12/07/2026
| Why Our Agriculturists Are Leaving?
The Philippines faces a paradox that should alarm every policymaker. We continue to lament the aging population of Filipino farmers, the declining interest of young people in agriculture, and the country's growing dependence on imported food. Yet, at the same time, we allow thousands of highly trained agriculture graduates to leave the country—or abandon the profession altogether—because the opportunities they deserve simply do not exist at home.
Every year, state universities and colleges produce graduates in agriculture equipped with expertise in crop science, crop protection, soil science, agribusiness, animal science, biotechnology, and climate-resilient farming. They are trained to become the next generation of scientists, researchers, extension workers, and farm managers who could help transform Philippine agriculture. Instead, many find themselves searching for opportunities abroad or shifting to entirely different careers.
For many graduates, the reality is discouraging. Entry-level positions are limited, salaries are often too low to match the years of education and training required by the profession, and permanent government positions remain scarce. Even more disheartening is the perception that qualifications alone are sometimes not enough. Merit frequently competes with patronage, and competence is too often overshadowed by political connections or personal affiliations. For young professionals who spent years preparing to serve the agricultural sector, this reality is more than frustrating—it is deeply demoralizing.
In such circumstances, choosing to work abroad is not an act of abandoning one's country. It is a rational response to a system that fails to recognize and reward competence. Other countries actively recruit Filipino agriculturists because they value their expertise, offer competitive salaries, provide modern research facilities, and create clear pathways for professional growth. Ironically, while foreign institutions recognize the worth of Filipino agricultural professionals, their own country often struggles to do the same.
The consequences extend far beyond individual career decisions.
Every agriculture graduate who leaves represents one less researcher developing climate-resilient crop varieties, one less extension worker helping farmers adopt modern technologies, one less scientist improving soil fertility, and one less professional strengthening the country's food security. The nation invests public resources in educating these individuals, only to lose their knowledge and skills to countries that offer better opportunities.
This growing exodus becomes even more alarming when viewed alongside the realities of Philippine farming. A study cited by Rappler found that a majority of Filipino rice farmers do not want their children to become farmers because they see little future in the profession. They have witnessed firsthand the hardships brought by low farm incomes, rising production costs, climate uncertainty, and inadequate government support. When farmers themselves discourage the next generation from entering agriculture, and agriculture graduates simultaneously seek careers elsewhere, the country is confronted with a crisis that threatens the future of its food system.
Food security cannot be achieved by policies alone. It requires people—competent, motivated, and adequately supported professionals who choose to build their careers in agriculture. Yet passion alone cannot sustain a livelihood. No amount of patriotism can compensate for salaries that fail to provide financial security or recruitment systems that fail to reward merit.
If the government is serious about revitalizing agriculture, it must begin by valuing the people who have dedicated their education to it. Competitive compensation should no longer be treated as a privilege but as an investment in national food security. Recruitment and promotion in government agencies must be transparent, merit-based, and insulated from political influence. Greater investments in agricultural research, extension services, innovation, and rural development must be matched by meaningful career opportunities for young professionals.
The country cannot continue celebrating agriculture graduates during commencement ceremonies only to lose them months later because they see no future in serving their own nation. The tragedy is not that Filipino agriculturists are succeeding abroad. The tragedy is that they often have to leave home to be given the opportunities they deserve.
If we truly believe that agriculture is the backbone of the economy, then we must start treating those who dedicate their lives to it as indispensable nation-builders rather than expendable workers. Because when the country's brightest agricultural minds leave, they do not take only their talents with them.
They take with them a part of the nation's future.
