Young students from the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia made up most of the audience of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) digital agri talk show on Facebook.
The second episode of "SEARCA Youth in Agri Talk Show," streamed on the center's Facebook page, garnered over 5,000 views in its first 24 hours and over 120,000 views in less than a month.
SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the show is a non-academic and non-conventional approach to learning which aims to promote agriculture and its importance to Southeast Asian youth, particularly those in basic education.
The second episode, "Winged Warriors: The Unsung Heroes of Agri-Land," on insects in agriculture was aired on Feb. 16, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Students from HFSE International School in Singapore, SMK Seri Jempol in Malaysia, and Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines, had the opportunity to ask SEARCA Deputy Director for Programs Nur Azura Adam about agriculture and insect-related topics.
An entomologist, she served as the guest expert and tackled inquiries that included differentiating insects from other creepy crawlies, discerning good and bad insects in agriculture, understanding how insects eat, and identifying ways to increase the diversity of beneficial insects in the ecosystem.
Sharon Malaiba, unit head of SEARCA Partnerships Unit (PU), underscored the timeliness and relevance of the episode's theme, which helped young viewers understand that each insect has its purpose in nature and that "we should not see them as a nuisance and that should be crushed, sprayed or run away from."
She noted that the episode also aimed at instilling essential knowledge on the positive relationship between insects and the food value chain.
"Making agriculture appealing to the youth is a big challenge. Our main audience comprises Gen Z and Generation Alpha, highly visual learners and incredibly comfortable with technology," Malaiba explained.
"By combining interesting topics and technology, using images, keywords and attractive designs, the 'SEARCA Youth in Agri Talk Show' captures the viewers' curiosity. At the same time, information is presented in simple and understandable bits so they can process it faster," she said.
SMK Seri Jempol Principal Zainon Idris expressed gratitude for inviting their students to the show, adding that it was indeed a wonderful opportunity for the students to be exposed to agriculture, which might encourage them to explore it deeper.
"It can spark their interest in potential agriculture-related careers, such as agribusiness, agricultural science, and other fields. The talk show helps students appreciate the importance of farming and food production," she said.
Idris added that the talk show helps students appreciate the importance of farming and food production.
SEARCA youth ambassadors Loise Ann Carandang, senior associate for communications, and Joseph Matthew Hedreyda, senior associate for events and visitors, both of PU, hosted the talk show posted at https://bit.ly/searca-youth-agri-talk-show-ep2.