NEDA: Smart policy responses needed to improve agri employment
Credit to Author: Eireene Jairee Gomez| Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2019 13:00:58 +0000
TO stem the exodus of workers from the country’s agricultural sector, a study conducted under the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) raised the need for smart policy responses and better coordination among government agencies.
Results of the “Rural Labor Migration: An Analysis of the Loss of the Labor in the Agriculture Sector in the Philippines” study showed that there was a prevalent transfer of agricultural workers to the industry and services sector, especially among the young and educated workers.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that net employment in the Philippine agriculture, hunting and forestry sector has been declining since 2010, as more workers are leaving the sector than entering it.
It said agricultural employment loss was noted in 15 out of the country’s 17 regions, mainly because 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.
To address agricultural employment challenges, NEDA said the Philippines needed a holistic and coherent policy design for agro-industrial development and a more responsive institutional setup.
The study also found that reasons driving workers out of agriculture include rising production input costs, low farmgate prices, land conversion, limited access to credit and output markets, poor management of irrigation systems, changing agro-climatic conditions, and increase in the availability of non-agricultural jobs.
Public investments in education and training, together with cash transfers, have enabled younger family members to finish school and acquire better-paying jobs outside agriculture.
The study said an inter-agency committee for agro-industrial development should be convened to formulate region-specific and national strategies for effective design and implementation of cross-cutting programs that affect agricultural development.
“One of the immediate measures is to address coordination failures between and among government agencies, particularly those that implement cash transfer schemes,” a policy note said.
“The challenge of boosting farm productivity requires smart policy responses. Without these, most farming systems will remain underdeveloped,” it added.