The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Cagayan province, through President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 75, Series of 2019, acquired and distributed the 549-hectare portion of the Cagayan State University in Lallo town, Cagayan province under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). Some 382 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), 30 of whom are graduates of agriculture courses shall be given farmlots for free. This is the first time that the department would give free lands to agricultural graduates.
The Certificate of Landownership Award (CLOA) titles were handed to them by no less than the DAR Secretary, Atty. John R. Castriciones in a landmark ceremony held at the DAR Central Office in Diliman, Quezon City on February 5, 2021. It is proof of the government’s resolve to pursue the constitutionally mandated agrarian reform program.
The objective of the activity, among others, is to encourage the youth to pursue agriculture. The government is seriously encouraging the younger generation to take the reins from aging farmer-leaders, to help attain national food security, and push the nation’s agriculture into the future.
Presently, the government is providing them the much-needed support services, such agricultural lands, credit, capacity- building, and post-graduate scholarships, etc., to make agriculture a sustainable career that can be a steady source of income and make agriculture as a passion and career.
There is great potential for the modernization of Philippine agriculture due to the youth’s technological insights and vitality, they can navigate the nation’s agriculture en route to the digital and smart technologies such as monitoring, analysis and reporting technology through the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analysis. These are the young farmers that will revolutionize our agri sector towards economies of scale in the once very rural countryside.
According to a study, the country could a face shortage of farmers if the current agricultural workforce will not be replenished by young farmers. It also showed that the number of students in agricultural courses have been declining yearly by 1.5 percent. The lands acquired by DAR for distribution were unutilized government-owned lands (GOLs), subjected under Executive Order (EO) No. 75, Series of 2019. (Photos by: Engr. Cherryl Tugude. Engr. Vanessa Layugan, Ms Jenalyn Baleva. et. al.)
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| DAR Secretary Atty John R Castriciones hands over CLOA title to land awarded to agriculture graduates. |
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| The agri-grad ARBs during the organic farm visit in Tagaytay |
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| Some of the 30 agriculture graduates-CARP beneficiaries on their awarded farmlots in Lallo, Cagayan. |
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| ARBs and the DARPO-Cagayan EO 75/GOL Survey Team. |
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| An area of around 549.0000 hectares was acquired for distribution to 382 agrarian reform beneficiaries (includes 30 agri-graduates). |
