COMMUNICATION FACTORS AFFECTING THE RICE FARMERS PERCEPTION TOWARDS RICE TRANSPLANTING MECHANIZATION IN CATALANACAN, SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ, NUEVA ECIJA
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Date
2024
Authors
Christelle Kaye R. Lansangan; Mike Daeniel R. Talplacido and Gene Rose T. Ibarra
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Abstract
In the Philippines, agriculture is one of the most vital sectors of the economy as it is one of the primary sources of income for about 24.27% of Filipino workers. Back in the day, planting rice was done through manual planting where farmers needed to bend over in muddy fields, it was backbreaking work and time- consuming. Thereafter, rice transplanter, a new innovation has been created to address the issue regarding the backbreaking and time-consuming planting of rice.
This study’s main focus is to determine the communication factors affecting the rice farmers' perception towards rice transplanter in Catalanacan, Science of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. This study approached descriptive and correlational research and was limited only to 186 respondents - rice farmers in Catalanacan, Science City of Muñoz. It used simple random sampling in determining the respondents and utilized the quantitative research method for the data gathering through printed survey questionnaires. Also, the study only lasted throughout the 2nd semester and mid- year of academic year 2022-2023, and 1st semester of the academic year 2023-2024.
The findings of this study stated that there is a significant relationship between communication factors and attitude to the intent of the rice farmers to use mechanized methods for rice transplanting; and there is no significant relationship between communication factors, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control to the intent of the rice farmers to use mechanized methods for rice transplanting.
The findings revealed that the majority of the respondents were aged 51 to 60 years old, and the majority were male; they had attained high school level of education and were married with at least 21 to 30 years of experience in farming rice crops and were managing 1 to 2 hectares of rice field which implies that the majority of the respondents were small-scale rice farmers. Moreover, social media is the most efficient platform as the source of information, and the contents were mostly the benefits of using rice transplanter, and it also contains information on when to plant during the rainy and dry season. The messages were appropriate and conveyed all the facts about farming. Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok were the most efficient virtual channels. The training and seminar, printed materials, and virtual platforms were the preferred channels by the respondents. In simpler terms, it indicates that the communication factors play a significant role in shaping farmers’ attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, which signifies that it strongly influences their perceived behavioral intentions to use the mechanized methods for rice transplanting. These results underscore the importance of effective communication strategies in promoting the acceptance and utilization of mechanized agricultural practices among farmers. In line with the hypotheses of this study it is concluded that there is indeed a significant relationship between the communication factors such as the source, message, and channel of the information that the respondents received regarding rice transplanter and their attitude to their intent to use mechanized methods for rice transplanting; and there is no significant relationship between communication factors, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of the respondents. Therefore, the hypotheses will be accepted based on the results of this study.