FARMING. Some of the members of the Millennial Farmers' Association of Bayambang pose for the camera as they started their actual farming experience in the demo-farm at Barangay Hermosa, Bayambang last June 29, 2019. The local government unit formed the association to encourage young people to engage in agriculture. (Photo courtesy of Millennial Farmers' Association of Bayambang's Facebook page)
BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan -- Some 100 out-of-school youth and students are undergoing on-the-job training in a demo-farm at barangay Hermosa here, as members of the Millennial Farmers Association of Bayambang (MFAB).
Angelica Andrea Garcia, focal person on good governance of the local government unit (LGU), said the project aims to awaken interest of young people in agriculture.
“Many of the youth are no longer interested in agriculture as they see it dirty, messy, and (requires) hard work, so we wanted to entice them since our town already uses technologies or mechanization in farming,” she said in an interview Monday.
The association started July last year and since then, the members attended different trainings on agriculture.
“The members are between 16-24 years old, residents of this town, and they are given food and transportation allowance,” she said.
Garcia added the demo-farm promotes urban gardening and the use of organic fertilizer.
“We use urban gardening to encourage even those living in urbanized areas to still plant,” she said.
Aside from urging the youth to engage in agriculture, the LGU also wants to teach the young people how to plant and provide them other sources of income or livelihood, especially the out-of-school youth, she added.
“They are still on the cleaning period of the farm and soon enough, they would plant and yield the result of their labor,” Garcia said.
The LGU has also requested the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for fish cages since the 1,800-square-meter demo-farm is near a river.
“We would also want to teach about aquaculture,” she added. (PNA)
