The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported the highest youth unemployment rate of 31.6% in April 2020. This is during a time when fresh graduates are expected to enter the labor workforce in the country. This, with all the continuous lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus, businesses were crippled. To cope and survive, companies resort to laying off employees, freezing hiring activities, and choosing experienced workers for fewer jobs.

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – In a limited space atop a small building, a healthy vegetable garden provides fresh and nutritious food for the residents of Base MRB Compound in Barangay Commonwealth.

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur—Aimed at making agriculture more appealing to today’s youth, success stories and product innovations of young farmers all over the country were put on spotlight during the 67th Farm Youth (4-H) National Convention.

John Lord Auman, Michael Elechicon, and John Andrew Nero were some of the 4-H Club members who shared insights and lessons learned from their experiences as country representatives to international programs for farm youth in Australia, South Korea, and Japan, respectively.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—The 2019 free seminar series of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) is off to a good start as 370 individuals came for the first topic, Organic Farming for Newbies.

The participants were welcomed by Milagros Urbano, chief of the ATI Policy and Planning Division. She talked about the benefits of organic agriculture which, she said, is mostly "going back to the basics" of farming.

"Going organic is a long and tedious process. You need to be persistent, patient, and optimistic," she stressed.