Assessment of the effects of the lightless night technology on the productivity and profitability of Aster farms in Los Banos, Laguna, 2011

Date

4-2012

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Marilyn M. Elauria

Committee Member

Arvin Vista, Corazon Aragon, Roberto Ranola, Jr.

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the effects of the Lightless Night Technology on the productivity and profitability of the Aster farms in Los Baños, Laguna. Specifically, it aimed to: a) describe the financial requirements and sources of financing of the Aster growers, b) assess the effects of the technology on the production cost and yield of the Aster farms, c) analyze the effects of the technology on the supply and price of Aster in the area, d) determine the effects of the technology on the net income of the farms, e) to assess the satisfaction of the Aster growers on the effectiveness of the technology and f) identify the problems encountered by the Aster growers, and make appropriate recommendations. The study utilized both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through personal interview with the aid of pre-tested interview schedules. Complete enumeration of the 75 registered Aster growers was employed in the study. The Aster growers were characterized according to the following farm sizes: Small Scale (≤4,999 m2), Medium Scale (5,000-9,999 m2) and Large Scale (≥10,000 m2). Secondary data were collected from the Los Baños Municipal Agriculture Office and the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. The analytical tools used in the study were: descriptive statistics, cost and returns analysis, Student’s t-test of means for unpaired samples, and One-way Analysis of Variance. The Lightless Night Technology was expected to replace the costly artificial lighting systems that the farmers used to induce bolting in Aster. The new technology, instead, made use of Gibberellic Acid (GA3) tablets that are dissolved on water and sprayed onto the plants. The technology promised to decrease the costs incurred by the farmers without sacrificing the productivity and retaining the optimum cropping duration. Results show that in terms of productivity, that there has been a significant decrease in the mean yield of the Aster farms. From the original 419.50 kg per 300 m2 for every cropping season, the average yield went down to 340.70 kg. At the same time, the losses significantly went up from 11.10 kg to 17.70 kg. Through the use of One-way ANOVA, it was established that there is no significant difference in the increment decrease in net farm yield among the farm sizes. In terms of profitability, results show that from the initial PhP17,005.75, the total investments costs required per 300 m2 significantly decreased to PhP6,864.15. The same trend applies to the operations costs since the average cost per 300 m2 for every cropping season decreased from PhP9,917 to PhP4,063 in real terms. Cost and Return analysis shows that the net farm income per 300 m2 for every cropping season had actually decreased significantly from PhP6,736.80 to PhP3,762.80 in real terms for all the farmers. The One-way ANOVA shows that there is no significant difference in the increment decrease in net farm income among the farm sizes. For the productivity, majority of the farmers at 38.70% gave the technology a score of 3 on the Likert scale, which implies that the effects are fair and may still be improved. When asked about what they can say about the effects on productivity, 50.60% argued that the technology has in fact, lowered the yield. The same score of 3 is given by 54.70% of the farmers to the effectiveness of the technology in improving the profitability. Majority of the farmers at 32% argued that the technology increased the competition thus lowering the price and consequently, the profit. As of today, the Aster growers are still facing numerous challenges in their business. These include the 1) unpredictable and sometimes even destructive weather, 2) the presence of pests, 3) the absence of price regulation policies that usually give opportunist merchants the ability to take advantage of their situations and 4) the deteriorating soil quality. To answer these problems, the following recommendations are made for the consideration of the concerned institutions: 1) implement a price regulation scheme, 2) endorse organic fertilizers, and 3) implement an integrated pest management scheme.

Language

English

Call Number

Thesis

Document Type

Thesis

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