Date: 27 September 2010, 16:00-
Place: Dai-kaigishitsu (the biggest meeting room) on the third floor of Inamori Memorial Hall
Speaker: Jose V. Camacho Jr.
(chair of Department of Economics and associate professor of economics and associate dean, College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines)
Title:
An Analysis of the Decreasing Trends in Enrolment and Graduation in Philippine Agriculture-Related Higher Education Institutions: Implications for Philippine Economy and Human Resource Development in
Agriculture
Abstract:
The agricultural sector remains to be the backbone of Philippine economy. The sector provides raw materials on which the rest of the economy depends. More than one third of the population is employed in agriculture, agribusiness and agriculture-related industries. It contributes nearly 20 percent to the country's gross domestic product. However, agricultural labor productivity has not improved for several years now. Compared with its Asian neighbors, the agricultural sector has lagged behind. The country did not post satisfactory performance in terms of yield and production of various agricultural commodities. It is therefore a common lament that the comparative advantage of Philippine agriculture has continuously declined; its competitiveness and trade balance has eroded. In sharp contrast on what it had experienced in the past decades as net exporter or agricultural commodities, the Philippines since 1994 have been a net importer. One cause of alarm along this trend is the declining quality and quantity of human resource deemed critical to spur structural change in agriculture through innovation, research and development. For several years now, private and state colleges and universities have experienced decreasing enrolment and graduates in agriculture and agriculture-related degree programs such as forestry/agroforestry, agribusiness, agricultural economics, animal husbandry and dairy science, farming systems, agricultural engineering and agricultural technology. If this trend remains to be unchecked or not reversed, the country will lack trained individuals and skilled professionals who will play crucial role in innovating new ideas, methods and materials that will accelerate agricultural modernization, a transformation coupled with the development of institutions, and improvement in people's livelihood and employment in an environment that is responsive to the challenges of global economy. This paper will examine the causes of declining enrolment and graduates in agriculture and agriculture-related higher education institutions in the Philippines. It will analyze the profile of these institutions including an investigation of their student enrolment and graduation trends support infrastructure and facilities and their curricular degree programs and governance. The paper will be significant as it contributes to the analysis of Philippine development issues and problems, specifically on the country's persistent decline in agricultural productivity and competitiveness. It revisits and reasserts the role of agriculture in poverty alleviation and in ensuring food security.