Outcomes and Issues of the Urban Agriculture Program in Biñan City, Laguna

Date

6-2022

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Nohreen Ethel P. Manipol

Committee Member

Gemma U. Reyes, Maria Noriza Q. Herrera, Mar B. Cruz

Restrictions

Restricted: Not available to the general public. Access is available only after consultation with author/thesis adviser and only to those bound by the confidentiality agreement.

Abstract

Urban agriculture programs play a significant role in addressing urban food insecurity (access), especially with the decreasing arable lands due to the rapid industrialization of cities. As such, this study focused on determining the outcome and issues of the Urban Agriculture Program (UAP) in the City of Biñan, Laguna. Specifically, the study also presented the demographic profile and the farming characteristics of the participants of the study, described the background of the UAP in the City of Biñan, described the status of backyard gardens in terms of its production, marketing aspect, and socio-economic benefits, measures the level of food access among the beneficiaries assessed the issues and challenges faced by the LGU coordinators and the beneficiaries, and provided recommendations to improve the services of the UAP.

A descriptive research design was employed in this study. Primary data were gathered through personal interviews with 51 beneficiaries and two LGU Coordinators of the program. Secondary data were obtained from published journals, studies, and government websites that had data on urban agriculture programs. Convenience sampling was utilized, and a modified questionnaire from a related study combined with the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and measures of central tendency.

Results showed that food insecurity was prevalent among the beneficiaries from low-income groups. The UAP's contribution to the food security of the beneficiaries was only minimal. This demonstrates the gap between the program's expected outcomes and the actual outcomes. Nevertheless, the beneficiaries were mostly satisfied with the program and had only few problems with the number of inputs provided and its inaccessibility due to the distance from the barangays to the City Hall. Issues also arose from the perspective of the LGU Coordinators due to the lack of key metrics to measure the success of the program.

The study concluded that the program provides economic, environmental, and social benefits, particularly saving on food costs, additional income, mitigating garbage pollution, promoting recycling, composting, solidarity with neighbors, lessening stress, and saving on costs for inputs. However, food security (access) is still a problem even for those that participate in the UAP, which is one of the main goals of the program, to augment some of their food needs. There also seems to be inadequate monitoring and evaluation of the program because the expected outcomes were not met.

Recommendations for proper monitoring and evaluation of the program were formulated, such as establishing key metrics in line with the goals of the program, gathering and documenting relevant data with the use of surveys, and collection feedback that will help demonstrate the effectiveness of the program in meeting the needs of the beneficiaries. Data collection should be digitally encoded through an online database. The UAP should also have a physical presence per barangay which can provide the same services, monitor the beneficiaries better, and raise awareness of the benefits of the program. Equipping the farmers with knowledge through the provision of planting guidelines could also help their production-related issues. Lastly, the provision of incentives for land owners who could be willing to use their idle lands for community urban farming through an ordinance that can provide tax reduction schemes is also recommended.

For beneficiaries, formation or participation in an organization could be helpful as a resource for production and market information. Sellers of produce should be equipped through entrepreneurial training. Beneficiaries can be taught how to track their cashflows or produce sales by listing down the kilograms of produce sold, the expenses incurred, the revenue and net profit. They should also be encouraged to record relevant data such as the most profitable crops and varieties, essentials tools, and the best control methods to eradicate pests and weeds.

Language

English

LC Subject

Agricultural administration, Food security--Philippines

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993 2022 M17 A46

Document Type

Thesis

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