting seeds that, with hope, we could grow into the future he believed we deserve.”