DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
REGION III
Division of City of San Fernando
PAMPANGA HIGH CHOOL
PHS Blvd., Brgy. Lourdes, City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Tel. No. (045) 961-4261
AGRICULTURAL IS ONE OF THE OPTIONS: A Phenomenological
Research About The Lack of Enthusiasm Among The Current
Generation in Pursuing a Career in Agriculture.
A Research
Presented to the Junior High School Department
Pampanga High School, City of San Fernando Pampanga
Polita, John Paul D.
Pineda, Jayreese Ann F.
Pineda, Sean Angelo C.
Pineda, Althea Mae B.
10 PLARIDEL – 01
JESSHIELA C. DATU
Practical Research Teacher
June 2023
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ABSTRACT
Title: AGRICULTURAL IS ONE OF THE OPTIONS: A Phenomenological Research About The
Lack of Enthusiasm Among The Current Generation in Pursuing a Career in Agriculture.
Name of Researchers: Polita, John Paul D.
Pineda, Jayreese Ann F.
Pineda, Sean Angelo C.
Pineda, Althea Mae B.
Grade and Section: 10 Plaridel – 01
Research Teacher: Jesshiela C. Datu
Institution: Pampanga High School Junior High School Department
Subject: English
Date of Completion: June 2023
The widely bother about the lack of enthusiasm among the current generation in pursuing a
profession in Agriculture is a big threat for everyone. Many young people consider agriculture to be a
labor-intensive, low-tech industry devoid of the glamour and prestige associated with other career
pathways. Agriculture's reputation as a physically hard and uninteresting industry may discourage
young people from viewing it as a viable career option.
The breadth of professional choices available in agriculture is frequently underestimated. Many
young people may be ignorant of the various careers accessible, such as agricultural engineering,
agronomy, agricultural economics, agribusiness management, agricultural technology, and sustainable
farming methods. Their lack of exposure to these possibilities may deter them from pursuing
agricultural occupations
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To add on, many young people are becoming increasingly disconnected from rural lifestyles
and agricultural traditions as civilizations rapidly urbanize and modernize. They may lack direct
farming experience or exposure, which might contribute to a lack of understanding and interest in
agricultural vocations.
The goal of this study is to explain the importance of agriculture to people’s lives such as, it
provides food security, environmental sustainability and economic stability. Agriculture serves as a
backbone of the economy, therefore, without agriculture, the economy will fall down. This case study
also show how it would affect the world and economy when the shortage of farmers and agriculturalists
occurred. The reason why the researchers are aiming to open the youth’s mind about this situation is
because this threat might cause a food shortage, high inflation, wide crisis and many more disasters.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to everyone who helped us
make this research a reality.
First and foremost, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our teacher, Ma'am Jesshiela
C. Datu, for providing vital direction, unalterable support, and expert advice during the whole research
process. Your knowledge and effort were important in shaping our research. We are grateful to the
individuals who gladly took part in our study, since their cooperation and important ideas formed the
basis of our findings.
We thank God for this knowledge that helped us through making this case study. We value this
intelligence that is given to us as much as we value the presence of the Lord.
Finally, we would like to thank our family and friends for their everlasting love, encouragement,
and understanding during this journey. Their faith in us and consistent drive were critical in overcoming
the obstacles we encountered during the study process.
Although it is impossible to name everyone individually, please know that everyone who
helped, directly or indirectly, played an important role in the completion of this research. Thank you for
your invaluable assistance.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
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Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION: ................................................................................................................................. 6
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:....................................................................................................... 7
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: ...................................................................................................... 9
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: ..................................................................................................... 11
ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY: ..................................................................................................... 12
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: ................................................................................. 12
DEFINITION OF TERMS: .................................................................................................................. 13
BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFRENCES ......................................................................................................... 14
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INTRODUCTION:
The decline in interest among the current generation in pursuing a career in agriculture has
raised concerns about the future of the agricultural industry. It served as a threat not only to our economy
but the whole world. This phenomenological research aims to delve into the underlying factors
contributing to the lack of enthusiasm and motivation among young individuals in choosing agriculture
as a career path. By employing a phenomenological approach, the study seeks to uncover the lived
experiences, perceptions, and meanings attributed by individuals to their interactions with agriculture
and the reasons behind their disinterest.
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BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:
There is no question that the current generation seems to not recognize the agricultural courses
to pursue. The false perceptions about the agriculture worsens the problem that our country is facing.
Over the years, there has been a noticeable shift in societal perceptions regarding agriculture. Traditional
views often associate agriculture with labor-intensive work, low social status, and limited economic
opportunities. With all of those, young people tend to choose a career path that will provide a better
source of income to them. However, because of the aforementioned false information, agricultural is
none of their choices. When a parent asks their children what would they want to be when they grow
up, children will often say Engineer, Lawyer, Doctor, Police, Chef etc. These days, a child would prefer
to do gadgets rather than planting trees. It is a pill that’s hard to swallow for our government and its
countrymen. But as it is the reality, it is in need to be faced. According to (Lauengco, 2022), The national
government has set aside a large budget for financial and other forms of assistance and farmer subsidies.
