Youth still optimistic about impact
of agriculture in the future UPLB aggie students are still very optimistic about the future of agriculture in the country. In an interview with BS Agriculture freshmen and upperclassmen enrolled in UPLB, a vast majority are hopeful of the positive change they can make in the industry after applying what they learned from their course. Freshman Philcas Apostol said that he was already sure that he wanted to pursue a career in agriculture so he could continue his grandfather’s legacy in farming. He said that his family owns the first kiskisan in Tuguegarao and he wants to use his education to build on what his family started. TJ Bersas’ family owns a small farm which his family manages. He said he has witnessed the growth of their produce since they started and wants to help his family achieve bigger heights by learning more about the industry. He said he does not want to squander the gains of his parent’s hard work, so he wants to equip himself with the knowledge to run and expand the business in the future. Hsian Andes, enrolled in agriculture because she wanted to do something different from the rest of her high school classmates who wanted to pursue medicine and engineering courses. She also considers the lack of support for the agriculture sector as a motivator to make an even bigger impact. After graduation, she plans to take up farming and pursue a Master's degree in Environmental Science to focus on sustainable agriculture, the thrust of many countries faced with the threat of climate change. There is a future for agriculture for sure, said Althea Du, another BSA student from UPLB, especially if the tools and resources available are applied and implemented properly. She cited that if the budget and research done by UPLB professors and alumni are applied in the real-world scenario properly, there is no doubt that food security can be achieved. “May pagasa pa naman po kailangan lang talaga para magawa yun ay lampasan ang mga barriers of balakid sa agriculture. Una po yung budget -- nakita ko kasi pagdating ng pag aaral ng agriculture, maraming sources at resources, nasa atin yung College of Agriculture na andito mga studies ng professors at alumni,” she said. “Kaso hindi Naaapply yung pag aaral. If you go out into the field, dun mo makikita na kulang sa budget. Kailangan ma implement ng tama. May budget kaya lang sa pag implement dun nagkakaron ng inefficiency. ‘Di nagagamit ng maayos, hindi na aalocate ng maayos,” she added. She also said that the reason why young people are not interested in agriculture is because it is seen as peasants’ work. More young people are more interested in exploring careers in easier fields like YouTube and vlogging. However, with the recent food crisis, she said that there was a sudden spike in interest in the importance of the agriculture industry which may serve as a turning point. |