Knowledge sharing among urban farmers in a selected barangay in Quezon City, Philippines

Date

5-2026

Abstract

Urban agriculture has become an important strategy for promoting food security, environmental sustainability, and community resilience in highly urbanized areas. Despite increasing urban farming programs in the Philippines, limited studies have examined how knowledge is shared, developed, and sustained among practitioners. This study explored knowledge-sharing processes among urban farmers in Barangay Bagbag, Quezon City, Philippines. Anchored in Social Network Theory and Social Exchange Theory, it conceptualized knowledge sharing as a dynamic social process driven by trust, reciprocity, participation, and collaboration. A qualitative case study design was used, with semi- structured and key informant interviews analyzed through thematic analysis and social network analysis (SNA). Findings showed that urban farmers shared tacit and explicit knowledge, including conceptual, procedural, situational, and strategic knowledge related to urban farming. They relied on experiential practice-based learning, social and community networks, and institutional and mediated systems. Knowledge was exchanged through dialogues, demonstrations, co-practice, resource sharing, printed materials, and digital platforms such as mobile messaging and online communities, with continuous adaptation and validation through local experimentation and observation. SNA revealed a highly interconnected knowledge-sharing network among urban farmers, local urban farming champions, government agencies, and a private institution. Emergent central actors occupied brokerage and bridging positions, exhibited high centrality, and functioned as key knowledge hubs enabling information diffusion, resource exchange, and communication across clusters, strengthening network cohesion and collaborative learning. However, their high centrality also indicates structural vulnerability, where their absence could disrupt knowledge flow and weaken the system. The study further identified trust, reciprocity, leadership, and social embeddedness as key drivers, while limited training access, environmental constraints, and incentive dependence hindered participation. Individual capability and agency, as well as social embeddedness and network position also influenced engagement. The study proposed the Urban Farming Knowledge Sharing Ecosystem (UFKSE) model for sustainable urban agriculture communıtıes.

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree

Master of Science in Extension Education

College

Graduate School (GS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Evelie P. Serrano

Committee Member

Rowena DT. Baconguis, Sherry B. Marasigan

Language

English

En – AGROVOC descriptors

URBAN AGRICULTURE; URBAN FARMERS; SOCIAL NETWORKS; FARMER PARTICIPATION; KNOWLEDGE SHARING; LOCAL KNOWLEDGE; EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

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