The agricultural labor force in the Philippines is decreasing day by day

According to the Daily Inquirer of the Philippines on March 30th, the decreasing agricultural labor force and increasing population in the Philippines may pose a threat to national food security. The average age of Filipino farmers has increased from 46 years in 1966 to 53 years in 2020. In a survey of 923 farmers, 65% believed that their children working in agriculture would have "no future". According to data from the Philippine National Bureau of Statistics, the poverty rate among fishermen was the highest in 2021, at 30.6%, followed by farmers at 30%. According to data from the Philippine National Economic Development Agency, from 2010 to 2017, the agricultural labor force decreased by 25% from 12.25 million to 9.07 million. During the same period, the agricultural labor force in 15 out of 17 major regions across the country decreased, and many agricultural labor forces and agricultural students chose to cross industry employment.