Unfortunately, the government needs to teach, guide and monitor our nation’s farmers to ensure that
they maximize these programs. In addition, agriculture program implementation has been devolved to
the provincial and municipal governments but the local agricultural extension workers are often few
and undertrained. They need to be capacitated further. Many local agricultural officers mean well but
there are a few bad eggs among them. The public, therefore, must participate in monitoring these
programs and reporting actively any mistakes or worse, anomalies. A synergy between national
programs, local implementation and private vigilance must be arrived to allow farmers to benefit
financially. If the current generation of farmers earn more perhaps this can spur the next generation to
take up farming
The goal of this phenomenological study is to acquire a thorough knowledge of the current
generation's lack of interest in pursuing a profession in agriculture. The study tries to understand the
underlying mechanisms contributing to this disinterest by investigating the lived experiences,
perceptions, and meanings assigned by individuals to their interactions with agriculture. The study tries
to dive under the surface-level answers and into the subtle factors that impact young people's views and
decision-making processes about agricultural occupations.
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The ultimate purpose is to provide insights and ideas that can inform plans and actions to
address the present generation's lack of passion for agricultural employment. This study sheds light on
the barriers and challenges that young people confront.
There are several reasons for conducting this phenomenological research on the lack of
enthusiasm among the current generation in pursuing a career in agriculture. Agriculture plays a big
role to the world and our economy as it ensures food security, environmental sustainability, and
economic stability. With all that, all of us can say that agriculture “provides.” From planting trees to be
a source of food, a guidance for starting a business such as poultry, plant stores, and even taking care
of animals, agriculture literally cover all of it up. Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants, raising
animals, producing food and other products for human consumption and use. Agriculture is considered
the backbone of the economic system for developing countries for a reason. It ensures the economic
growth of a country by creating new job opportunities especially in rural areas where it's a struggle to
find good jobs and live a better life in the future. Agriculture also helps to reduce poverty by promoting
agricultural productivity and rural development which will provide income opportunities for small-scale
farmers and helps alleviate poverty in rural communities. It can also reduce the rate of climate change
by doing activities that will help preserve the environment examples are activities that improve the soil,
plant and animal health so we can improve the resilience to climate change. By recognizing and
supporting the importance of agriculture, societies can work towards a sustainable and resilient food
system that benefits individuals, communities, and the planet as a whole. Therefore, a lack of skilled
and sustainable workforce of agricultural industry may cause an immense damage not only to the
economy of our country, but even to the whole world. This study aims to be a wakeup call for young
people to see the significance of the agriculture to the whole economy. Young people must recognize
the barriers that prevents them from having passion towards agriculture, and the researchers aims to
give them ideas about overcoming the barriers.
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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
Given the ideas about the significance or importance of agriculture to people, there will be
several conflicts that people might have when the lack of enthusiasm of current generation in pursuing
a career or profession in agriculture occurs.
The growing population of our country needs a strong source of food supply. Agriculture
provides sustainability in food supply. Without the future farmers and agriculturalist, the country might
not feed the food necessities of its people. Former agriculture secretary William Dar sounded the alarm
in 2021: If nothing is done to make it worthwhile for more Filipinos to take up farming, the Philippines
will face a “critical” shortage of farmers in just 12 years, thus threatening the country’s ability to feed
its own growing population. Dar cited the results of a 2020 study by retired University of the Philippines
anthropology professor Florencia Palis, who determined that the average age of Filipino farmers is 53—
up from 46 in 1966—and that they’ve been working on the farm for 25 years. Assuming a retirement
age of 65, they have only 12 productive years left, with not enough young Filipinos to take their place,
not even their own offspring. In fact, the farmers themselves actively discourage their children from
following in their footsteps. (INQUIRER.NET, 2023)
We can already feel the fangs of mistreatment against our farmers penetrating deeper to our
skin. Farmers themselves discourages their children to follow their footsteps. Without people who are
interested in agriculture, there is a high chance of inflation rate due to the food shortage. The Shortening
of farmers will decrease the production of food causing a reduction in food supplies. Increased food
costs, food shortages, and even potential food crises could result from this, particularly in areas that
strongly rely on local agriculture. A decrease in food production can drive up the prices due to supplydemand imbalances, Higher food prices can lead to inflationary pressures, as food is a significant
component of the consumer price index. This can reduce people's purchasing power, impacting overall
economic stability. (Miller, 2021).
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It can also have a massive impact on the environment because Land management, crop rotation,
and the adoption of sustainable farming techniques all heavily depend on farmers. A decrease in
environmental stewardship brought on by a lack of farmers may result in environmental damage, soil
erosion, and improper management of water resources. (Semuels, 2019)
A big turning point for the entire world due to the current generation's lack of interest in
pursuing a career in agriculture is something the world cannot bear. Multiple crises will arise, and
people's productivity will be threatened. The substantial threat posed by the situation is cause for
concern. This is a problem of economy that can knock the whole world down and bring the world on
its knees.
