Factors Affecting the Adoption of Organic Farming Practices Promoted by Agri-Eskwela Among Organic Lettuce Farmers in Selected Municipalities in Quezon Province, 2019

Date

6-2021

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Christian Paul L. Fang

Committee Member

Julieta A. Delos Reyes, Agham C. Cuevas

Abstract

The study assessed the adoption of organic farming practices promoted by Agri- Eskwela in selected municipalities in Quezon Province. Specifically, the study (1) compared the socio-demographic characteristics, farm characteristics, and behavioral characteristics of the farmer-respondents who fully adopted, partially adopted, and did not adopt the program, (2) compared the net farm incomes of the farmer-participants who fully adopted, partially adopted, and did not adopt the program, (3) estimated the marginal effects of adopting the organic farming practices promoted by Agri-Eskwela on the net farm income of non- adopters, (4) identified the factors affecting the adoption of organic farming practices promoted by Agri- Eskwela, and (5) recommended policies that could improve the implementation of Agri- Eskwela.

Complete enumeration of the 138 Agri-Eskwela participants from Tayabas, Pagbilao, and Tiaong was done. But since not all the participants were still active in organic lettuce farming in 2019, only 43 participants were interviewed. Both primary and secondary data were utilized in the study.

Descriptive analysis was used to describe the socio-demographic characteristics, farm characteristics, behavioral characteristics, and the problems encountered of the full, partial, and non-adopters. Cost and return analysis was used to measure the total returns, total costs, and net farm incomes incurred by the full, partial, and non-adopters. The potential changes in the net farm incomes of non-adopters should they adopt the organic farming practices promoted by Agri-Eskwela were estimated using partial budget analysis. The one-way ANOVA test was also used to determine if there were significant differences in the selected socio-demographic and farm characteristics, volume harvested, total returns, total costs, and net farm incomes received by the full, partial, and non-adopters. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify the factors affecting the adoption of the organic farming practices promoted by Agri-Eskwela among the organic lettuce farmers.

Results of the study showed that the volume harvested, average selling price, total returns, total costs, and net farm incomes incurred by full adopters were significantly higher compared to the partial and non-adopters. It is also apparent that the net farm income of non- adopters will increase should they adopt the organic farming practices promoted by Agri- Eskwela. Lastly, educational attainment, years in organic farming, other community program participation, farmer’s attitude, farmer’s resistance to change, and farmer’s perception on Agri-Eskwela were the significant variables that affected the adoption of the organic farming practices among the organic lettuce farmers.

Based on the results, the study recommended the following: (1) non-adopters can try adopting the organic farming practices promoted by Agri-Eskwela, (2) the local government units (MAO) should consider offering marketing and technical services to the Agri-Eskwela participants, (3) Agri-Eskwela implementers (OPA) should conduct seminars and programs which focus on the significant factors found in the study that would encourage farmers to adopt the organic farming practices that they promote, (4) Agri-Eskwela implementers (OPA) must improve the profiling of target-participants, and (5) further assessment studies on the factors affecting the adoption of the organic farming practices promoted by Agri-Eskwela can also be crafted.

Language

English

LC Subject

Organic farming -- Philippines

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2021 A14 C35

Notes

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Document Type

Thesis

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