Around 1000 junior and senior high school students from various schools all over the region responded to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) call to convene for an Information Caravan dubbed as “Kabataan sa Agrikultura, Para sa Bayang Masagana last March 21 in Butuan City.

The activity aims to create awareness among the youth regarding agriculture and its importance. Further, it aims to encourage the younger generation to engage in agriculture and agri-related enterprise.

This is to address recent studies which show that the average age of farmers in the country is 57 and that there is a decline in interest towards agriculture among the younger generation. A report from the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) that enrollment in various institutions that offer agricultural courses all over the country fell from 127,287 for the school year 2016-2017 to 100,922 for 2017-2018.

During the whole-day activity, resource speakers discussed DA programs, projects, and new technologies especially on rice production and mechanization to let the youth know that agriculture has already evolved and is now modernized and that farming could now be done using mechanized types of equipment. Employment and business opportunities in the agricultural sector were also presented.

DA – Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James Monteagudo emphasized in his message the significance of agriculture. “Without farmers, there will be no food. There is no future without agriculture,” he said.

Jerome Taniola, a student of Mararag National High School in Marihatag, Surigao del Sur said that he learned so much from the info drive. “This activity enhanced my knowledge about agriculture and because of this I want to be part of the agriculture sector someday to be able to help feed the world and contribute to the improvement of the economy,” he added.

On the other hand, Kervin Baltazar of Agusan National High School in Butuan City said the activity opened his eyes to the window of opportunities in the agriculture sector. “I am thankful to the Department of Agriculture for conducting this activity and enlightening us, the youth, on the various aspects of agriculture,”Baltazar said.

The DA’s Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division in coordination with the Department of Agriculture – Caraga spearheaded the conduct of the information caravan on March 21 in Butuan City. (vpsanchez)