Youth immersion programs in Ilocos Norte province continue to gain ground, focusing on agripreneurship and sustainable farming practices.

With ageing farmers, provincial agriculturist Teresa Bacnat on Monday said they have intensified the promotion of immersion programs to students and farm mechanization to encourage the youth to engage in agriculture.

“When they see for themselves that agriculture is a profitable business, they eventually venture into it, ” Bacnat said in an interview.

She said the initiative offers new hope to elderly farmers in the province, with more youth expressing interest in farming as a stable source of livelihood and in ensuring future food security.

“Farming gives us a sustainable source of food and income to support our family. Without agriculture, there is no food to nourish our bodies,” 17-year-old Ivan Luna, a student of the Ilocos Norte Agricultural College in Pasuquin town, said in a Monday interview.

Luna, along with four other classmates, is currently enrolled in a month-long immersion program at the Vir-hills Farm in Barangay Saoit, Burgos, Ilocos Norte.

Managed by Precious Jamorabon, this accredited farm is an agro-tourism site offering fresh produce for pick and pay, sale at Kadiwa stores, and agri-trade fairs. Some items are processed to reduce waste.

The farm is also engaged in mushroom cultivation, poultry production, and hog production. These are processed into longganisa (Filipino sausage) and other value-added products.

Seeing the beauty of farming inspires Ryan Stephen Pablo, Juztine Yanah Nicole Daludado, and Trisha Mae Tangonan to pursue agriculture and fisheries degrees.

“Agriculture is the foundation of life. It’s a noble profession and the key to economic growth,” the three students told the Philippine News Agency in an interview Monday.

Tangonan added that farming will never be obsolete with farm modernization and technological innovation.

“It is a vital industry that ensures food and economics,” Pablo said.

For another student, Lorelie Heart Sagucio of Pasuquin town, immersion programs such as this give her the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom.

“It enriches experience in farming, how to do it right, and makes it a profitable source of livelihood,” she said. (PNA)