My Family History in Farming - And How I will Change it with The Power of Computer Science

 I grew up in a small farming community in the Philippines, surrounded by rice fields that stretched out farther than I could see. Agriculture was the center of our lives. It was our source of food, income, and identity. My grandparents spent their entire lives working the fields. My parents did the same. From a very young age, I learned how to plant rice, pull weeds, and help with the harvest. It was the only life we knew. For many years, we believed that hard work in the fields would keep our family stable. But slowly, everything began to change, and agriculture became the reason our family fell apart.

The first big blow came when unpredictable weather started ruining our crops. For generations, our planting schedule followed a clear pattern, but now the rains came late or too early. Sometimes the fields would flood, and other times they would dry up completely. I remember one year when we planted everything with hope. We borrowed money to buy seeds and fertilizer. Then a typhoon hit just a week before harvest. The entire field was destroyed. My parents stood in the mud with their heads down. That was the first time I saw my father cry.

Debt followed us everywhere after that. Farming is expensive. People who have never farmed do not always understand this. You have to buy seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and sometimes rent equipment. When the harvest fails, you still owe the money. My parents borrowed from local lenders because banks would not help small farmers like us. The interest was so high that no matter how hard we worked, we could never pay it all back. One failed harvest became two. Then three. Soon, the debt was so big that we could not breathe without feeling its weight.

Fights started at home. My father became more distant. My mother blamed him for making bad decisions. He blamed her for not managing things better. I would sit quietly in a corner while they argued late at night about money, fertilizer bills, and how we would survive the next season. My older brother dropped out of school to help in the fields, but even with extra hands, it did not change anything. The land could no longer give what it used to give.

Then the pests came. It started small. A few insects here and there. But every year it got worse. One season, the fields were completely infested with brown planthoppers. The rice turned yellow and died before we could harvest. My father tried using chemicals, but that only made things worse the next year. The soil grew weaker. The harvest got smaller. It was like the land itself was giving up on us.

My grandmother got sick during this time. We could not afford proper medical care because everything we earned went to paying off loans. My mother started selling small things in the market just to keep food on the table. My father sold part of the land to cover the debt, but the lenders kept asking for more. It felt like no matter what we did, it was never enough.

The pressure broke our family apart. My brother left for the city to find work and never came back. My father grew bitter and drank more often. My mother carried the burden alone, trying to keep the small piece of land that was left. I wanted to help, but I was still in school. Every time I looked at the fields, I saw not hope but pain. Those fields had taken everything from us.

The worst moment came when we lost the remaining land. The lender took it when we failed to pay again after another drought. I remember my mother sitting in the small kitchen crying quietly while my father stared at the wall without saying a word. All the work of generations was gone.

Agriculture was supposed to bring us together, but instead, it tore us apart. We lost our land, our savings, and even the bond that held our family together. My parents eventually separated. My brother never returned. My grandmother died without proper care.

That is why I chose to study computer science. I still love the land. I still love the idea of farming. But I do not want other families to go through what mine went through. I want to build tools that can help farmers understand the weather better, predict pests before they destroy everything, and make smarter decisions so they do not lose everything they have worked for. I want to change the system that failed us.

When I close my eyes, I can still smell the wet soil after the rain and feel the sharp edges of the rice plants on my hands. It is a reminder of what we lost. But it is also a reminder of why I fight so hard to build something better. Agriculture destroyed my family, but it also gave me a purpose. It gave me a mission to make sure other families can survive, grow, and thrive where mine could not.