Some 31 agricultural extension workers (AEWs) in Cebu Province attended a consultative meeting facilitated by the Department of Agriculture-Central Visayas through the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (DA-AMAD) today, March 28, 2025, at a venue in Mandaue City.

Guidelines of the DA’s Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Program were introduced to the AEWs, as it also discussed matters about qualifications, as well as status of the enterprises managed by the YFC awardees from the year 2021 to 2024.

With the briefing, more youths are expected to participate and delve in agri-business ventures to promote agricultural development.

DA7’s Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer of Cebu, Marina Viniegas, posed for a youth-led organizations in the municipal/city level to promote agriculture and agri-business.

She emphasized, “let’s give the youth a voice, let’s cultivate their innovative minds, help and support them the services they need towards agricultural development, and inculcate in their hearts that the future of a food secured country lies in their hands.”

Moreover, the Agribusiness Promotion Section Chief, Ligaya Ebarita, and her staff, discussed the necessary documentary requirements for an interested youth to join the YFC, where the participants also raised concerns and clarifications.

Views and suggestions were also laid out as per context under YFC Section 19, which is “Termination Clause”, which stipulates that the DA shall turn over the master list of YFC Start Up Awardees to the concerned LGUs one (1) year after the receipt of the financial grant and submission of terminal report, after which, the LGU is expected to undertake monitoring and evaluation to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the awardee’s agri-fishery enterprise.

Further, the meeting highlighted the 3C’s, which is the convergence, collaboration, and cooperation among all stakeholders to achieve the DA’s twin goals, to increase production and farmer’s income.