20/03/2023
According to A MAGNA CARTA OF YOUNG FARMERS - Promoting the Contributions of Young Women and Men Farmers to Family Farming, the average age of the Filipino farmer is 57, and assuming an average life span of 70, the Philippines may reach a critical shortage of farmers in just 15 years. Farmers and fishers are getting too old for what is back-breaking work and their children not keen on replacing them in the field or family farm for lack of interest or incentive or both.
In 2011, former Senator Francis "KIKO" Pangilinan described this trend as an ”unseen crisis” and a major threat to the country's food security.
Nationwide, the younger generation is leaving rural areas, depleting the pool of potential family farmers and farmworkers. Most rural families want their children to pursue more gainful jobs in the cities or overseas as farming is largely associated with poverty.
Enrollment in agriculture and related courses offered primarily in state universities and colleges has declined due to perceived low employment opportunities by students and their parents. On the family farm, young men and women are “all-around” farmers oftentimes assigned the more laborious tasks on their parents or other people’s farms. Young farmers work alongside their parents and when they have families of their own, they still help on their parents’ farms.
Young women and men, farmers are also farm managers, supervisors, or caretakers, while others are small entrepreneurs who put in capital or form joint ventures to increase the productivity of their family farms. They also take on the role of extension workers within the family and community, sharing agricultural knowledge or technology they learn in school or elsewhere.
Many young farmers especially those trained in sustainable agriculture are staunch advocates of environmental protection and chemical-free organic farming. However, the youth seems no longer attracted to agriculture for various reasons. There is a widespread perception that there is no money in farming – their parents were poor farmers, and they will remain poor farmers. Farming is perceived as a lowly job fit only for school drop-outs or those with no options.
Despite these widespread perceptions, Eddie "Ed" Bernabe Catarata from Masbate is a proud son of a farmer and still coming back to his hometown to help his parents on their farm.
The average age of farmers in the Philippines is between 57 and 59 years old, and many young Filipinos do not view a career in agriculture as profitable. But not Ed.
Raised in a family of farmers, Ed has always loved farming.
“Proud ako ito ang pinagmulan ko. Dito ako nagkamulat at nagkaisip” Ed said.
With most Filipino farmers in their late 50s and many young Filipinos having misconceptions about a career in agriculture, RM GOC- AGRI DIVISIONS encourages young Filipinos to work in agriculture, which can eventually contribute to increased food security.
In partnership with LGUs, Farmbest Agri Supply and its affiliates are now doing an Awareness Campaign encouraging young generations to venture into farming, especially the out-of-school youth. These young individuals will not only gain the skills they need to thrive as the next generation of farmers but also help ensure the Philippines’ food security for years to come.
