The city council has approved an ordinance pushing the youth to engage in farming in the city and providing support for the endeavor..
The ordinance, authored by Councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales, appropriates some P250,000 in the form of an annual fund intended to support young farmers in the city which will be taken from the budget of the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO).
Additionally, the ordinance also institutionalizes the 4-H or Young Farmers Program of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).
Under the 4-H program, youths in the city and their parents will receive training to enhance their competence in the production of crops in small scales in the city.
The ordinance also provides for the provision of proper waste management training for members of the 4-H program to utilize wastewater and organic kitchen waste in their small-scale production of crops.
As part of the ordinance, the CVAO will establish so-called “farm schools” in the city, which will educate the youth and provide a facility where agricultural crops.can be produced.
“Aside from the continuous decrease of both land and water resources, there is also a continuous aging population of our farmers all throughout the country. Thus, we need to integrate strategic development efforts in the delivery of support services in the communities and institutions that will create a long-lasting impact in terms of agricultural development especially in the urban cities like the City of Baguio,” Oracles said in the ordinance.
