To address food insecurity, aging farmers
(THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF NORTHERN SAMAR)
TACLOBAN CITY– In a bid to strengthen the province’s agriculture sector, the provincial government of Northern Samar is set to introduce a new policy offering full scholarships to deserving and indigent students pursuing agriculture-related courses.
Governor Edwin Ongchuan has directed the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), in collaboration with key government offices, to develop programs that will encourage more Nortehanons to engage in farming and agri-entrepreneurship.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns over the declining number of students entering agriculture-related fields and the aging farming population in the province.
Jose Luis Acompañado, PAO head, said that for the initial implementation of the agriculture scholarship program this incoming school year, they have provided 10 slots but will eventually be expanded to 30 scholars in succeeding years.
The provincial government would be allocating P3 million for the said scholarship program with the scholars to receive more than P30,000 per semester to cover their tuition fee and other school fees, stipends, book, and uniform allowances.
Those who will be accepted as scholars under the program are to enroll at the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), the lone government-run university in the province located at the provincial capital of Catarman.
It was learned from Acompañado, there are only 2,939 students from the province who are currently enrolled in agriculture-related courses which include veterinary medicine and fisheries at UEP.
Acompañado also disclosed that the provincial government will also help these young scholars to fully utilize their courses and ensure that they would turn successful.
This initiative aligns with Northern Samar’s broader efforts to achieve food sufficiency, promote sustainable farming, and address workforce shortages in the agriculture sector.
“We hope that this scholarship program will encourage our youths to take agriculture-related courses and eventually, help meet our food sufficiency,” he said Wednesday, Feb.5.
At present, there are more than 32,300 registered farmers across the province, many of them are ‘aging,’ he said.
Northern Samar, which has a population of more than 639,000 people, has rice production of 48,566.18 metric tons as of 2022 period and with rice consumption of 64,366.03 metric tons or a deficiency of about 15,799.95 metric tons.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
