The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has extended its deadline for submission of short videos that feature enterprising youth in a contest themed "Amplifying Voices of Youth Agripreneurs."
Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said the center is looking for short videos that feature enterprising youth who ventured into profitable agribusiness and "we are extending the deadline The contest is open to youth agripreneurs (agriculture entrepreneurs) whose age ranges from 15 to 35.
The first prize is $1,000, while the second and third prizes are $700 and $400, respectively.
A prize of $200 awaits the entry with the most Facebook likes.
Gregorio said the videos must not only be about the youth, but also created by young Filipinos and other Southeast Asians from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
He added that the video entries should feature success stories of young people who engage in agricultural or social entrepreneurship and can focus on agricultural production as well as on other ventures along the value chain.
Video entries can be about agribusiness ventures on crop, poultry and livestock farming as well as aquaculture; crop health and protection; hydroponics or urban farming; food processing; and transport, distribution and storage or logistics.
Entries can also be about research and development; digital or technology solutions or services, including mechanization, automation, and robotics; waste management or recycling; renewable energy or environmental services; and agritourism.
"They can also showcase learning and mentoring of youth agripreneurs or interactions of youth with older agripreneurs and farmers and other youth," Gregorio said.
He added that the videos may also show the agribusiness process from sourcing, harvesting, and processing of agricultural produce to marketing agricultural products, using ICT (information and communications technology) in managing the agribusiness, and engaging with customers, farmers and other agripreneurs.
"The entries should tell the story behind the business idea, the journey of starting the business, the challenges faced and the lessons learned," Gregorio explained.
The video entries, at one to three minutes, should present impacts of the agribusiness venture on its stakeholders, which can be the youth's family, farmers and the community, he said.