Malaybalay City, Bukidnon--- While engaging in conventional or modern technological agriculture, the youth of today needs to be more responsible not only in the family household, but more so in the farm and other family agricultural business venture. This is one of the strategies needed in the farm family approach to agricultural business. Out-of-School Youth (OSY) who are graduates from secondary levels but not from tertiary levels shows strong potential to be tapped and instill in them interest in agriculture.
The advent of Adopt a 4-H’er Program is an opportune time for these young farmers to be developed in making better living condition for their respective families. By applying the fundamental learnings gained from this program, the OSY 4-H’ers are expected to become active participants and significant contributors in developing productive agricultural lands, building farm-business enterprises, and help in ensuring food sufficiency and security for the country.
As beneficiaries of the 4-H Club Youth Development Program and contributors to agricultural development, there is a need to give more attention to the young farmer entrepreneurs among the agricultural sector. Through the program with hands-on training, it intends to educate and develop our OSY 4-H’ers to become successful agri-entrepreneurs by learning the basic concepts and practical application of farm production management; enhance their technical knowledge in the production, processing and marketing of any agricultural commodity/s of their interest; and establish the right attitude, self-esteem and confidence as a farmer-entrepreneur, through actual farming application and hands-on processing and value adding activity.
The participants of the program are 10 selected applicants from the different provinces and chartered cities of Region-X who are bonafide members/officers of the 4-H Club in their respective areas and are interested to become entrepreneurs with an existing cultivated farm.
Outputs expected from them include organic concoctions/fermentations (such as Fermented Fruit Juice, Fermented Plant Juice, Oriental Herbal Nutrient, Natural Insect Attractant, Fermented Amino Acid, Indigenous Micr-Organisms, Calcium Phosphate, and others), Journal/Diary of daily learnings on farming activities and secure two TESDA NC II on Agricultural Crops Production and Poultry Production. (with reports from Cristine A. Galupo, Agriculturist-II)