Considering that the human resource base of the agriculture sector is aging and keeps dwindling through the years, one of the major thrusts of the Department of Agriculture (DA) is the provision of support to young Filipino farmers.

Responding to the country’s agricultural challenges and opportunities, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and the Japanese government commit together to work on the Young Filipino Farm Leaders Training Program in Japan (YFFLTPJ).

It was already past midnight when we arrived at Delmor Integrated and Diversified Farm in Barangay Pinamangguan, Kadingilan, Bukidnon. Judging from the long hours of our travel visiting and monitoring other farms, I feel like diving straight to a ready-made bed any time soon the moment young farmer Ren Rey Delgado welcomed us in his 1.3 hectare farm.

She was only nine when she started helping around in their farm.

Jayasree Harsha or Jaya of Jaya Secret Garden in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon later wowed the crowd attending the 2015 National Agriculture & Fishery, Forestry, and Natural Resources Extension Symposium at the AIM Conference Center in Manila. She was lauded in every invitation and opportunity to discuss and share her farming knowledge in various organic agriculture congress mounted by both regional and national offices.

It was my first time to go to Sumilao, when the bus dropped me off in Kisolon. When I asked around for directions, I found out that from the juncture between the national road and the road going from the opposite direction from where I was dropped off, is where Sumilao is.

Most Asians are lactose intolerant, and Filipinos are no exception. We put our local dairy industry at a disadvantage since generally, we are not milk drinkers, and the country’s dependence on milk imports even puts the milk industry in a dire situation. I, for one, can only take in limited amount and a lot more can churn disaster on my tummy.

My conversation with Andre Paulo Paraguya revealed a young dairy farmer bent in changing the scenario by providing quality, tasty, and affordable milk and other milk-based products in his neighborhood---one bottle at a time.

As much as possible, I hate judging someone else's cooking because I don't want to dampen their joy in the kitchen or drive to create something from scratch. Our Chef Wars this afternoon showed that preparing and sharing food is a unifying act because we ended the activity happy and fulfilled.