STUDENTS and faculty members of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba participated in the first run in the Philippines of the series titled "Sowing Seeds: Cultivating Youth's Future in Agriculture," a career orientation organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the career orientation on May 2, through the center's Partnerships Unit, was participated by 175 senior high school students who were accompanied by 10 faculty members of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba.
The initiative is part of the SEARCA's Center's Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation (#Y4AGRI) program.
Gregorio said Sowing Seeds aims to step up efforts in promoting agriculture not only to young Filipinos but also the youth sector in Southeast Asia.
"The orientation also seeks to spotlight its potential as a promising career path by showcasing the opportunities awaiting those who pursue higher education in agriculture and related disciplines," he said.
During the event, Gregorio highlighted agriculture's interdisciplinary nature and how it intertwines with diverse fields, such as engineering, law, business and communications. He also explained its significance in shaping economies, innovation and society.
Rico Ancog, one of the Outstanding Young Scientists of 2019 and The Outstanding Young Men in 2022, served as the event resource person, underscoring the role of agriculture in ensuring food security and contributing to economic growth.
Also a professor and the dean of the School of Environmental Science and Management in University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Ancog provided a glimpse of the status of the Philippine agriculture sector, including its ironies, such as the country heavily depending on agriculture but facing substantial job losses.
"One contributing factor is the youth's disinterest in agriculture," he said.
"The youth is moving from rural to urban cities for more lucrative opportunities. We want you to realize what you, as a youth, can do about agriculture because your role and contribution to the sector is valuable," Ancog said.
He explained that young people perceive agriculture as outdated, labor-intensive and financially unrewarding. To change that mindset, he said the youth should know what agriculture has in store for them.
Ancog also said that agriculture offers a wide range of career paths beyond traditional farming, including in research, technology, marketing and international development.
The students also were given a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) and a robotics demonstration at the SHARING Café, the International Rice Research Institute, the UPLB National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology or Biotech, Milka Krem, and the UPLB Accelerating Growth through One Research and Extension in Action Techno Hub and One-Stop Shop.
Gregorio said the Sowing Seeds orientation will also run across other Southeast Asian countries.