The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) launched an agriculture talk show to stimulate the youth's general perception of agriculture as a field integrated into the basic education curricula, specifically in science subjects.
The pilot episode of the "Youth in Agri Talk Show" titled "Agri 101 for the Youth" discussed farming practices on crop planting and crop rotation, planting methods such as hydroponic farming, and the difference between tissue-cultured seedlings and genetically modified plants.
These topics were among the salient subjects inquired about by John Dominic Canato, Reese Kaitlin Evangelista, Chloe Gabriel Badulis and Jayzet Yurie Isaiyas from the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba, and Daniel Bulahan and Karl Emjae Cañubas from the Dagatan Family Farm School (DFFS).
To encourage young people to take it as a profession, Sharon Malaiba, SEARCA head of the Partnerships Unit, said the center has partnered with the Department of Education in its efforts of integrating agriculture into early education programs.
"We will be maximizing online platforms such as the talk show in steering discussions and eliciting their interest and curiosity in farming, sustainability and innovation as a support to the center's goal of making agriculture enticing to the basic education students," Malaiba added.
In its pilot episode, the talk show had SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio as a guest expert. It was hosted by youth ambassadors Loise Ann Carandang, senior communications associate, and Joseph Matthew Hedreyda, knowledge resources assistant.
Gregorio was asked questions ranging from his genetics and plant breeding expertise to his work experiences as a professor, agripreneur and farmer.
"The talk show exposed the learners to a wealth of knowledge on different aspects of agriculture, such as modern techniques, sustainable practices, and value chain systems," said Jeremy Feria, DFFS school administrator, as he expressed his appreciation to SEARCA.
Norma "Darling" Bardos-Villamor, Letran Calamba Basic Education Department principal, said the SEARCA director provided the learners with vibrant steps toward the right source of information on farming and the right skills to achieve awareness and interest in developing critical thinking skills, which can be useful in the future.
"If you know agriculture, you will learn everything about life — you will understand what you are eating, what is happening around the world, why there is a food crisis, and why there is a need to eat nutritious food," Gregorio said in underscoring the link between agriculture and learning.
He also encouraged interested youths to visit and tour around SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum and Café to know more about what they do in the Southeast Asian region.