LAGAWE, Ifugao — The provincial government of Ifugao disclosed the lack of interest of the younger generation in taking up agriculture and forestry courses is greatly posing a serious threat to the national and local government’s effort to rehabilitate and improve the current situation of the rapidly deteriorating rice terraces, which is a premier tourist destination in the global village.

Ifugao Gov. Teddy Baguilat Jr. explained there is a rapid decline in the graduates of courses related to agriculture and forestry which made a serious negative impact in the search for potential youth that could take over the chores of working in the rice terraces and helping the effort to rehabilitate and upgrade the deteriorating watersheds.

According to Baguilat, most of today’s youth are being enticed to enroll in allied medical and information technology courses for the sake of greener pasture, especially when they land in high-paying jobs overseas, thus, agriculture and forestry courses are now left behind.

Over the past 10 years, the governor admitted almost 25 percent of the province’s world famous rice terraces had been damaged because of natural and man-made activities and their restoration has been significantly hampered because of the absence of people to work in the field since many young and middle-aged residents of the province are now employed either overseas or in other parts of the country.

While there are significant gains in the efforts to maintain the productivity of the rice terraces and the beautiful sceneries, he cited the need for an active involvement of the youth in the farm works to sustain the province’s bid to increase the export of the native rice “tinawon,” which is now being patronized by most people in the United States and other parts of the world.

The local chief executive revealed those who are now being left out in the farms are the young ones who could not pursue a higher degree of education and they are now the ones helping their parents in the production of the native rice in the for heritage sites where the terraces are located such as in the towns of Banaue, Mayoyao, Hungduan and Kiangan.

However, Baguilat added the local governments are devising appropriate programs and projects in their respective places in order to encourage the youth to take up agriculture and forestry courses since they are the ones who could help in sustaining the production of the terraces which have been passed on from generations.