SEC Registration No. 2022020040550-11
Together, let us help build a food-secure future! The future of food security depends on the anticipated participation of young people in food and agriculture. Without the next generation of food producers, securing food for the future will be a great challenge. It is in this premise that the Kids Who Farm, a Zamboanga City-based non-profit start-up and advocacy initiative that aims to inspire future farmers by educating the youth on the importance and value of food and farming was co-founded by the father and daughter duo of Moncini (Muneer) Hinay and Raaina Hinay of Zamboanga City, Philippines on 26 February 2019. The core team is composed of proactive youth volunteers, young professionals, and community leaders in Zamboanga. Kids Who Farm’s vision is to reverse the persistent trend of aging Filipino farmers by building the expertise of the youth in agriculture and creating urban green jobs incubation opportunities to engage them in the business of farming to secure food for the future. Inspire the youth as the next generation of future farmers by making farming fun and easy to be learned, applied, and sustained;
2. Facilitate youth-centric programs and activities that will provide opportunities for the youth to participate in local food system solutions and community development;
3. Establish community-based social enterprises that will support local food security and promote socio-economic development of assisted communities;
4. Establish collaborative engagement with the government and the private sector to advance the vision and mission of Kids Who Farm. To date, Kids Who Farm has trained over 6,000 individuals across the country on urban agriculture and sustainable production. It has also established 38 community food gardens and school microfarm projects in 25 barangays in Zamboanga City providing fresh and hyperlocal food access to local residents especially in the time of the pandemic. Kids Who Farm has been recognized by the government and private institutions. Among the recognition received by Kids Who Farm were:
1. Conservation Hero Award 2020 by the World-Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines), the world’s largest conservation organization
2. What’s Now, What’s New, What’s Next in Agriculture 2021 by Manila Bulletin
3. Child Friendly Gardening Episode Feature 2020 by Kalye Mabunga Program of Smart Communities, DepEd and DA-ATI
4. Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO 18) by the TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. (Validation Interview Qualifier)
5. 2021 Grand Prize Winner of the PhilDev Foundation and Cebuana Lhuiller Foundation Financial Literacy Innovation Challenge for the Hyperlokal Kapital: Community Savings Club
6. 2021 Peaceweaver Award for Environmental Security by the Interreligious Solidarity for Peace and the Zamboanga Basilan Integrated Development Alliance (ZABIDA)
7. 2021 iDEYA Startup of the Year of the Mindanao Start-Up Challenge by Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology iDEYA Technology Business Incubation Program
8. 2021 Manila Bulletin UPLIFT Award for Agriculture
Kids Who Farm story has also been featured in publications and social media channels:
1. Father and Daughter Put Up an Organization to Teach Mindanao Youth the Basics Of Urban Gardening by Agriculture Magazine of Manila Bulletin
2. Everyone Can Be a Food Hero by WWF-Philippines
3. Say Hello to Kids Who Farm by Greenfields Magazine
4. Kids Who Farm to Get Aid from Google Philippines by Business Mirror
5. Climate Action Stories of Children, Written by Children by the Department of Education
6. Zamboanga Hospital’s Urban Garden by Manila Bulletin
Indeed, our food doesn’t come from a box. It is being produced by our farmers, our food producers. The aging farmer population and the perceived disinterest of the youth of today to engage in farming imperil the future of our food security. Kids Who Farm believes that young as we are, we can be a part of the solution.
