Factors affecting farmers' rainfed lowland rice management practices in Victoria, Tarlac
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Date
1994
Authors
Fidelis J. Andrianilana
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Abstract
The study sought analyzed the farmer's rainfed lowland rice management practices in Victoria, Tarlac and the factors related to these, Tarlac. The respondents consisted of 150 farmers selected at random and in equal number from those who use at least one traditional rice variety and those who planted only modern rice varieties. Data were collected from these respondents using a pre-tested interview schedule and were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, chi-square test and ANOVA. Respondents' main landform was used as the basis to analyze their farm's physical characteristics and rice management practices.
Data showed that mean farm size was 1.3 ha. based on this, 59% of the respondents had a farm size below or equal to the mean. Other data showed that, most (60%) of the farmers were tenants and 52% were earning a mean annual gross income of P31,100 only. Thus many respondents resorted to borrowing from private money lenders. The mean amount borrowed was P4,200.
The respondents' farm soils were highly fertile with blackish color and clay loam texture; their rice fields were characterized as "seldom flooded" and "easy to drain".
Most of the rainfed lowland farmers planted modern rice varieties, applied inorganic fertilizers, used pesticide and herbicide and practiced transplanting as their method of crop establishment.
Only four socio-economic variables and management practices variabvles were highly and significantly related: farm size with use of herbicide; access to credit with type of rice variety, use of inorganic fertilizer and crop establishment method; and amount of credit with crop establishment method. In contrast, all the farms' physical characteristics were highly and significantly related to rice management practices except for use of pesticide and the use of herbicide. Apparently, ones own ethno-ecological orientation on how farmer characterized and assessed their farms was more important in determining their rice management practices.
Comparison of yields by landform revealed that the turod and lungog areas had significantly higher yields than the kalungogan area. Thus, the kalungogan areas could be considered as a relatively unfavorable environment for rice production.
Considering rice management practices, the yields obtained by farmers who adopted modern practices were significantly higher than those who followed traditional practices.
From the significant results, some recommendations were drawn: 1) Credit institutions and NGOs to strengthen their support to rice farmers in less favorable environmemnt; 2) application of biodiversity principles and other natural resources to control pests and diseases; 3) construction of flood control, drainage channel and locally relevant irrigation system; 4) use of improved traditional varieties as breeding materials; 5) increased participation of farmers in rice technology developments; 6) use of participant observation method to fully understand farmers' rice management practices.