A NEW study highlights the importance of strengthening nutrition literacy and agricultural life skills in the education of Filipino youth.
"Our youth today will be the future experts and leaders... and will have an important role in ensuring that the quality of food from our agriculture sector is able to impact nutrition," said nutritionist-dietician Ma. Cristina Sison, the co-author of the study titled "Youth Engagement in Transforming the Food System to Address Malnutrition in the Philippines."
"Unless more young people pursue careers or vocations in agriculture, the food system's human resources may be at risk," she added.
The study also discussed the lasting effects of chronic undernutrition, such as stunting, which has serious consequences for physical and cognitive development, future productivity, earning capacity, and risk of chronic diseases.
Sison asserted that basic nutrition and agricultural education are not just academic topics but essential life skills that should be integrated into the elementary and high school curricula.
Fellow co-author John Carlo Navasero observed that while current basic education in the Philippines focuses heavily on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM, the coverage of nutrition and agriculture is often fragmented.
However, it was noted that at the University of the Philippines Rural High School, a more holistic and hands-on approach is used, ensuring students gain broader and deeper exposure to these vital topics.
To enhance nutrition and agriculture education both in schools and communities, Howarth Bouis, lead author and 2016 World Food Prize Laureate, called upon educators to tap existing youth organizations, such as the 4H Club, and Department of Education initiatives like the "Gulayan sa Paaralan" (school gardens).
Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) continues to serve as a platform for dialogue on development and research, with the aim of advancing sustainable transformation of Southeast Asian agricultural systems through innovation.
In one of the ADSS held on Sept. 24, 2025, around 80 participants were onsite and online, including students, educators and development practitioners from the Philippines and other Asian countries.
One youth participant reflected, "As a youth, I must be proactive in engaging others about healthy nutrition. When I go back to my hometown, I will encourage them to be involved in small activities like having a garden in their backyard."