Finally, agriculture and farming are now gaining more and more attention in our society as a means for a sustainable career.
Cebu City councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. have drafted an ordinance to grant “full scholarships” to city residents that will take up agriculture-related courses in college to stress importance of the “role of agriculture for food sustainability in the modern industrialized world.”
It should also be remembered that the Chair of the Philippine Senate Agriculture and Food Committee from 2013–2016, Senator Cynthia Villar talked about offering education-related courses to the young to help revive their love for farming during her visit in Cebu.
“Agriculture Scholar Ordinance sa Sugbo” will extend scholarships to 10 college students per year. The proposed legislation submitted to the City Council Secretariat last July 14 has yet to pass first reading but it states the following grant inclusions:
- transportation allowance
- book allowance
- uniform allowance
- school fees
- tuition
Scholar Requirements
- take a full load per semester with no failing grades
- render four years of consultancy service with the city government after graduating
Note: Scholars, who fail to comply with the requisites of the city’s grant, will be asked to pay refund of the city’s expense.
The fee that will be given to the graduates upon rendered will be determined in the Implementing Rules and Regulations. This IRR though will be crafted after the proposed ordinance is passed on its third and final reading. Though they clarified that this does not preclude the Cebu City government to hire the beneficiaries as employees.
The budget allocation that the councilor seeks is P2 million to initially fund the scholarship program. It will be implemented by the Office of the Mayor in coordination with the city’s agriculture department.
Farming and agriculture clearly have the potential to be a big profit career seeing that it is an essential to living. We just need to be up to date with the right farming models and technology to keep up with the times and the global market.
If this happens, children of farmers will already be inspired to stay and continue to grow crops on their land instead of leaving their farms to look for other employments as there will already be proper and healthy earnings. And other young professionals will tend to go on agricultural business as well.
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