The Department of Agriculture – Calabarzon (DA-4A) has launched an information campaign to actively recruit the region’s youth to pursue careers in agriculture so they can contribute to the country’s food management cycle and food security.

This is the agency’s response to the advancing age of Filipino farmers, whose average age is currently 57 years, and who are expected to retire soon.

Radel Llagas, chief of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Sunday that although there is an increase in food demand due to the rapid growth of population, fewer people are getting involved in food production.

“There is a continuing decline in the enrollment in agricultural courses and this poses a serious threat to agricultural development and more importantly, food security,” he said.

Llagas said DA-4A has launched the “Information Caravan on Agriculture for the Youth” to encourage young people in the five-province region to pursue studies in agriculture and related fields.

He disclosed that some 200 students from Malvar Senior High School participated in the information caravan’s Batangas leg on Thursday.

The lectures focused on the overall meaning and importance of agriculture, its progression over time, and the paths that students can take in college, Llagas explained.

Sharing their insights during the learning session were key DA officials, including Joy Priol of Lipa Agricultural Research and Experiment Station, Dennis Bihis of the Quezon Agricultural Research and Experiment Station and Hazel Reyes of the research division.

Malvar Senior High School principal Rosalie Liwanag said it was the perfect timing since graduation is fast approaching.

“It is a big step for their teachers to provide a wider option for college,” he added.

The DA is also bringing its message to elementary students, by way of activities such as the Regional On-the-Spot Poster Making contest and the upcoming National Rice Awareness Month in November, and the “Be RICEponsible” infocaravan.

The Young Farmers Challenge also offers capital to aspiring “agri-preneurs” and scholarship programs for the youth to pursue a baccalaureate course related to agriculture.

He also underscored that the partnership that the DA build with the educational institutions, local government units and other sectors of the society to push for the advancement of their campaigns is critical as these institutions help mold the future of the youth.

Llagas is urging the students to consider the law of supply and demand and apply it to agriculture, production, and manpower.

“Agriculture is a necessity and it needs you,” he told the students. (PNA)