Entrepreneurship & Leadership As Challenges In Agriculture To Youth & La Salle University


What is the future of Philippine agriculture?!

De La Salle University (La Salle) was founded in 1911 by Catholic Brothers; the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (now UP Los Baños) was founded in 1908 – after more than a century of ignoring the countryside, now La Salle is looking at what it can contribute to the Business of Agriculture. Welcome!

Gumamela Ceres Bejarin says (27 August 2021, “Future In Agriculture Takes Spotlight In Ley La Salle’s Business Law Conference 2021” with the theme “The Future In Agriculture” DA.gov.ph):

Agriculture Secretary William Dar highlighted the important role of the younger generation in innovating, serving, and leading towards the development of the Philippine agriculture during the Ley La Salle’s Business Law Conference on 27 August 2021.

Mr Dar said at the virtual conference:

I am always especially pleased when educated young people show an interest in agricultural development and the future of Philippine agriculture. We of course recognize that the youth have most to gain from this future-oriented development agenda.

The entrance of Roman Catholic La Salle into the agricultural scene is much welcome because the Filipinos are mostly Catholics.

As head of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Mr Dar’s thoughts have something to do with the fact that farming is an ageing profession, the average age of PH farmers being 53 now, according to a UP Los Baños survey. “Assuming that average holds, we might reach a critical shortage of farmers in just 12 years or so,” he said.

He then encouraged the young conference participants from Ley La Salle, “the premier organization for Legal Management students, aspiring lawyers, and advocates of the law of De La Salle University,” to apply their skills, talents and vigor into agriculture and agribusiness.

Specifically, he mentioned the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) loan program called Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs (KAYA). KAYA offers zero-interest loans of up to P500,000 payable in 5 years for young agripreneurs, those who are 18 to 30 years old, and are graduates of either formal or non-formal schooling.

Aside from KAYA, there is the Mentoring and Attracting Youth in Agribusiness (MAYA) Program. MAYA is a 24-week internship for developing young Filipinos into agri-fishery entrepreneurs, or training them to become future leaders serving the agriculture sector. These are historic loans for Filipino youth.

Mr Dar said:

As Secretary of Agriculture, I am committed to providing opportunities for the youth to ensure they are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also agents of change, reform, and agricultural modernization today.

“As a leader in molding human resources who serve the church and the nation,” according to its website, the university is an ideal partner with the DA for harnessing the youth into agribusiness. Now, La Salle will have to learn more agriculture. As an agriculture graduate and a teacher, I suggest La Salle begins its journey into the unknowns of PH Agriculture by inviting un-successful representatives of farmer cooperatives and associations for talks/conversations. That’s only for starters:

Failures should teach as much as successes!@517

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