FIVE young individuals involved in agriculture received P50,000 each as seed money as part of a program of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to attract more youth to farming.
Those who each received P50,000 in grant were Kristine Mae Baluzo, Mark Lee Babaran, Christian Paolo Magsino, Rochelle Lafrades and Robert Diala, who were among the 16 participants who presented their business improvement plans (BIPs) to a panel of judges.
The grants were given under SEARCA's Young Agripreneurs Building Opportunities, Nurturing Growth (Yabong) Bootcamp, a three-month training program supported by East-West Seed Co. to nurture and support young Filipinos involved in agriculture.
SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said that as part of their graduation requirements, the participants successfully submitted their BIPs, incorporating all the learnings they acquired from the Yabong hybrid training (online and face-to-face) on vegetable farming and entrepreneurship.
Gregorio was one of the panel of judges together with Jose Marie Lopez, East-West Seed Philippines general manager; Mary Ann Sayoc, East-West Seed Foundation Philippines president; Enrique Villaroman, Go Negosyo mentor; and Joselito Florendo, SEARCA deputy director for administration.
The BIPs were assessed by the judges based on completeness, implementation feasibility and sustainability, innovativeness and confident delivery.
Emphasizing that there is a future in agriculture, Villaroman said "nothing would ever please me more than hearing your success stories. You are all winners in my book."
"Don't stop and move on. When there's change, there's improvement. When there's improvement, there is growth," said Lopez in his message reminding everyone that change should be welcomed and not feared.
The awarding of the top five winners was announced at the graduation ceremony held at the SEARCA Umali Auditorium on May 9.
"Going into agriculture will not guarantee you being rich, it will guarantee you happiness," said Gregorio during the graduation rites.
Baluzo, owner of the Baluzo Farm, impressed the judges with her proposal to expand her organic farm accredited by the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines in Daet, Camarines Norte.
Baluzo said she did not expect to win and that being part of Yabong was a blessing. "It is not enough just to be successful; you must be relevant," she said.
Babaran of M2C Urban Farm and Move to Change Foundation member landed in second place. His vision is also to provide more scholarships to children of farmers and fishers. "These are all for the students of the foundation," he said.
Lafrades, a businesswoman from the Ilocos Region, left a mark through her "inartem," or pickled vegetables, showing to the judges her interest in marketing an Ilocano style of preserving fruits and vegetables. "Let us nurture agriculture! This will be the start of the harvest of the world," she said partly in Ilocano.
An heir to a 61-year-old farm, Magsino presented how he improved his grandfather's business by adding livestock production through free-range chicken rearing and vegetable growing utilizing hydroponics.
Diala, the owner of Luntiang Bukid, proposed farm-ready seedlings to ensure a higher germination rate. "It's not about cultivating seeds only, it's about cultivating a community," she said.
A special award was also presented to a passionate farm leader from Quezon province, Genivie Marqueses, who is dedicated to engaging the youth in farming in her community.
SEARCA said Marqueses previously faced eviction from her current land but remained unfazed and continued helping farmers in her community.
For her efforts, Marqueses and her group will get a one-year supply of seed products from East-West Seed Co.
Lichelle Carlos, SEARCA Emerging Innovation for Growth Department EIGD program specialist, said the participants also had the opportunity to visit a nearby vegetable farm using hydroponics technology operated by PARJV GroSolutions.