Junior and senior high school students were briefed on policies and socio-economic perspective in agriculture by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) in one of the online lecture series.
The online lecture series, “Engaging the Youth in Agriculture (YnA) Program,” is spearheaded by the University of the Philippines Rural High School (UPRHS) and hopes to provide a platform for the advancement in agricultural engagement among public junior and senior high school students. The program is participated by 11 public secondary schools from CALABARZON and MIMAROPA regions with more than 100 participants.
The YnA Program offers a training component on agriculture-related campaigns or advocacies, online courses on the introduction of basic concepts and advancements in various fields of agriculture, practical activities through webinars and boot camps, and agriculture career talks from experts in the public and private sector. In six months, UPRHS plans to execute this online engagement to cover a more diverse range of topics in agriculture.
The Council, which is a consortium member of UPRHS YnA, was featured in the 10th session of the program last April 10, 2021.
Mia Barbara dV. Aranas of the Socio-Economics Research Division represented DOST-PCAARRD and discussed the topic, “Agricultural Policy and Socio-Economics.” Aranas gave a brief overview of the importance of policy in agricultural development and the possible opportunities and involvements of the youth in driving positive change in the agriculture sector.
In her presentation, Aranas discussed how the Council resolves agricultural problems by conducting policy studies and talked about the policy analysis and advocacy framework currently used by DOST-PCAARRD. She showcased some of the PCAARRD-funded and -initiated projects including the development of test kits for carabao mango, adoption of queen pineapple-appropriate standards, and the GALING-PCAARRD Program Against COVID-19, among others.
The collaboration of PCAARRD with UPRHS supports the priorities and programs of the Council on policy analysis and advocacy in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sector and efforts in engaging the youth in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector.