To promote youth engagement and employment in the agricultural sector, PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) recently organized a learning session that showcased potential career opportunities after graduation.

In partnership with the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO), the PLDT Group led the Digital Agriculture Working Group of the Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA) in conducting an educational webinar, entitled: Grow with Agriculture: Career Possibilities with Agriculture. This is also part of UPLB’s 114th Foundation Day celebration.

Experts and stakeholders of the agri-value chain system came together to encourage the youth to join the movement towards addressing gaps in agriculture and becoming allies of farmers. Around 100 students joined the learning exchange online.

“Through this initiative, PLDT and Smart want to remind the youth of the vast opportunities in the agricultural sector, beyond the farm level. There is a plethora of exciting prospects in the whole agrifood space including processing, packaging, distribution, transportation, marketing, sales, and agribusiness among others,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management Team at PLDT and Smart.

“This event will be instrumental in the youth’s professional journey in the future, as they will be the drivers of growth and development in the next years to come. The role of the youth towards an inclusive and sustainable path to progress is indispensable and critical especially in today’s digital climate,” said Remelyn Recoter, Director of the Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI).

Among the roster of the webinar speakers were founders and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of social enterprises Agbeam Farms, GoEden, Farmvocacy, and Agrabah, which all aim to support farmers in the challenges they currently face through sustainable and inclusive technologies and innovation.

“I would like to thank our partners from PPSA, PLDT and Smart for this great collaboration with UPLB in hosting this webinar. Agriculture offers diverse and lucrative opportunities for career and professional development. This inspired us all,” said Jose V. Camacho, Jr. UPLB Chancellor.

Since 2019, PLDT and Smart have been working with the sector to promote sustainable and inclusive agriculture, leaving no farmer behind, through technology. This initiative is part of PLDT and Smart’s wider advocacy on This is also aligned with the UN SDGs #1 No Poverty and #2 Zero Hunger.