Not a profitable job, deprived of land ownership, and lack of support from the government. These are some of the reasons often cited for the reluctance of many young people—including the children of farmers—to pursue farming as a career. Experts anticipate a severe global farmer shortage in less than ten years, threatening agricultural sustainability and food security. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), approximately 65–75% of young people in rural areas do not want to work in agriculture due to limited access to land, inadequate training, lack of funding, and the perception that farming does not offer a viable or prosperous future.

For the Asian Farmers Association (AFA) , it will entail a great deal of work to empower and assist young farmers in reaching their full potential in agriculture. There is a need to increase their motivation to remain in the agriculture sector by educating the public about agriculture as a viable career path that merits greater attention because it can contribute to local economic growth, food security, poverty alleviation, and climate-smart solutions.

AFA has programs for young farmers in collaboration with partner organizations such as the Pacific Farmer Organization (PFO) and the International Cooperative Alliance Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP). These initiatives include alliance building, policy advocacy, learning exchanges for young farmers, capacity building, and many more. Last August -12-16, 2024, AFA, in collaboration with ICA-AP and PFO, conducted the first-ever Young Farmers Camp and Agrilympics (YFCA) to increase and encourage youth involvement in agricultural development. It is a five-day activity held at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.

This project aimed to help in creatingan enabling environment and platform/mechanism for youth to continue to participate in agriculture. YFCA’s goals include raising public awareness among youth that farming can be a fun and viable career, popularizing existing agricultural production and enterprise initiatives, inspiring young farmers to develop innovative ideas, and providing a forum for dialogue between seniors/mentors and young farmers. As we face the challenges of an aging population of farmers, the importance of nurturing a new generation of farmers cannot be overstated. The YFCA served as a platform for young farmers to collaborate and  showcase their talents and innovations in agriculture.

Contributed by: Thesa Elaine Mallo (CDA intern) | Photo courtesy from AFA Facebook Page