Fertile Ground

DA’s KAYA program inspires young Pinoys to get into agri

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar, perceives that in 12 years or so, the Philippines may have a “critical” shortage of farmers – enter the KAYA program. Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs is set to be the first digitized financing program for young Filipinos. It will be key to not just pushing current generations to get into agriculture, but sets the pace for a new industry status quo.

Sprouting interest in agri

With the pandemic taking place, the importance of food security has been highlighted. As a result, a growing interest of the youth in the agricultural “scene” was noticed. It has been visible by the amount of youth who want to get away from the metro, now settling in provinces. Then there’s the surge of household and community gardens, and sprouting numbers of food-related online businesses of farm-to-table produce. Some merely ponder about venturing into agricultural businesses. However, many remain held back by doubts, scarcity of agricultural knowledge, and financial difficulties.

DA’s mission for young “agripreneurs”

The DA studied these concerns, and the end result is the KAYA program. This will be the first digitized financing program of its kind for young Pinoys, under a cash card. Maximizing the use of cash card technology was made possible by a joint venture between DA and Paymaya Philippines, Inc.

So what’s in store for interested users? The KAYA loan program offers a zero-interest, non-collateralized loan of up to PHP 500,000, payable in five years. Qualified recipients should be 18-30 years old, and graduates of formal or non-formal schooling. 

No agriculture school background? There are numerous institutions offering agricultural education. Such as agriculture and fishery-related degrees from higher education institutions, DA and ATI-accredited programs, TESDA programs, farm schools, and more.

DA has been continuously modernizing the application process through their website. The goal is full digitalization, from application to loan disbursements and collections, all done through the Paymaya app and cash cards. 

On top of financial backing, the DA also provides training and mentoring assistance to the new crop of farmers and fishers.

READ – Rice Tariffication Law (RTL): The Other Duterte Legacy

Revitalizing the sector

With the DA’s guidance, these young “agriprenuers” will shortly take over the agricultural industry and will lead the innovation of the country’s food security.

As Dar declared during the 2021 National Food Security Summit (NFSS): “Since the start of the pandemic, the youth has been providing new perspectives, demonstrating entrepreneurial leadership, and mobilizing new movements that are proving beneficial to farm, fishery, and agribusiness sectors in the countryside.”

Such is the reality of the Filipino agricultural industry. We must adapt, or die. It’s time to begin breaking the status quo, associating farming with hard work and poverty. It is an essential industry. They feed the whole country. We must reward our farmers now, supporting them while they are young.

There is unlimited potential in agriculture, specially when backed with enough resources, support, and formal studies. We have only started to scratch the surface. Far greater things lie ahead for the Philippines.

Good job, DA! Congrats on KAYA!

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *