DA advises Calabarzon youth to enter agriculture

SF | DA advises Calabarzon youth to enter agriculture | via PNA | An awareness campaign has been initiated by the Department of Agriculture – Calabarzon (DA-4A) with the goal of actively recruiting young people from the region to pursue careers in agriculture. This will allow these individuals to contribute to the food management cycle and food security of the country.

This is the government agency’s answer to the rapidly increasing average age of Filipino farmers, who are currently 57 years old on average and are projected to retire in the near future.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Sunday, Radel Llagas, chief of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section, stated that even if there is a rise in the demand for food as a result of the rapid growth of the population, less people are getting involved in the production of food.

According to what he had to say, “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.”

According to Llagas, DA-4A has started a program called “Information Caravan on Agriculture for the Youth” in order to encourage young people in the five-province region to pursue education in agriculture and fields related to agriculture.

He informed everyone that approximately two hundred students from Malvar Senior High School took part in the information caravan’s leg in Batangas on Thursday.

Llagas noted that the lectures centered on the overarching significance and purpose of agriculture, as well as its development over time and the various educational tracks that students can pursue in college.

Key DA officials, such as Joy Priol of the Lipa Agricultural Research and Experiment Station, Dennis Bihis of the Quezon Agricultural Research and Experiment Station, and Hazel Reyes of the research division, contributed their thoughts during the learning session.

Rosalie Liwanag, the principal of Malvar Senior High School, stated that it couldn’t have come at a better time because graduation is right around the corner.

“It is a big step for their teachers to provide a wider option for college,” he continued. “It is a step in the right direction.”

The DA is also spreading its message to elementary school kids through a variety of activities, including as the Regional On-Spot Poster Making contest, the approaching National Rice Awareness Month in November, and the “Be RICEponsible” infocaravan. All of these events are part of the “Be RICEponsible” campaign.

The Young Farmers Challenge provides funding opportunities to prospective “agri-preneurs” as well as scholarship programs for young people who want to pursue baccalaureate degrees in agriculture-related fields of study.

He also emphasized the significance of the collaboration that the DA builds with educational institutions, local government units, and other sectors of society in order to push for the success of their campaigns. He said that this partnership is essential since educational institutions help shape the future of the younger generation.

Llagas is encouraging the students to think about the law of supply and demand and apply it to other fields, including agriculture, production, and manpower.

He addressed the pupils, “Agriculture is a necessity, and it needs you.” “You are needed by agriculture.”