Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Selected Vegetable Farmers Towards Agroenterprise Clustering Approach in Majayjay, Laguna

Date

5-2024

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Mar B. Cruz

Committee Member

Eliza C. Aquino, Jennica Amielle M. Mora, Melodee Marciana E. De Castro

Abstract

Vegetable farmers in the country are not engaged in farming entrepreneurship and had limited knowledge of financial management and business operations. With this, they usually suffer from financial problems such as low farm income. With the presence of numerous problems, many solutions had been proposed. Among these is the agroenterprise clustering approach (AECA). This approach has the potential to address the issues faced by farmers by promoting cooperation, sharing of resources, and exchange of knowledge. Furthermore, this study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of vegetable farmers in Majayjay Laguna. Specifically, it aimed to: (a) Describe the farmer profile of the vegetable farmer respondents in Majayjay Laguna; (b) Identify the farm profile of the vegetable farmer respondents in Majayjay Laguna; (c) Present the farm practices (production, marketing, finance, human resources) of the selected vegetable farmers in Majayjay Laguna; (d) Explain the knowledge of Majayjay vegetable farmers towards agroenterprise clustering; (e) Discuss the attitudes of Majayjay vegetable farmers towards agroenterprise clustering; (f) Assess the practices of Majayjay vegetable farmers towards agroenterprise clustering; (g) Analyze the correlation between the farmer’s knowledge, attitude, and practices on AECA; (h) Evaluate the correlation between the farmer and farm profile of the respondents and their knowledge, attitude, and practices of the farmers on AECA; and, (i) Recommend solutions to the identified problems and gaps in AECA.

Eighty-five (85) farmer respondents chosen through snowball sampling participated in this study's face-to-face interview process under the direction of pre-tested questionnaires. The gathered data was grouped, tabulated, and analyzed using summary statistics and correlation. The results of the correlation were used to understand the relationship between the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the farmer respondents towards AECA.

It was found out that farmers in the study area are already aging. Next, males dominate the study area. In terms of civil status, the majority of the respondents are married. All of the respondents have received formal education. However, the majority of the respondents didn’t reach or finish college. In terms of family size, only a small percentage of the respondents belonged to the large group (composed of more than seven family members).

More than half of the respondents have reported that they do not have other sources of income besides farming. Based on the results, a large percentage of the respondents have a high level of (more than 20 years) experience in farming. Next, the annual income of the respondents was reported to be low (less than PhP 110,000). For organization affiliation, more than half of the respondents have stated that they are part of an organization. On seminars attended, all of the respondents have reported that they didn’t encounter or joined any seminar related to AECA.

In terms of farm profile, more than half of the respondents belong to the marginal farm size group (lands that are 0.20 to 0.50 ha). The majority of the respondents have stated that they rent their farmlands.

The farm practices of the respondents were also studied. In terms of production, there were 18 types of vegetables planted in the study area. Kamatis was reported to be the most common type of vegetable grown. It was also found out that the majority of the farmer respondents are not familiar with the variety of their vegetables. In sourcing their vegetables, the majority have stated that they bought their seeds from private sellers. Furthermore, the respondents have stated that they decide what primary vegetable they plant based on its profitability. Appropriate climate conditions are reported to be the most important factor for a farmer in deciding what vegetables to plant in a given season. For nutrient management, the majority of the respondents have stated that they use both organic (chicken manure as the most common) and synthetic fertilizer for their vegetables. On the other hand, the most popular pesticide used by farmers is Selecron and Supermethrin. Only a small percentage of the respondents have stated that they do post- harvest practices. The rest of the respondents reported that rely on middlemen or bukis in their area to handle these tasks.

