The Philippines is undoubtedly an agrarian economy with agriculture being the leading occupation of the people. Most of that citizens are now living in the rural areas and follow various livelihood options from the agricultural sector. The total land area inside country is 30 million hectares, out of which one 47% is under agriculture. Prime agricultural lands are found around the leading urban and high population density areas.
The agricultural sector in Philippines is divided into four sub-sectors comprising of farming, fisheries, livestock and forestry. Rice and corn be the cause of nearly 50% from the agricultural produce inside the country. This has resulted in the increased awareness about agricultural studies.
Besides rice and corn, another important crop yields inside the country are coconut, bananas, pineapple, coffee, mangoes and abaca (a banana type plant). Apart from these, the secondary agriculture produce include peanut, cassava, garlic, onion, egg-plant, cabbage, rubber, cotton and calamansi (sort of lemon).
The agricultural land inside the country can be a mixture of small, medium and larger farms. An average farm dimension is about 2 hectares which can be usually owned and managed by single family units and add subsistence on the commercial production. The typical farming system constitutes of crop yields like rice, corn and coconut as common base plus includes a few heads of livestock and poultry.
Due to all or any these prevailing conditions, a necessity was felt to impart understanding of the various agricultural practices as well as the latest trends being followed across the globe. This gave birth for the Agriculture Colleges in Philippines, some of that happen to be owned by a state.
The following colleges within the country are thought to be the most effective in terms of infrastructure, the faculty as well as the quality of education.
Pampanga Agriculture College: Primarily established as a possible agricultural school, Pampanga Agriculture College became a state college in September 1974. Originally were only available in 1885, this century old institution is situated on the foothills from the Majestic Mt. Arayat inside the town of Magalang, province of Pampanga. It is distributed on an region of 700 hectares of government agricultural lands. The main focus on the college is on Instruction, Research & Development, Extension Training and Production.
Presently the faculty offers 13 under-graduate courses, 2-year computer course, 2-year course in agricultural technology, agricultural science secondary school, and graduate schools for three masters and three doctoral degrees.
Xavier University – College of Agriculture: This prestigious institution was founded in 1953 from the late Fr. William F. Masterson which is the second oldest within the colleges of agriculture in Mindanao and in addition has the proud position to become the only Catholic College of Agriculture inside entire country. It is also the founding member with the Association of Colleges of Agriculture with the Philippines (ACAP).
The curriculum of Xavier University – College of Agriculture can be a distinctive mixture of active field work plus the liberal arts formation. The main thrust with the college is on Instruction, Research, Extension and Production.
Apart on the above two schools, in addition there are many other state sponsored Universities which offer education for the different elements of agriculture. Most from the colleges are associated with some overseas faculty and organizations which offer valuable inputs all the time.