There is an exodus of workers in the agriculture sector, gov’t study finds

by Ian Nicolas Cigaral (Philstar.com) – 15 Nov 2019

MANILA, Philippines — More young and educated workers are leaving the Philippine agriculture sector than entering and staying in it in search of stable income and better working conditions, a government study released Friday found.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that net employment in the country’s agriculture, hunting and forestry sector, or AHF, has been declining since 2010 as workers migrate to the industry and services sectors.

The agricultural employment loss was observed in 15 out of the 17 regions in the country, according to the National Economic and Development Authority, which released the study entitled “Rural Labor Migration: An Analysis of the Loss of the Labor in the Agriculture Sector in the Philippines.”

Agricultural work was substituted for jobs that do not necessarily pay high wages but offer a relatively stable income stream, non-wage benefits and better working conditions.

NEDA added that “internal push factors” that drive workers out of agriculture include rising production input costs (particularly labor), low farm gate prices, land conversion, limited access to credit and output markets, poor management of irrigation systems and changing agro-climatic conditions.

Government investments in education and training alongside cash transfers have also enabled younger family members to finish schooling and later acquire better-paying jobs outside of agriculture, NEDA also said.

“The challenge of boosting farm productivity requires smart policy responses. Without these, most farming systems will remain underdeveloped,” the country’s socioeconomic planning agency said.

“One of the immediate measures is to address coordination failures between and among government agencies, particularly those that implement cash transfer schemes,” it added.

Agriculture production has historically contributed about a tenth to gross domestic product and accounted for a fourth of employed persons.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar has said he wants to grow the sector by 3%-4% in the next three years to achieve greater food security and break a long spell of weak growth that had been a drag on the economy.