1. Why do wee need to solve the shortage of farmers?
2. What are the possible problems that we may face when the lack of enthusiasm among the
current generation continued?
3. What is the importance of Agriculture?
4. Is it going to be severe if we let the aforementioned problem happen? If so, why?
5. Why do Filipinos have 12 productive years left?
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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:
This study is aiming for the readers’ better understanding about the importance of agriculture
to their everyday cycle. The main beneficiaries of this research are the ones who resonates and
understands the research at its best. The goal of this research is to serve a gain of knowledge to the
following:
STUDENTS. This may help as a guidance for students when they choose a professional path related to
agriculture. Because of the acknowledged relevance of agricultural professions, this research could act
as a wake-up call to the youth to pursue a career in agriculture. This research will assist future farmers
in learning more about their job.
PARENTS AND GUARDIANS. Parents and guardians could encourage their children to study
agriculture for the sake of the economy's future. This case study would teach them about agriculture.
After reading this case study, parents and guardians may choose to join in agricultural activities.
AGRICULTURALISTS. This research could help our farmers and agriculturalists deal with the farmer
shortage and food crisis. Agriculturalists should encourage their own children to pursue their own career
path after reading about potential future challenges and the benefits of agriculture to a specific country.
ECONOMISTS. Economists can examine agriculture's contribution to national and regional
economies by studying its importance after reading this case study. This research would be able to help
economists in measuring the direct and indirect consequences on employment, income generation, and
general economic growth by evaluating the agricultural economic value chain. This knowledge enables
policymakers and economists to make sound judgments about resource allocation, trade policies, and
agricultural investments.
FUTURE RESEARCHERS. This study will assist future scholars in researching issues that are
relevant or linked to this study. This could be used as a guide or reference for future works or research
papers that require growth and improvement.
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ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY:
This qualitative research study expects respondents to be honest and to provide reliable
information when answering interviews prepared by the researchers for data collection. It is also
expected that the participants' responses and behaviors in the study are consistent with their typical
responses and behaviors in real-life situations. It’s envisaged that readers would obtain information
about issues that are related to or aligned with the research core theme. It is expected that the case study
will help readers understand and follow the concepts and solutions that the research is attempting to
provide. Furthermore, readers are expected to comprehend the conflicts given by the researchers and
identify possible solutions to the problem.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:
The study's goal is to look at the variables that contribute to the current generation's lack of
interest in pursuing a career in agriculture. This research study focuses on the potential ramifications of
the current generation's lack of interest in pursuing a profession in agriculture. The study's material
emphasizes the importance of agriculture to the world and economy, regardless of where the regions
are.
This study will not cover problems that are not related to the researchers' selected topic.
Because the respondents to the prepared interviews are all Filipinos, the findings of this study will only
be applicable to Filipinos. The study will use qualitative research methodologies such as interviews and
focus groups to acquire in-depth insights into the present generation's attitudes, motives, and
perceptions about agricultural careers. The question
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DEFINITION OF TERMS:
To facilitate the understanding of this study, the following different terms are defined technically or
operationally:
Phenomenological – Is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person
point of view. The central structure of an experience is its intentionality, its being directed toward
something, as it is an experience of or about some object. An experience is directed toward an object
by virtue of its content or meaning (which represents the object) together with appropriate enabling
conditions. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2013).
Delve – To carry on intensive and thorough research for data, information, or the like; investigate.
(DICTIONARY.COM, 2023).
Vigilance – More careful attention, especially in order to notice possible danger. (Cambridge
Dictionary, 2023).
Stewardship – Someone's stewardship of something is the way in which that person controls or
organizes it. (Cambridge Dictionary, 2023).
Envisaged – To form a mental image of; visualize; contemplate. To conceive of as a possibility in the
future; foresee. (Collins, 2023)
Ramifications – A related or derived subject, problem, etc.; outgrowth; consequence; implication.
(DICTIONARY.COM, 2012).
A threat or a conflict that people or society is facing. One that can lead to an immense breakdown.
Agriculture – Agriculture is the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising
livestock. (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, 2023).
The main source of income of a country. A sector that supports the economy and the whole country.
Fangs – The consequences of an action that causes a damage to people or things.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFRENCES
The next generation of Filipino farmers. (2022, November 23). Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE
NEWS AGENCY. https://www.pna.gov.ph/opinion/pieces/584-the-nextgeneration-of-filipino-farmers
Dwindling
Filipino
farmers.
(2023,
March
https://opinion.inquirer.net/162058/dwindling-filipino-farmers
30).
INQUIRER.NET.
Labor shortages continue to negatively affect agriculture. (2021, June 22). AGDAILY.
https://www.agdaily.com/insights/labor-shortages-continue-to-negatively-affect-agriculture/
'They're Trying to Wipe Us Off the Map.' Small American Farmers Are Nearing Extinction. (2019, Nov.
20).
TIME.
https://time.com/5736789/small-american-farmers-debt-crisisextinction/?fbclid=IwAR18tuLZCOiJ9pqSSfNYtILhXuc9sGEZdX57xQk_4zxRfjSyUNlc9vPAQ4
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