TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has filed a bill seeking to establish a National Agriculture Education System (NAES) aim to strengthen agricultural education, encourage more young Filipinos to pursue careers in farming, and improve the country’s long-term food security and self-sufficiency.
The proposal, House Bill No. 4664, is being promoted this July in observance of Philippine Agriculturists’ Month. The measure seeks to integrate public and private educational institutions into a unified national network to strengthen instruction in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and animal husbandry.
According to Romualdez, the creation of the NAES would help accelerate the transfer of modern agricultural technologies, scientific research, and innovations to farming communities, particularly in the provinces, with the goal of increasing agricultural productivity and improving the incomes of farmers and fisherfolk.
The bill also aims to make agriculture more attractive to the younger generation by providing more structured education and training programs, addressing concerns over the country’s aging farming population.
If enacted into law, the proposed system would establish a coordinated framework for agricultural education from basic to higher education while promoting collaboration among schools, research institutions, government agencies, and the private sector.
The measure also provides support for agribusiness development, free community-based training, livelihood guidance, incentives and tax benefits, and assistance to private schools offering agriculture-related programs.
At the national level, the bill seeks to institutionalize a unified agricultural education system backed by permanent funding, technical assistance from experts, and programs designed to increase farm productivity and farmers’ incomes.
The proposal comes as the Philippines continues to face challenges in ensuring food security amid declining interest among young people in agriculture, the aging farming workforce, climate-related disruptions, and rising production costs. Government officials have repeatedly emphasized the need to modernize the agriculture sector and attract a new generation of skilled farmers and agripreneurs to sustain the country’s food supply.
Supporters of the measure said strengthening agricultural education is essential to producing a highly skilled workforce capable of adopting modern farming technologies, increasing local food production, and reducing the country’s dependence on imported agricultural products.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
