Tick tock… Tick tock…. Tick tock…

The time is ticking, and we still live in an era when the agricultural sector is seen as a job for the older generation. The time is ticking, and we still see the next generation elsewhere but not in the sector that feeds this nation. The time is ticking, and we live in the riskiest days, when the climate is seemingly claiming the land we till through extreme calamities. The time is ticking, and our food and future are at stake.

These scenarios are calling us to pull the trigger once and for all if we want to see a transformed future for the generations to come. It’s about time we fan into flame the flickering embers of the sector–the Filipino youth–who have so much potential to change the narrative.

In one of his dialogues with farmer-awardees of the 50th Gawad Saka Awards in 2025, held in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. himself highlighted the need for the nation to tap the potential of the youth through new technologies.

“Kailangan natin pumasok sa mga bagong teknolohiya... Ang mga nakauunawa at practitioners ng high-tech agriculture ay ang mga kabataan. Sila ang magtuturo sa atin ng mga bagong teknolohiya,” President Marcos said.

Over the past five years, the Department of Agriculture has introduced programs that hope to entice the youth to agriculture. Some of these include the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC), the Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs (KAYA) Loan Program, the Mentoring and Attracting Youth in Agribusiness (MAYA), the Youth Internship Program on Organic Agriculture (YIPOA), the Filipino Young Farmers Internship Program in Taiwan and Japan, the Infomediary Campaign, the Summer Youth Internship Program (SYIP), Credit Program for Out-of-School Youth (OSY), AGRISIKAT, and the 4H Club of the Philippines.

While these programs are seen as effective, with their high acceptance and participation among the youth, most young people today still subscribe to the perception that agriculture is a poor man’s job. The question is, what more can we do to enhance their engagement?

Potentials of Mechanization

The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) launched the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Mechanization Program in 2019, following the passing of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, which was amended for its second phase in 2024 through R.A. 12078.

As of this writing, the program has distributed a total of 34,737 units of free machines and facilities to 8,221 eligible farmers’ cooperatives, associations, and local government units, or approximately 1,403,988 rice farmers across the country's rice-producing provinces.

In terms of impact, these machinery grants have reduced production costs by Php 2,824.00 per hectare when using four-wheel tractors for land preparation, Php 2,975.00 per hectare when using rice transplanters, and Php 10,900.00 per hectare per year when using rice precision seeders for crop establishment. They have also reduced postharvest losses, which, when added to the harvest, amount to an estimated 66,362 metric tons per year, thanks to the distributed rice combine harvesters valued at Php 1.21 billion. Additionally, 3,797 metric tons per year are saved using mechanical dryers valued at Php 72.15 million.

Value addition has also occurred through the state-of-the-art rice milling facility distributed under the program, achieving higher recovery rates of 65%, which can be converted to an additional 7.38 million kg of milled rice annually, valued at Php 310 million.

These impacts are geared toward improving the quality of life for Filipino farmers who continue to have the highest poverty incidence among the basic sectors in the country (PSA, 2021). With such programs, farmer groups now own and have access to multi-million-peso rice production machines and postharvest facilities. They are gaining control of the industry, as they can now sell dried palays or well-milled rice in the market. The shift is taking place with mechanization.

Changing the Trajectory

For PHilMech, mechanization is the jumping-off point in enticing the youth into agriculture. That is why, as part of the strategic communication component of the RCEF Mechanization Program in 2021, the Youth for Mechanization (Y4M) has become a standalone program in 2025. This initiative hopes to change the trajectory of Philippine agriculture in the next 10 to 20 years with the next generation.

As of this writing, the program has already reached nearly 3,000 Filipino youth across 21 provinces, including Quezon Province, Camarines Sur, Bohol, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Leyte, Zamboanga del Sur, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Apayao, Kalinga, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Aurora, Bulacan, and NCR. Various advocacy campaigns and boot camps have gained advocates who have been truly impacted by the program.

Here are some stories from the Y4M advocates at Central Luzon State University who have participated in the program.

“Growing up, I really wanna be a doctor po talaga. That’s my ultimate dream po talaga. Now that I have experienced Youth for Mechanization, I’ve truly known my purpose, and I really wanna be here in the field of agriculture. I want to be an advocate and continue striving and helping the people, and of course our farmers, here in the Philippines,” said Emmanuel Louis Neri, a first-year agriculture student.

“Y4M became an eye-opener and an avenue through which I found my purpose in life. I have already instilled in my mind how agriculture served its importance in our nation, but Y4M went beyond teaching and fostering knowledge that solely existed in my mind; it discovered a path where agriculture became rooted in my heart. Y4M is and will always be a testament to how powerful collective action can be so transformational… it moves the heart that bears the success of the next generation,” said Elyyahson Rosales, a first-year veterinary medicine student.

“My Y4M experience transformed my perception of agriculture because I realized that agriculture isn’t hard to love; you just need to understand and appreciate it. Bago ang Y4M, I saw agriculture as simply planting and farming. Pero dahil sa experience, I realized na mas malawak pala ito. Agriculture is not just something I want to study, but something I want to grow with and contribute to,” Zhiane Gabriel Pambid, a first-year agriculture student.

“Nabibilib po ako sa sarili ko kasi na-experience ko po yung mga ganitong bagay na ikinukwento po sa akin ng tatay ko na hindi nya pa raw nararanasan. So it;s an honor po na maranasan ko po yung makapag-drive ng mga machines and ma-try sila. Kung paano sila pa-andarin and kung saan po sila ginagait sa bukid,” said Efraim Joseph Gañalongo, a first-year agriculture student.

“Like many people, I saw it (agriculture) as something outdated, something you fall back on when you have no other choice. Then Youth for Machanization (Y4M) came. This didn't just teach me about agriculture, it redefined what agriculture means and how I perceive it. That realization did not lead me to take an agriculture course, but it shaped my decision to pursue Doctor of Veterinary Medicine,” said Mara Babasoro, a first-year veterinary medicine student.

In 2027, Y4M will start establishing organizations in public high schools and state universities and colleges to enhance students' appreciation of agriculture and to increase enrollment in agriculture-related courses. Additionally, with the support of local government units, the agency will encourage young farmers to form cooperatives, enabling them to gain better access to government grants for mechanization.

Meanwhile, toward the end of this year, PHilMech will begin training Y4M advocates to become machinery operators, farm school specialists, engine mechanics, and agricultural drone pilots.

Through these initiatives, PHilMech aims to cultivate a new generation of skilled mechanization advocates who will continue the pursuit of a food-secure Philippines.