Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan called on the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and local government units (LGUs) to work together to ensure that agriculture graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities needed to address the country’s pressing food security challenges.
Lamenting the aging population of farmers in the country, the lawmaker highlighted the need for key government agencies and local governments to bridge the gap between academic training and the realities of the agricultural sector.
“Ang problema ngayon ng marami nating farmers, yung matatanda na nga at yung mga mangyayari sa komunidad ayaw na mag-farming, hirap sila makakuha ng trabahante. Sabi nila mas mabuti na lang construction 8 to 5 lang,” he said in an interview.
“So, here you have students who need to graduate but before they graduate, they need to do OJT. Eh dapat nakaangkla na yung CHED, yung DA, yung LGU, yung Bureau of Extension Services at yung Bureau of Cooperatives para natutukan yung agri hanggang sa baba,” he added. “And in that way, magkakaroon ng enganyo yung ating mga next generation of young farmers na mag-farming dahil maliwanag yung career path nila.”
Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, shared that each year, about 26,000 agriculture students are required to complete 240 to 360 hours of on-the-job training to graduate.
The DA extension services, whose renationalization he has been pushing for through Senate Bill No. 1991, should be supervising agriculture students, he pointed out.
Earlier, Pangilinan noted that many agriculture graduates either pursue careers outside the sector, find employment abroad, or remain underemployed because of the disconnect between academic preparation, available jobs, and the actual needs of farming communities.
He said stronger coordination among government agencies, academic institutions, and LGUs would help create clearer career pathways for graduates while ensuring that the country’s investment in agricultural education translates into better support for farmers and fisherfolk.
While recognizing that young graduates would like to pursue more stable income-generating careers than work in the farms, the senator explained that this is the aim of his 2019 Sagip Saka Act, which establishes the Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program to transition farmers and fishers from subsistence farming to farm enterprise, management, and development.
“By aligning education, workforce development, and local agricultural needs, we strengthen not only our agricultural sector but also our country’s ability to provide affordable, sufficient, and nutritious food for every Filipino,” Pangilinan said.