Senator Loren Legarda has filed a bill seeking to address a looming labor crisis in the agriculture sector in the face of the country’s aging agri-workforce.

Legarda filed Senate Bill No. 518 which seeks to establish the Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Council to revitalize the Philippine’s agriculture industry through a youth-led reform, revitalizing a new generation of agri-entrepreneurs.

“The average age of our farmers is now 53 years old. If this trend continues, we could face a critical shortage of food producers within the next decade, which will threaten our food security," Legarda said.

The veteran senator said it is imperative for the government to make agriculture a desirable career for the youth, lamenting that nearly three out of 10 farmers and fisherfolk still live below the poverty line, discouraging the new generation of farmers to choose this path.

“We must act now to make agriculture viable, attractive, and dignified for the youth. SB 518 introduces the Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Program, a comprehensive initiative for aspiring food producers aged 15 to 40 years old," the lawmaker emphasized.

Sb 518 specifically offers concrete interventions, including start-up capital and financial support, access to voluntary health, retirement, and calamity insurance, as well as pathways to land access, technical training, and inclusive education geared toward sustainable and modern farming careers.

The measure also guarantees youth participation in policymaking and encourages the adoption of climate-smart and digitally driven agricultural practices.

The bill also seeks equitable and inclusive participation in the program, ensuring a minimum of 30 percent of participants comprising young women, Indigenous youth, residents in coastal barangays, and those from conflict-affected areas.

"We must help in transitioning our industry to the younger members of our workforce, so that new ideas may blossom in a rapidly aging industry," she said.

"We have to break the stigma that agriculture is a last resort. Let us transform agriculture into a sustainable livelihood built on innovation, equity, and resilience as we steer the country toward food security and self-sufficiency.” Legarda stressed.