LIPA CITY, Batangas – The Department of Agriculture-Region 4-A has launched an information campaign to actively recruit the region’s youth to pursue careers in agriculture to enable them to contribute to the country’s food management cycle and food security.
This is also the DA's response to the advancing age of Filipino farmers, whose average age is currently 57 years, and expected to retire soon.
Radel Llagas, chief of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section, said that although there is an increase in food demand due to the rapid growth of population, fewer people are getting involved in food production.
“There is a continuing decline in the enrollment in agricultural courses and this poses a serious threat to agricultural development and more importantly, food security,” he said.
Llagas said DA-Region 4-A has launched the "Information Caravan on Agriculture for the Youth" to encourage young people in the five provinces in the region to pursue studies in agriculture and related fields.
The DA is bringing its message to elementary students, by way of activities such as the regional on-the-spot poster-making contest and the upcoming National Rice Awareness Month in November, and the "Be RICEponsible" information caravan.
The Young Farmers Challenge also offers capital to aspiring "agri-preneurs" and scholarship programs for the youth to pursue a baccalaureate course related to agriculture.
Llagas underscored that the partnership that the DA builds with the educational institutions, local government units, and other sectors of the society to push for the advancement of their campaigns is critical as these institutions help mold the future of the youth.
“Agriculture is a necessity and it needs you,” Llagas said.