Efficacy of deep-well pump irrigation system in improving rice-based farming in Nueva Ecija, Philippines
Date
1986
Authors
Md. Rafiqul Islam
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Abstract
The study sought to determine the level of inputs used, resource productivity, cropping intensity and income level as influenced by some selected variables and the changes in DWP irrigation command area as affected by various socio-economic problems.
The analysis was based on primary data collected through personal interviews with 240 randomly selected farmers, which was made up of 120 farmers from DWP-irrigated and 120 from rainfed areas. The study was conducted in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.
Mean, percentage, multiple regression analysis and production function were used to achieve the study objectives. The major findings of the study are: (1) irrigated farms used higher level of inputs, higher yield and cropping intensity achieved by small farmers resulting in a decrease in the income gap between the small and large farmers, (2) cropping intensity is an important/significant determinant of both family and hired labor employment, (3) land ownership pattern has significant influence on inputs used as well as cropping intensity, (4) effective family size has significant positive contribution to cropping intensity while farm size has significant inverse relationship with cropping intensity and inputs used which resulted in lower productivity. Meanwhile, input-output price ratio has highly significantly inverse effect on cropping intensity, (5) the inputs like insecticides, irrigation and labor had significantly increased productivity in wet season. However, a higher rate of productivity was observed at small farm level as compared to large farms, (6) in dry season, significantly higher marginal productivity of labor was observed among large farmers while insecticides had negative effect on productivity in both and small and all farms, (7) non-farm income is another important significant determinant of productivity, (8) available irrigation water during dry season has increased the farm income of small farmers over and above the large farmers lowering the income gap between the small and large farmers, (9) the socio-economic problems like conflict with FIA, high irrigation water charge, inadequate agricultural credit, problem in water distribution, fertilizer non-availability, high cost of fertilizers have influenced farmers to decrease their irrigated area.