Why I am pursuing an agriculture-related career?

I was previously a BS Electrical Engineering student who shifted to BS Agricultural

Economics last 1st semester of AY 2017-2018. I have already spent 5.5 years of my residency in
the University the time I was shifting and already at the maximum allowed residency. Despite this
situation, I took the risk and pursued shifting because this course is what I really want.

When I was a child, my father would always ask me to help him do chores in the farm. The
money we earn was used to support our family’s daily needs. Unfortunately, we don’t have our
own land to till. My father is tilling my relative’s land to plant rice and other crops. During harvest
time, the income will be divided in half: fifty percent goes to the owner and the remaining fifty
percent goes to all the expenses including fertilizer, rent for farm equipment, helpers, and finally,
what’s left becomes my father’s income, which is only a small percentage. Sometimes, a week’s
work will only give him two thousand pesos, and that is not enough to sustain our needs. My
mother, on the other hand, is a plain housewife. Sometimes she weaves pandan hats which will
only be sold for Php 5.00 per hat, and one pandan hat can be finished within an hour. Farmgate
prices of agricultural products are very low, making it hard for our farmers to have a better life. As
a young curious boy, I grew up wondering why the price of rice or copra is very low, making it
hard for my parents to sustain our needs and support our education. When I was in high school,
I remember the time that I became our school representative to an agriculture-related quiz bee
which was held in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Unfortunately, that day, my parents cannot give me any
allowance. The situation forced them to sell our remaining stock of rice just for me to be able to
compete and represent our school. I got really disheartened when I found out that the remaining
sack of rice, intended for consumption until the next harvest, costed only less than a thousand.
The situation was painful to think about, but it motivated me to prove to my parents my ability.
The day of the contest, I came prepared, and my parents served as my inspiration. I came back
home full of joy, bringing to my parents the award that I got to represent Laguna in the Regional
Contest. This memory is still clear in my mind, and I will never forget the smile and happiness of
my parents.

To this day, this memory inspires me to do well with what I am currently studying. With
this, I would like to study how economics and market affect agriculture and how the principles and
concepts behind these fields of knowledge work. I want to help my family, and in the long run, all
the farmers in the country to have a better life in the future.