Filipino Out-of-School Youth’s Competency Development Needs and Attitude Towards Organic Agriculture Production

Abstract

Organic agriculture remains relatively unfamiliar and less popular among many households and youth due to lacking awareness and limited opportunities for practical exposure. Thus, this study aims to assess the needs of the identified Filipino out-of-school youth in the community to acquire competencies in organic agriculture production. Specifically, the study aims to describe the awareness, development needs, and attitude of the out-of-school youth toward organic agriculture; describe the commitment of the respondents towards skills training program, and to propose skills training extension program in Organic Agriculture Production. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design was utilized in the study with total enumeration of 61 out-of-school youth as respondents. Results revealed that the respondents have low level of awareness on organic agriculture which leads to high level of training needs in all aspects of organic farming specially in plant care management and producing organic concoctions and extracts. In general, most of the respondents have positive attitude towards organic agriculture and willing to participate in organic farming trainings. Findings of the study served as the basis for the development of community-based organic agriculture training program which is specifically designed for out-of-school youth, featuring a needs-responsive, context-based, skills-oriented, and livelihood-focused approach within a participatory and empowering learning environment, grounded in their socio-economic conditions, interests, and capacities to ensure relevant and practical learning activities. The study contributed to the promotion of Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 in the Philippines and the sustainability of community-based program using development needs analysis.