Analysis of Factors that Influence the Adoption of Drum Seeder of Rice Farmers in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija

Date

8-2023

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Melodee Marciana E. De Castro

Committee Member

Cherry Nuñez, Emil John C. Cabrera, Mar B. Cruz

Abstract

Agricultural Mechanization pertains to the utilization of various sources of power to sustain the productivity of farmlands by producing agricultural commodities and conserving resources. The government and research institutions are cooperating to boost the agriculture and fishery sectors of the country as it is still categorized under low mechanization level. In fact, the country is also engaged in importing the most essential staple food nationally, which is rice, as local supply is not enough. In terms of planting it, direct seeding is one of the methods that can be utilized, with the aid of drum seeder – a farm machinery that sows seeds at calculated row and hill spacing. Drum seeder is one of the equipment promoted by PhilRice which is beneficial in terms of minimizing the amount of seeds, time, and effort that can be incurred by a farmer however, only few were able to acquire and adopt it; specifically, in San Leonardo, which is one of the municipalities of Nueva Ecija, the leading rice producer across the country.

Thus, this study was conducted to analyze the factors that affect the adoption of Drum Seeder in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija. Specifically, it intended to (a) present the sociodemographic profile and farm characteristics of the respondents, (b) describe the conducted programs of the government regarding introduction of drum seeder and other farming technologies, (c) examine their perception in terms of ease of use and usefulness of the drum seeder, (d) discuss the influence of stakeholders, access to relevant resources, and attitude of the respondents towards the drum seeder, (e) assess their intention to adopt a drum seeder, (f) analyze the significant influence between the factors and the intention to adopt of drum seeder, and (g) integrate the farmers’ perspective towards the adoption of drum seeder to the programs set by the government.

Primary data were obtained through face-to-face survey from 115 rice farmers belonging to five Farmers’ Cooperative and Association in town namely Bukluran ng Makabagong Magsasaka ng San Anton, Gintong Butil Farmers Association, Nieves Castellano Irrigators Association, Samahan ng Magsasaka ng Mambangnan, and San Leonardo Tillers Cooperative, wherein it was found out that 31 of them have used the drum seeder before. Aside from the quantitative data, qualitative data were also gathered through focus group discussion to deeply understand the factors influencing their technology adoption which came from the selected 21 farmers who have used it.

Results showed that majority of the respondents were male, married, in their sixties, and all were able to attain at least elementary diploma. It was also discovered that 68.7% of them have been engaged in rice farming for at least 20 years and are mostly low- income earner. In terms of agricultural extensions, the Municipal Agriculture Office is partnering with various research institutions including PhilRice to promote farming technologies. They select Local Farming Technicians, and conduct field demonstrations, Farmers Field School, and seminars related to latest farming tools and practices.

It was revealed that majority of the farmers have seen the drum seeder before but, only 31 were able to use it. Majority of respondents have positive perception in terms of usefulness and ease of use of the equipment. Furthermore, majority also have positive behavioral profile specifically, in terms of access to resources, influence of stakeholders, and attitude towards the adoption of drum seeder. But it is apparent that in terms of influence of stakeholders, small amount of results contributes to neutral responses. This is also the same with the measures used for attitude construct. In terms of Intention to Adopt, it was revealed that majority of the farmers are also positive in adopting the drum seeder. However, there are some farmers who would not use it provided that they had access to it which can be rooted to the topography of the land they cultivate.

Finally, relationship between factors were assessed through Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), wherein Attitude and Availability of Resources of the farmers towards the use of drum seeder was proven to be significantly correlated with their intention to adopt drum. Moreover, the Perceived Ease of Use showed significant positive effects towards both Attitude and Perceived Usefulness, which implies that there is a positive relationship between the mentioned variables. However, it was also revealed that farmers’ age, farming experience, and farm size did not prove as deterrent variable towards perceived usefulness of the drum seeder. Similarly, age, education, and farming experience did not prove to be significantly influencing their perceived ease of use of drum seeder. Finally, Influence of Stakeholders is also insignificant to the Intention to Adopt drum seeder. Hence, government programs and extension services promoting technology acceptance can apply across these variables to increase farmers acceptance to various technology aiming to boost farm productivity.

Qualitative data from the FGD revealed there are several factors that influence farmers’ technology adoption. Drum seeder is only suitable during the dry season since transplanting method is being used in wet season. It has its benefits such as (1) reducing cost on seeds and (2) man-day labor requirement, and (3) allows uniformity in spacing of the seeds which facilitates easier maintenance when applying farm inputs, and weeding. However, there were disadvantages in using it: (1) being tedious and (2) more time consuming to pull especially when the farm size is large, compared to conventional planting method. (3) It is also not suitable for deep muddy field, (4) seed preparation is crucial and challenging as pregerminated seeds must be planted immediately since when it exceeded, it will get stuck hence, will not function well.

With this, the Department of Agriculture in cooperation with PhilRice must strengthen their campaigns in organizing the farmers through associations. They must be diligent in monitoring, and may consider assigning official for each association, and must properly communicate to whom this equipment is suitable. They must also highlight field demonstrations to expose the farmers to new technologies, and consider emphasizing the variables proven significant towards intention to adopt. Specifically, they may customize their programs by enhancing availability of resources and improving attitude of the farmers towards technology adoption as this would positively influence the intention to adopt. Farmers must also organize themselves through associations to benefit from these various activities, and take their time to be part of farm lectures and field demonstrations.

For machine developers, they must consider the concerns raised by the farmers regarding drawbacks of drum seeder, and may improve it to work on different soil textures and improve the ground wheels. Furthermore, they may also focus on the perforations of the cylinders where seed preparation becomes crucial and challenging.

For further studies, other variables can be added and investigated to understand more the complexity of technology adoption process specifically, those categorized under technology push, as it may generate significant findings and discoveries.

Language

English

LC Subject

Rice farming--Philippines

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2023 M17 T67

Notes

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Document Type

Thesis

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