CARET - Young & Women Agriculturist SIBO Sibol: Economic Empowerment for Young and Women Agriculturists

Sibol aims primarily to promote the economic empowerment ofyoung and women farmers through (1) access to enablingtechnologies, support networks, and information channels, (2) skillsdevelopment on technology, agriculture, and entrepreneurship, and(3) support provision in developing successful business plans. It iswell-acknowledgedin development economics literature thatdevelopment begins with the economic empowerment of theagricultural sector. This holds trueparticularly in the Philippines,where agriculture employs almost a quarter of Filipinos despitecomprising only 10.2% of the country's GDP (ASEAN, 2020). Therise of vegetable prices vis-a-vis the wastage of vegetable suppliesamid the pandemic lockdowns in 2020 hasshown how thedisconnect between agricultural communities and economic centersthreatens to worsen the conditions not only in rural areas but alsoraise food prices, affecting the poor and marginalized the most. Butthe emergenceof efforts, particularly by young people, to reconnectagricultural communities with buyers in urban centers have shownpromise. Through patchwork efforts, vegetable produce which couldhave been wasted was sold through innovative means using digitaltechnologies, social networking and marketing, and socialentrepreneurship. Thus, an opportunity presents itself not only toadapt the agricultural sector to the realities of the New Normal, but also to reinvigorate the interest of young people to take upagriculture - a looming issue for rural communities as the averageage of farmers rise every year. Agricultural communities are someof the most disconnected in political discourse due to theireconomic vulnerability. The first step in raising their voice is toorganize and collectively act to find solutions toward their economicempowerment. Young people, with their technological savvy andvigor, and women, with their vital skills in productive work andcommunity management in agricultural communities, can herein bethe linchpins to ensure that agricultural communities can becomeresilient in the New Normal. Furthermore, supporting the economicempowerment of the young farmers can allow them to hurdle thebarriers of their lack of access to land ownership, equipment, andcapital. Economically empowering women farmers can also providethem with sufficient footing to break free from the shackles offinancial dependency in the household. With this, the Center forAgrarian Reform, Empowerment and Transformation (CARET, Inc.),together with Reboot Philippines and Roots Collective, hopes toimplement the project Sibol where young and women farmers canpromote the economic empowerment of their communities through:- Organizing Economic Service Programs (ESPs)within theirorganizations based on their community's resources and capacities- Establishing baseline digital access technologies and skills toallow their community better access amid the digital economy -Collectively determining their development trajectory throughfacilitated businessplanning - Strengthening their capacity to fulfilltheir development trajectory through skills development, linkageprograms, access to economic resources, organization growth andresilience and values formation. - Implementing their organizationalgrowth andeconomic services plans (with technical and networksupport provided by the project)