Problems in Crop Production: Loss of Interest in Agriculture

 Background
Agriculture is the key sector for the Philippines

Agriculture, fishery, livestock, and forestry accounts for one-fifth(20%) of the

Philippine economy’s aggregate domestic output(GDP).
 Agricultural sector employs 39.8 percent of the labor force.
 Agribusiness produces output which accounts for 70% of the total agricultural
output.
 What leads to the problem
 Loss of Agricultural Lands
o The rampant conversion of agricultural land into golf courses, residential
subdivisions, and industrial packs or resorts leads to the loss of interest in
agriculture.
o Small land-holders find it more profitable to sell their land to developers in
exchange for cash, especially since they lack capital for seeds, fertilizers,
pesticides, and wages for hiring workers to plant and harvest the crops.
 Perception of Youth in Agriculture
o The loss of interest among the youth in agriculture in the developing world
is just the contemporary manifestation of the ‘classical agricultural
transformation’, i.e. the process through which a country’s agricultural
sector shrinks relative to other sectors, encouraging the widespread shift
of people out of farming.
o Youth equated agriculture with farming, but made no connection to the
technical or research-intensive aspects of agriculture. Farming was
perceived to be hard, physical labor and stressful because of machinery
breakage, weather uncertainties, and price variances.
o They had no interest in agriculture and seemed to view a career in
agriculture with disdain or at least apathy.
 Loss of Interest in Agriculture
 Leads to lower production rate due to the reduced number of labor force.
 Agricultural practices are getting passed down to lesser and lesser number of
people which may cause these agricultural practices to disappear in the future.
 Food production or crop production is hindered due to the decreasing number of
workers.
 Loss of interest in agriculture may increase throughout the years.
 Solution
 Make agriculture more attractive
 Target those groups who are most relevant

References
Habito, C., & Briones, R. (2005). Philippine agriculture over the years: Performance, policies, and pitfalls.
Policies to Strengthen Productivity in the Philippines.

Holz-Clause, M., & Jost, M. (1995). Using Focus Groups to Check Youth Perceptions in Agriculture.
Journal of Extension.
OECD. (2017). Agricultural Policies in the Philippines. Retrieved from OECD Publishing, Paris:
https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264269088-en

Philippines-Agriculture. (2007). Retrieved from Nations Encyclopedia:

https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Philippines-
AGRICULTURE.html

Swarts, M., & Aliber, M. (2014). The 'youth and agriculture' problem: Implications for rangeland
development. African Journal of Range and Development, 23-27.