Magna Carta of Young Farmers sought in Congress

Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima has filed a bill seeking to establish a Magna Carta of Young Farmers to protect their rights and address challenges facing young people in the agriculture sector.

House Bill No. 10042 adopts in full Senator Francis Pangilinan’s Senate Bill No. 719 and seeks to establish mechanisms and policies that encourage young people to pursue farming and contribute to the growth of the agricultural sector.

The proposed measure calls for the creation of a National Young Farmers Council and a National Young Farmers Roadmap to ensure that young farmers are prioritized in the formulation and implementation of national policies and programs supporting their development.

It provides assistance in quality education, farm planning and management, and access to markets to help young farmers become more competitive.

The bill also guarantees young farmers access to free legal services, affordable farmland, technology, credit, and capital.

Concerned government agencies would be mandated to provide young farmers with information on policies, programs, projects, subsidies, and funding opportunities.

The measure also seeks to strengthen the land rights of young farmers through improved access to affordable farmland, exemptions from land transfer taxes, and assistance in land and farm planning and management.

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Science and Technology, would be tasked with establishing model farms that showcase diverse, sustainable, and climate-resilient farming practices.

The bill also seeks to protect young farmers from discrimination, red-tagging, and violence while recognizing and preserving their cultural identities and indigenous farming traditions.

“Global issues such as the Ukraine-Russia war, the conflict in the Middle East, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have heavily affected trade and caused rising prices, highlight the fact that we cannot be overly dependent on importation,” De Lima said in a statement.

“Malinaw ang kailangang gawin: Palakasin ang produksyon, hindi ang importasyon. Pero paano kakayanin ito kung kulang ang suporta sa ating mga magsasaka? Dahil nga sa hirap na kanilang dinaranas at sa kapiranggot na kita, marami sa ating mga magsasaka ay hindi na gugustuhin pang pagsasaka rin ang maging hanapbuhay ng kanilang mga anak,” she added.

(The solution is clear: strengthen production, not importation. But how can this be achieved when our farmers lack sufficient support? Because of the hardships they endure and the meager income they earn, many farmers no longer want their children to pursue farming as a livelihood.)

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, De Lima said the number of workers in agriculture and forestry declined from 9.73 million in July 2022 to 9.22 million in October 2022.

A 2021 report by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies also found that population growth in rural areas, shrinking farm sizes, and low incomes have driven workers away from the agriculture sector.

“Umaasa tayo na sa darating na SONA at sa nalalabing termino ng Pangulo, mailalatag ang mga totoong solusyon sa mga hamon sa sektor, at ang mga kongkretong serbisyo na mararamdaman ng mga magsasaka ang pakinabang, nang mahikayat ang kabataan na tumulong sa pagpapayabong ng agrikultura at sa pagkamit ng food security,” De Lima said.

(We hope that in the upcoming State of the Nation Address and during the remainder of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term, genuine solutions to the challenges facing the sector will be laid out, along with concrete services whose benefits farmers can directly feel. This will help encourage young people to contribute to the development of agriculture and the achievement of food security.)

Marcos is set to deliver his fifth SONA on Monday, July 27, with food security among the key issues expected to be addressed.