By Jerome Alangui-Muguet Polonio, Ph.D.
This October, as the nation celebrates National Cooperative Month 2025, the spotlight turns toward one of the most urgent conversations of our time: the role of young people in shaping the future of agriculture. The Yes to Agriculture Youth Summit 2025, organized by the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), and set for October 22–24, embraces the theme, “Farming with a Purpose: Youth Leading Sustainable Agriculture.”
This theme reflects more than a slogan — it embodies a movement, a conviction that Filipino youth are not simply waiting in the wings as future farmers. They are present-day leaders, innovators, and changemakers who can transform agriculture into a vibrant sector of inclusivity, sustainability, and cooperation.
Agriculture has long been the backbone of the Philippine economy, yet it faces persistent challenges: aging farmers, dwindling interest among the younger generation, environmental pressures, and vulnerability to climate change. Amid these realities, the youth bring fresh perspectives and a willingness to embrace new approaches. They are integrating digital technologies into farming, experimenting with climate-smart methods, and forming enterprises that value not only profit but also social impact and environmental responsibility.
Cooperatives stand as vital partners in this journey. They provide the organizational framework for young people to come together, share resources, and scale up their initiatives. Within cooperatives, youth find mentorship, training, and solidarity. They are encouraged to see farming not just as individual labor but as collective empowerment — a way to create livelihoods, strengthen communities, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs — particularly those focused on ending poverty (SDG 1), eradicating hunger (SDG 2), promoting decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), and protecting the environment (SDG 13) — find direct expression in the cooperative and youth-led agricultural movement. Through their leadership, farming becomes a mission aligned with global aspirations for justice, equity, and sustainability.
The Yes to Agriculture Youth Summit 2025 is not only a venue for learning but also a platform for inspiration and collective action. It brings together young leaders, cooperatives, government agencies, and development partners to exchange knowledge, build networks, and craft pathways that will ensure agriculture remains both viable and meaningful for the generations to come.
As we celebrate Cooperative Month, let us recognize and support the youth who are at the heart of this transformation. Farming with purpose is farming with vision — a vision carried by the hands, hearts, and minds of today’s young Filipinos. With their leadership and the strength of the cooperative movement, the future of Philippine agriculture will not only be sustained, but it will thrive.
Mabuhay ang kabataang Pilipino! Mabuhay ang kilusang kooperatiba!
