The same question reads in a large billboard advertisement along the busy major road in Manila. The message is strong enough for me to fathom the challenges our local farmers face for many years now. Obviously, priority for it is never given.
In the Philippines, farming is the second poorest workforce next to fishing. Our farmers are so vulnerable to hunger and it is disheartening to see how they face a number of trials everyday including costly farm supplies and supplements, trivial return of investment and little to lack of support from the government and relevant sectors coupled with the rising climate change, among many others.
With these realities at stake, the mindset of the millennials is to deviate from the farming profession. To add up to the dilemma, the flamboyant world of advanced technology in the city is too attractive for the curious youngsters in the suburbs. “I prefer the easiest tasks.” This is my impression of the kind of values our youths of today exhibit. The inevitable occurrence of hardships in life can make our youth very vulnerable to lose track of their future if they live by this kind of disposition.
The billboard advertisement moved me. In my opinion, local farming will reach its extinction and there is no other option but to rely on the many pitfalls of food importation. With our ageing farmers and impassive youth, certainly no one can feed us with locally produced food even before reaching ten years from now. Besides, if the global population reaches 9 billion by 2050 as envisioned, how can we address the shortage of the planet’s basic needs with very little resources?
Is it not high time that each of us now step up with all our conviction, conscience and capacity?
Here are five basic ways to empower and inspire our youth particularly those in the rural farming community:
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FNAS was founded by the Kapampangan Development Foundation Satellite Nursery Association (KDF-SNA) and highly supported by the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 3, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Rotary Clubs of Pampanga and Metro Pacific Investments Foundation.
Half of FNAS students are from the indigenous tribes and the other half are from the lowlands of Pampanga. The students earn while they learn and can start their own business or get hired as agriculture technicians, grafters and managers after graduation.
Here are the seven means to support our elder farmers:
- Provide direct livelihood. The business and government sectors should buy agricultural products directly from farmers. Engaging intermediaries can only hamper the advancement of inclusive growth and agricultural sector because too many mark-ups can make our farmers even poorer. If our farmers no longer see any value in what they do, then meeting the needs of a hungry planet will eventually suffer.
- Invest on farmers’ basic agricultural needs. They are the primary labor force who should have access to quality and most affordable farming supplies so that they are guaranteed with reasonable returns.
- The public and private stakeholders and rich landowners should consider coming up with land distribution projects for farmers so that they can also produce food for their own household needs while they set aside the income they get from commercial farming for other basic needs.
- Provide technical know-how to our farmers. They should be able to combat the growing challenges of climate change if they have adequate knowledge, skills and technologies.
- In order for our farmers to achieve economies of scale, they should have access to non-collateralize, unified and long-term loans which should be facilitated by the government, banks and cooperatives as part of its pivotal programs.
- The Healthcare sector should also create highly affordable healthcare packages while the government must offer complimentary healthcare services for farmers on an annual basis.
- Consider a trip to farm as one of our travel itineraries. We will have a lot to learn and livelihood to give for the rural communities. Let us put some element of nobility when taking holidays and give deeper meaning to our souvenir photos.
INSPIRATIONS FROM NEIGHBORING ASIAN COUNTRIES
Passion sustains through motivation. It is good to learn inspiring advocacies and transformation of people from neighboring Asian countries who have impressive milestones in the realm of agricultural development.
One exceptional proof is the Sky Greens in Singapore. It is the first commercial vertical, low carbon and hydraulic driven farm in the world. The inventor and founder, Mr. Jack Ng, saw the need for agricultural development in an advanced country with limited land and resources like Singapore. This is one remarkable achievement, not to mention the unfailing support of the Singapore government to such worthwhile projects. A testimony like this can fuel up our lukewarm spirits towards the sustainable journey of farming and considering the vast land and resources of the Philippines.
Every being like me is a stakeholder. As beneficiaries of farm products, we have a duty within our means to support our farmers and inculcate in them a business-minded way of life so that they are empowered to advance the agricultural sector and we continue to benefit amply from our own locally produced food.
An estimated record of 1.3 billion tons of food wastes yearly is on global statistics. Imagine this massive wastage can already feed the hungriest and poorest of the world’s population, including our farmers. We are not supposed to contribute to this statistics.
Out of respect to our farmers for the hard work they put into producing food under extreme weather conditions just for our ultimate consumption, we ought to take care not to waste food. If we cannot put our shoes into theirs, perhaps we should observe the amount of our food intake from time to time. This random act of kindness is the least we can do to boost the morale of our farmers and interest of the millennials.
As adults, we are responsible for the future of our children. If we cannot even shape their character and show them the value of hard work to reap the rewards of sustainable living, then we are the ones hampering their future as climate change worsens.
The source of our basic needs come from the farming sector. It is truly unthinkable to consider that such fundamental sector is one of the poorest vocations.
The Philippine agricultural sector has great potential and abundant resources. I hope that through this medium, I can encourage everyone to partake in building the lives of our farmers and breeding new generation of farmers and the next.
Other than FNAS, we also have a lot of promising young farmers and agricultural schools in the rural areas. They need invaluable support from those who have more means and who are more learned. We are doing ourselves a great favor by responding to their needs.
Kudos to our farmers, the unsung heroes!
This article was also published on Linkedin. The author is a business consultant and corporate trainer on public ethics, sustainable living and green travel.