Perceptions and practices of rice farmers in the lowland areas of Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay, Mindanao, Philippines | JBES 2023

Author Name

Eduardo D. Magdayo Jr. and Jaime Q. Guihawan

Journal Name

Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES

Publisher Name

International Network For Natural Sciences | INNSpub

Abstract

The study aimed to ascertain the current perceptions and practices of local rice farmers in the municipality of Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay. It was also conducted in order to know the issues and concerns of farmers by looking into their management practices that include seed and seedling transplanting, fertilizer application, pesticide application, tillage and non-tillage cultivation. The research was carried out in ten barangays in the said municipality. Personal interviews (PI) were conducted with 150 local farmers in the study to collect information for perceptions and practices using a guide questionnaire that was translated into Cebuano to facilitate a better understanding among the farmers. The study results showed that rice production in Diplahan has fallen below the minimum required yield to achieve rice self-sufficiency due to the numerous issues regarding rice crop management in both irrigated and non-irrigated farmlands. The study found that farmers continued to rely on existing local knowledge gained from families, experience, and co-farmers, despite there are already existing programs and seminars on the proper farm management conducted by the Department of Agriculture. Many of them believed merely on luck. Moreover, more appropriate farming practices were not implemented due to poverty and other economic issues. Lastly, problems in rice crop management such as nutrient application, pest recognition, pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides applications by local farmers emerge in the study.

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Introduction

Rice is the most widely grown crop in the Philippines, accounting for roughly 30% of total agricultural area harvested (Dawe, 2003). It is grown in a variety of ecosystems throughout the country, including irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland, upland, and adverse (cool-elevated, saline-prone, and zincdeficient soils environments) (IRRI, 1991; FAO, 1992). Aside from being a staple food, rice and its production provide an important source of employment and livelihood in the Philippines' rural areas (Laborte et al., 2015). Rice farming provides more than half of the household income for two million families. Furthermore, millions of landless farm workers and tens of thousands of merchants rely on rice for a living (Bordey, 2010).

Rice farming, on the other hand, is under threat from a variety of environmental factors (IPCC, 2001; Fand et al., 2012; Hope, 2009; IRRI, 2006; Karuppaiah and Sujayanad, 2012; Mubaya et al., 2010; Mitin, 2009, and Wassmann and Dobermann, 2007), due to the changing intensity and duration of rainy season in the Philippines, as well as pest outbreaks (Yasin, 2011; Dengiz, 2013). Rice production practices in the Philippines are constantly changing in order to cope with changing climate and other issues (McCarl, 2006; Ceesay, 2004). This includes changes in technologies and programs to meet the challenges and needs of Filipino farmers and the entire population (Mitin, 2009). This is deemed most pressing due to continuing population growth and the demand for rice. The use of modern high-yielding varieties, as well as nutrient, pest and disease, and water management, are all technologies that directly contribute to higher yield (Bautista and Javier, 2008).

While rice productivity has increased over the years, full self-sufficiency has yet to be achieved, despite technological advances in rice science and the promotion of improved technologies and practices to Filipino farmers (Bautista and Javier, 2008). This can be attributed to farmers' poor management practices, which are largely based on their perceived beliefs and attitudes toward damage and control, rather than the use of modern management practices suited to a specific variety and environmental climatic conditions (Minh et al., 2014; Mitin, 2009; Heong and escalada, 1999; Heong et al., 2001). With this, there is a need to assess current practices and perceptions of local farmers as one of the essential inputs in the formulation of a rice crop management plan. There is also a need to integrate local and technical knowledge so that farmers can easily adopt more appropriate farming practices.

In the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, the municipality of Diplahan is considered to be a major contributor to the province rice supply. However, it has been shown to produce less in all previous cropping seasons. Thus, this study sought to fill the gap by documenting those farmers' perceptions and practices particularly in seed and seedling transplanting, fertilizer application, pesticide application, tillage and non-tillage cultivation in the second cropping period of the year 2020 that affect rice production management that lead to improper practices. With this, the study will serve as a baseline to document farmers' perceptions on the production practices of the rice crop.

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