Tech seen as agri’s best hope for attracting young people to farming

THE introduction of digital methods to agriculture will not only improve the government’s response when allocating assistance to farmers, but could also serve as a gateway for young people into farming, Agriculture Undersecretary Mercedita A. Sombilla said.

“There are some challenges for further improving the food security situation in the Philippines… we need real-time data to come up with intervention plans before the issue of food security comes about,” Ms. Sombilla said last week during the BusinessWorld Economic Forum 2023 at the Grand Hyatt Manila in Taguig City.

Ms. Sombilla said that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is working with development partners to organize such a database for the DA.

In turn, digitalization could serve as a means of “attracting young people to go into the agriculture sector. We need to put up the right policies,” she said.

“In the agricultural world, digital starts by adopting modern farming practices and the latest farming techniques and technologies,” said another forum participant, Juan Victor Hernandez, president and chief executive officer of Metro Pacific Logistics Co., Inc. and Metro Pacific Agro Ventures, Inc.

Mr. Hernandez said that bringing modern technologies and practices will help address low farm productivity. 

“A big portion of the issue of food security is low productivity… The majority of the subsectors of agriculture have the same story. If we can improve technology and practices, we can improve productivity in agriculture,” he added. — Ashley Erika O. Jose