15/10/2025
๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ก:
๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด
Honored to join distinguished presenters in the Panel Discussion on The Future of Family Farming: Policy innovations for young farmers, to explore innovative policy solutions supporting the next generation of family farmers.
There are various reasons that compel many, including young people to from rural areas and agriculture. This imperils the future of sustainable agrifood systems. The session explored various policy and investment approaches from around the world that empower young farmers and strengthen the generational sustainability of family farming.
The Bangsamoro remain agricultural. The poorest region in the archipelago, just transitioning from more than half a century armed conflict, almost half of the Bangsamoro population are below 15 years of age, with the median age at 19 years old. We do not have to push young people back to the countryside we just have to keep them there.
They already tend to be open to new skills and technology which are necessary to migrate from mere subsistence farming and herald modern agriculture. We also need to further emphasize that farming is an enterprise which can help job generation and boost rural economies. The development of pertinent skills, attitudes and technologies can also help promote climate resilience.
In the Bangsamoro, we are already dedicating a third of our budget for education. We are still pushing for earmarking in the ministries, offices and agencies budget for science, technology and innovation. We already have a Bangsamoro Youth Commission. We are already seriously studying the proposal to establish a regional government owned corporation that will engage in financing, establishing and operating finance, production, processing, manufacturing and trading enterprises.
We have so much to do and so little time to rehabilitate and develop our economy as well transition from more than half a century of war. We also understand that Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform, BARMM need policy, technical and funding support from and cooperation with the national government, as well as iNGOs, foreign allies and multilateral formations such as the UN and the ASEAN. We also have our young farmers and farming families - the critical mass for development, stability and prosperity. There are also enough spaces for cooperation in the international, regional, national, subnational and local levels.
This early we already wish to manifest our deep appreciation of Secretary Francisco "Kiko" Tiu Laurel Jr. and the Department of Agriculture - Philippines as well as Dr Lionel Dabbadie and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for their unqualified commitment to the Bangsamoro.
