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Filipino farmers’ social and economic status improved in the last 10 years—PhilRice study
by Marjorie M. Arriola - Monday, 31 May 2010, 12:45 PM
 
balita-dot-ph, May 28, 2010 8:15 pm

SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ, Nueva Ecija, May 28 — A steady improvement in the social and economic status among Filipino rice farmers and their household for the last decade has been noted based in a study conducted by the Socioeconomics Division (SED) of Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice).

The study “Changing Image of the Filipino Rice Farmer”, led by Divina Gracia Vergara, focused on trends transpiring in rice-based farm households and rice lands, and among farmer operators in 33 provinces for the last 10 years.

“This intensive study captures the farmers’ image from 1996 to 2007,” Vergara said.

The study showed that the rice-based farm household income is increasing as gross household income raised from P68,974.85 in 1996-1997 to P127,799.95 in 2006-2007.

The finding is also consistent with the result showing that almost 60 percent of the households are above poverty level (57 percent) in the 2006-2007.

Furthermore, the share of non-farming activities as a source of income had steadily been increasing as the study found that rice and rice-based farmers are now engaged in other business such as rubber production, wood craft, welding, and work overseas.

“This finding implies an important question. The question in the long run will be about the presence of household members who are willing to pursue rice farming in the future or dependence of rice farm households on hired labor for the management of their farms,” she said.

Aside from the improving household and increasing income, Vergara also said that the number of farmers owning rice land had been increasing by 10 percent for the last 10 years.

Moreover, there is also an increase in farmers’ yields regardless of season from 3.30 t/ha to 3.72 t/ha during the wet season and 3.37 t/ha to 3.94 t/ha during the dry season.

Across the three survey rounds, most villages are located in irrigated areas and results showed that irrigation is expanding from 60 to 66 percent, she said.

Current trend revealed by the study also suggests that highly educated persons are venturing into rice farming although the majority is modestly educated or with elementary education only.

There is a two percent increase in the number of farmers with at least college education venturing into rice farming, she said.

In terms of organizing farmers, however, results showed that more than 50 percent of the respondents are not affiliated with rice or rice-based organizations. Most of them have not also undergone training since 2004.

Noting that half of the farmer-respondents have been farming for 20 years, Vergara also said that farmers' households are benefiting from the technologies and services that are being provided by the government.

Despite the interventions, however, average yields gained during dry and wet seasons are still below the experimental and on-farm trial yields, which is 7 to 9 t/ha.

Gaining insight from the study, Vergara and her co-authors recommended that training should be sustained to continuously update farmers’ knowledge.

She also stressed the need of the government to encourage farmers to form or join organizations as through organization, farmers can pool resources and have easier access to government incentives.

She also recommended the expansion of irrigation areas as this creates "more favorable environment for rice farming in particular and agriculture in general."

To attract more people to be involved in rice production, Vergara proposed that technologies lessening the drudgery of rice farming should continually be developed.

“It is important that the government continue to monitor the rice-based farm household to determine or approximate the impact of their interventions. This will also give them enough knowledge on the direction of the policies that they would to improve the countryside,” she added. [(PNA)LOR/zst/AG/ps]

Source: Filipino farmers’ social and economic status improved in the last 10 years—PhilRice study
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