SEXY CiA – How To Grow Young Entrepreneurs In Agriculture, A Proposal

The KPAP aims to produce young leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the agriculture and fisheries sector.

Early this month, Friday, 04 December 2020, Justin B Dela Rueda says different PH public institutions formed the Technical Panel for Agriculture, chaired by Prospero E De Vera III (“DA To Harness Youth Potential In Agribusiness[1],”ATI.da.gov.ph). About the same time, the Department of Agriculture, DA, “launched (the) program seen to empower the younger generation (in) agribusiness.” This is the Kabataan sa Pagpapaunlad ng Agrikultura at Pangingisda, K-PAP, Program. K-PAP is ”Youth in the Advancement of Agriculture and Fishery” (my translation). 
(image of young entrepreneurs[2] from Assignmentpoint.com)

K-PAP is a bright idea. Except that giving it a Tagalog name implies that science, or new and improved knowledge, is unimportant! Importantly, the youth entrepreneurship must follow Secretary of Agriculture William Dar’s “The New Thinking for Agriculture” with its 8 paradigms, which are impossible to translate into Tagalog. Besides, we don’t have a knowledge base in Tagalog – where will you get your science? Too, economics does not lend itself to the National Language.
(image of “8 paradigms – Ani at Kita[3]” from Greenoptions.ph)

Now, I’m thinking of my own acronym to put my youth ideas in memorable terms, and here it is!

SEXY CiA.

Science –
This is composed of new or improved knowledge in agriculture and fisheries, to be obtained from the knowledge banks and/or database of state colleges & universities, SCUs, of the country.

Economics –
The youth must be trained to look atobstacles and then around them, and come up with an opportunity or two for new or improved businesses.

eXtra eXtension –
This youth program must be supported by digitally-abled extension people of the DA; SEXY CiA is for field work, advice given in the field, not simply in a classroom.

Youth –
The ages 18-30 are those of the youth[4] (NYC.gov.ph). In or out-of-school, a young one may be included in the SEXY CiA program if s/he shows high intelligence and/or understanding of the SEXY CiA Vision, which was National Hero Jose Rizal’s own vision:

The Youth as Hope of the Fatherland.

Clustering in Agriculture –
From the very beginning of engagement, the youth must be connected to a cluster: farmer association, farmer cooperative, or farm cluster. This is for practical purposes – for the youth to see and learn firsthand what is actually obtaining in the field as well as appreciate and make use of all the assistances that the DA has provided farmer groups so far: cash, food and equipment. The SEXY CiA youth is going to be immersed at once into the new realities of the Filipino world of farming.

Not to be forgotten is that:

Mentors are necessary.

Mentors may come from the private or public sector. Each mentor must have an appropriate sense of engaging in business in agriculture resulting in sustainable returns.

For a start, the DA may tap UP Los Baños as the model implementing institution, and from there develop the SEXY CiA program with regionally important SCUs in mind later.@517

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[1]https://ati.da.gov.ph/ati-main/news/12042020-1453/da-harness-youth-potential-agribusiness

[2]https://www.assignmentpoint.com/business/strategic-management-business/youth-entrepreneurship.html

[3]https://greenoptions.ph/2020/03/14/for-the-youth-you-can-bridge-the-gap/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=for-the-youth-you-can-bridge-the-gap

[4]https://nyc.gov.ph/republic-act-8044/