Perceptions and Intentions to Adopt the Philrice Palaycheck Mobile Application of Rice Farmers from Calauan, Laguna

Date

5-2024

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Atty. Cherry Lou Reyes-Nuñez

Committee Member

Dr. Eliza C. Aquino, Dr. Emil John c. Cabrera, Dr. Melodee Marciana E. De Castro

Abstract

Rice production technologies are continuously evolving to aid productivity and farmer income generation. Since mobile applications are deemed as one of the most accessible type of digital technologies, there has been a significant development of it in the context of agriculture. An example in the Philippines is the PalayCheck App, a mobile application developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). Patterned after the PalayCheck System, the mobile application aims to provide local rice farmers access to technologies to increase agricultural productivity.

With Region IV-A having the highest individual use of cellphones in the Philippines, this research focuses on one of the province’s rice producing areas which is Calauan, Laguna. The municipality’s rice production is characterized by having high yield yet high costs highlighting the area’s need for production efficiency.

Hence, this research was conducted to determine the perceptions and intention to adopt the PalayCheck mobile application of rice farmers from Calauan Laguna. The specific objectives of this study were to (1) describe the sociodemographic profile of respondents, (2) determine the respondents’ extent of adoption of the PalayCheck application, (3) analyze the respondents’ perceptions and intention to adopt the PalayCheck application, (4) evaluate the correlation of significant variables to the intention to adopt (ITA) the PalayCheck application, and (5) recommend strategies to improve the adoption of the PalayCheck application.

The study presented a conceptual framework modified from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The model proposes that the main predictors of intention to adopt (ITA) are information awareness (IA), personal innovativeness (PI), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and social influence (SI). In addition, the study model also considers the effect of external variables which are sociodemographic and farm profile on the aforementioned predictors.

A descriptive-correlational research design was used for this study. The study was participated by a total of 75 respondents from varying barangays in Calauan, Laguna. With a sampling criteria of respondents who have at least one smartphone in their household, convenience and snowball sampling were utilized. A demonstration of the application was conducted which was then followed by a personal interview with the use of a semi-structured questionnaire.

Respondents were obtained from the barangays of Bangyas, Hanggan, Balayhangin, Masiit, San Isidro, Lamot 1, and Mabacan. 68% of interviewed farmers were male while the remaining 24% were female. The majority of respondents were aged 65 or older, lived in a household with 4 to 6 members, and were college graduates. Most farmers have a farm size of less than one hectare which are mainly not of their ownership. Agricultural income of respondents is generally varying but the most reported value is around Php 10,957 to Php 21,193 per harvest. Most farmers have a farming experience of 10 to 20 years. In additon, the majority of the respondents exclusively grew rice and are members of agricultural organizations.

Respondents’ technological profiles were also taken to evaluate the facilitating conditions of adoption of mobile applications. Through respondents’ smartphone use and ownership, three respondent groups are identified: (a) smartphone owners with 50 respondents, (b) smartphone borrowers with 12 respondents, and (c) indirect users with 13 respondents. Findings reveal that only 18 out of 75 respondents were aware of the PalayCheck application prior to the researcher’s demonstration. Furthermore, only 5 out of 75 respondents have tried using the application with 3 current adoptors and 2 past users.

From a correlation analysis through the use of Spearman’s Rank Correlation, it was revealed that all proposed predictor variables were positively correlated to intention to adopt (ITA) with information awareness (IA), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and social influence (SI) having a moderate correlation, and personal innovativeness (PI) having a weak correlation.

Through the analysis of the main variables, findings show that respondents are generally personally innovative indicating their optimism in trying out information technologies that can aid in farming. Respondents also perceive the application to be useful especially in providing updated agricultural information. It was also revealed that respondents are positively affected by social influences regarding adoption of such technologies. However, findings show a neutral result in terms of their perceived ease of use the application. Significantly, there is a lack of information awareness regarding the application and its features which is one of the main barriers to adoption. Ultimately, the responses for intention to adopt the PalayCheck application persists as neutral despite their positive valuation of the application.

Moreover, significant yet weak correlations involving the external variables and predictor variables were also identified. This included the positive associations of farm size with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, and negative associations between age, farming experience, household with perceived ease of use, household size with information awareness, and age with intention to adopt.

In further analysis of respondents’ statements, five main determinants to perceptions and adoption intentions were identified which are: (1) sociodemographic factors, specifically age and income, (2) farm factors encompassing agricultural inputs, (3) behavioral factors including willingness to adapt and traditionality, (4) social factors comprising of family support, fellow farmers, and opinion leaders, and (5) technological factors covering digital illiteracy, technological awareness, and agricultural extension services.

In order to address challenges in local rice farming and barriers in digital technology adoption, increased support is essential. It is recommended that farmers seek out initiatives to strengthen digital literacy, promotional strategies for the PalayCheck application be strengthened to increase awarenes, and accesible training programs and support systems regarding the PalayCheck application be implemented for improved adoption.

Language

English

LC Subject

Rice Farmers

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2024 M17 M34

Notes

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Document Type

Thesis

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