'Most agriculture graduates do everything but farming'

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos generally dislike farming. They think tilling the soil is a menial, humiliating chore; their values are all mixed up.

This attitude prevails even among the country’s agriculture graduates. A Filipino sociologist has said: “Most agriculture graduates do everything but farming. They take government jobs, teach, do research, etc. They don’t want to touch the soil.”

The country has over a hundred agricultural schools. Only three out of every 100 graduates roll up their sleeves and work in the farm, she said.

Florencio Sudoy, chairman of the Bagong Buhay ng Mabini Multi-Purpose Farmers’ Cooperative in Mabini, Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija, said agricultural workers in the province are decreasing in number every year..

 “Dito na lamang sa Nueva Ecija, sa aking pagkakaalam, pakonti na ng pakonti ng mga tag-rito ang nais maging magsasaka. Karamihan, mas gusto pa nila ang lumuwas ng Maynila at doon magtrabaho sa mga opisina kaysa magsaka sa bukid,” Sudoy said.

He added: “May mga mayayaman ditong magsasaka pero ang mga anak naman nila ay iba-ibang kurso ang pinag-aaralan sa Maynila na sa pagtanda nila ay walang papalit sa kanila sa mga gawaing bukid.”  

A survey by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that large numbers of farmers migrate to urban areas seeking jobs.

The FAO observed that the average farmer earns less than the average blue-collar worker and that income from agriculture is well below the national average.

Cathy Galura, executive vice president for operations of SL Agritech Corp., said “we could reverse the alarming trend by supporting our farmers not only in production inputs, credit and technology, but also by creating more attractive market opportunities in the rural areas.

 “Our country will never prosper unless we give agriculture the highest priority in our national recovery agenda,”  she added.