Based on the marketing practices of the farmer respondents, all of them have stated that they sell their vegetables fresh. The respondents only practice lower levels of processing such as cleaning and sorting. Next, most of the respondents sold their vegetables to the bukis in their area. Furthermore, more than half of the respondents have stated that they use transportation modes to transfer their produce to buyers. Among these, horse is the most commonly used. Respondents also stated their challenges in transporting their produce. Some of these challenges are the unavailability of proper vehicles and the lack of good and sustainable farm roads. The respondents stated that their buyers set the price of their harvest in terms of price.

For the sources of capital, the majority of the respondents have stated that they obtain their capital from a single source. In terms of record-keeping, a smaller percentage of the respondents have stated that they use documentation materials. Among these, record books are commonly used. Additionally, insurance is not that common in the study area.

The human resources practices of the respondents indicate that a majority of them hire laborers to help them in their farming activities. Among these, the most commonly category of worker is hired worker. Regarding payment methods, almost all of the respondents have stated that they pay a daily wage of PhP 400 to their workers. Furthermore, respondents have expressed a preference for sourcing workers from nearby locations. In terms of qualification of workers, hardworking is the most common qualification.

The respondents showed a low level of knowledge about AECA. The majority of them are unfamiliar with or have not come across the term. Furthermore, this led to the development of various misconceptions regarding AECA. A larger percentage of the respondents have a favorable attitude towards collaboration and AECA in general. Additionally, farmers have strong attitude towards learning more about AECA According to the results of the AECA practice scores survey, the respondents showed a "rarely interpretation, indicating that collaborative efforts among farmers in the study area were not successful.

The correlation of knowledge, attitude, and practices on AECA was computed using Spearman’s rho on SPSS 29.0.2.0 Trial Version. It was found out that knowledge has a negligible relationship with attitude. Next, the correlating coefficient of attitude and practice is 0.27, indicating a weak relationship. Furthermore, the knowledge and practice scores were also correlated. With a correlation coefficient of 0.55, this indicates a moderate relationship between knowledge and practice in the study area.

Lastly, the study examined the relationship between 10 variables (age, sex, civil status, educational attainment, family size, years in farming, annual income, farming organization, seminar attendance, and farm size) and the knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of farmer respondents towards AECA. Results indicate that farmers' farming organizations and the seminars they attended had a positive relationship with their knowledge. On the other hand, educational attainment, sex (with females scoring higher than males), farming organization (with affiliated farmers scoring higher than non- affiliated ones), type of seminar attended (with attending farmers scoring higher than non-attending ones), and farm size had a positive relationship with attitude. In addition, educational attainment, sex, farming organization, and the type of seminar attended had a positive relationship with practice. Furthermore, the study found that farming experience had a negative relationship with knowledge and practice. Overall, the study shows that female farmers with higher education levels, less experience in farming, affiliation with farming organizations, participation in seminars, and larger farm sizes have a more favorable knowledge, attitude, and practices towards AECA in the study area.

The researcher recommends that the implementors of AECA consider the gaps that were revealed in the study. This should be done to address the misconceptions of the respondents towards AECA. Furthermore, the study provided baseline information about the knowledge, attitude, and practice of vegetable farmers in Majayjay, Laguna, on AECA. The results can be used to facilitate effective facilitation and implementation of AECA among vegetable farmers in Majayjay, Laguna. Next, it is recommended that the farmers increase their participation in seminars, be aware of the varieties of their vegetables, get information on how to avail free seeds, explore the possibility of higher levels of processing, practice record-keeping, become familiar with insurance, practice collaboration, and learn market trends. Then, for the local government unit, the livelihood of the farmers in the area can be improved by providing proper budgeting and the implementation of programs. Lastly, for future researchers, it is recommended to study the entrepreneurial competencies of the farmers, study the business performance, study the factors that affect the business continuity in terms of vegetable farming in the area, and further knowledge, attitude, and practice studies on AECA to ensure ongoing monitoring and adjustment in implementation.

Language

English

LC Subject

Farmers, Agriculture—Economic aspects

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2024 M17 O78

Notes

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Document Type

Thesis

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