Banwa Publications (University of the Philippines Mindanao)
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Promoting Multi-functionality of Rural Landscape: The Need for a Landscape Approach
No full textDr. Rachmat Mulia is an ecological modeler that also has agriculture and forestry statistics as a background. He has more than 10 years of experience linking the development of sustainable agriculture such as agroforestry and sustainable forestry practices, both at farm and landscape scale, with rural food security, farmer’s resilience to climate change, and environmental services to include carbon and water services, and biodiversity. Thanks to different projects that he has led or has been participating in, he also has experience in developing green growth orientation and measures at a provincial scale, especially those related to the agriculture and forestry sector, and assess the impact of the measures on the provincial economy and ecosystem services. In addition, he has also been involved in projects and studies related to rural development, especially on the potential role of livelihood diversification to enhance rural household’s income and resilience to both economic and environmental shocks
Challenges and Strategies in Optimizing the Calamansi Value Chain in Small Island Agribusiness: A Case Study of Homonhon Island, Philippines
No full textCalamansi (Citrofortunella macrocarpa W.) is a top crop in the small island communities in Homonhon Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines, with significant production and potential for adding value. However, due to their isolation, scarcity of resources, and exposure to climate and natural disasters, Homonhon’s calamansi farmers are more vulnerable to economic and environmental problems. In this paper, we analyze the calamansi value chains on the small island of Homonhon. Examination of the product, information, and payment flow of an island-based value chain from the input supply sector, production, and trading until the products are delivered to the end consumers was done. We conducted key informant interviews (KIIs) with diverse participants, including farmers, assemblers, traders, and other institutional buyers, to comprehensively understand the calamansi value chain. The Dephi methods was employed to gain deeper insights into strategies and assess the feasibility of interventions within the value chain. Results showed a huge gap in the supply of calamansi in the region. In the island-based value chain, product perishability, market size, farmer’s income are all negatively impacted by the island\u27s environmental restrictions, lack of processing facilities, and high transportation costs. Payment methods vary within the value chain, with cash and credit terms in the upstream and cash preferred downstream. These findings highlight the need for improvements in production practices, communication, and processing capacity, emphasizing the importance of government support and stakeholder cooperation. Furthermore, the identified challenges within the value chain highlight the necessity for improvement in post-harvest technologies, value addition through processing, and market diversification to enhance the overall competitiveness and profitability throughout the entire value chain
Readiness and Drivers of Intention to Adopt I4.0 Technologies for Smallholder Coffee Farmers in the Philippines
No full textIn developed countries, the application of information and communications technology (ICT) have improved farm productivity, enhanced food systems efficiency, increase profitability of its users, and facilitated better flow of information, as well as access to extension and advisory services. The importance of these technologies becomes even more apparent when value chains are disrupted with food system shocks such as extreme weather events and pandemics. While benefits of these technologies are clear, there are issues particularly in terms of adoption among farmers and micro-, small- and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries. Innovation in the coffee sector is being pushed by the Philippine government through the promotion of I4.0 technologies. Hence, the main objective of this study is to assess the readiness of smallholder coffee farmers to adopt I4.0 technologies and identify the factors that drive their willingness to adopt the same technologies. To assess the readiness of smallholder coffee farmers, the proponents used the IMPULS Model, modified and contextualized to fit the Philippine coffee sector. This was used to assess the farmer as an individual enterprise and their readiness for technology adoption. Using a logit model, the study tries to measure the factors influencing the willingness to adopt I4.0 technologies for coffee farmers. Our I4.0 readiness assessment classified smallholder coffee farmers as newcomers. Logit model results revealed that volume of production and farmers’ regional location had a positive influence on adoption. This suggests highly productive farms of farmers in key coffee-producing regions positively influence the adoption of I4.0 technologies. The model also revealed farmers’ experience had a negative influence on their intention to adopt. The younger, less-experienced coffee farmer is more likely to adopt I4.0 technologies than older farmers. It is important to orient farmers about I4.0 technologies in the coffee sector through awareness campaigns that teach the use of available technologies and highlight the benefits important to farmers. Considering younger farmers in key coffee-producing regions will facilitate participation in these knowledge sharing activities and lead to higher rates of adoption
The Impact of Conflict to the Sustainability and Resilience Capacity of Local Food Systems
No full textProf. Emma Ruth V. Bayogan, PhD, retired this year but continues to work as an adjunct professor at the Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies, University of the Philippines Mindanao. Her research works are focused on postharvest biology and technology, horticulture, sustainable agriculture, and seed technology coupled with extension activities. She is the current President of the PhilFruits Association. Through Dr. Bayogan’s leadership, the Postharvest Laboratory was established in UP Mindanao and their laboratory regularly coordinated trainings for postharvest handling technologies. Dr. Bayogan served as the Program Leader of the DOST PCAARRD-funded research program “Enhancing Livelihood Opportunities in Conflict-Vulnerable Areas in Mindanao through the LIFE (Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension) Model” from 2017 to 2021 (LIFE UP Mindanao), which aimed to improve farmers’ livelihood and quality of life through facilitated extension. The program’s paper “Giving Farmers uwen fananafedew: Improving Agricultural Extension in Conflict-Vulnerable Areas through the Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension (LIFE) Model” won Best Development Paper in 2020 during the SMAARRDEC’s Regional Symposium on Research Development and Extension Highlights and in 2021 as representative of Region XI for the National Symposium on Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of PCAARRD
The Role of Clustering and Value Adding in Improving Small-scale Cacao Farmers Income: The Case of Talle Farmers Association in Laak, Davao de Oro
No full textVarious value chain upgrading strategies have been implemented to help small-scale farmers improve their income such as improving market linkages and value-addition. In Mindanao, the main cacao-producing region in the Philippines, various value-adding efforts were introduced for small-scale cacao farmers. However, the adoption and sustainability of value-adding initiatives among these farmers have presented notable challenges. To gain insight into the adoption dynamics among farmers, an action research project was conducted among the small-scale cacao farmers in Laak, Davao de Oro, which has a main goal of enhancing their income. A value chain analysis was employed to identify issues and opportunities in improving the performance of the farmers in the cacao value chain. Logit regression was applied using the baseline survey to understand the factors influencing the farmers’ choice of buyers. The project also implemented various production and post-production training initiatives to improve the productivity and quality of their cacao beans and establish a link with sustainable buyers. The baseline results revealed that farmers preferred selling to nearby buyers regardless of the type of buyer, price, and the quality of their dried cacao beans. Distance is their primary consideration. Many of these farmers engaged in value-adding through the drying of cacao beans and opted to sell their produce individually, avoiding higher marketing costs by choosing proximate buyers. Initial results also revealed the positive impact of clustering in attracting institutional buyers. Selling consolidated wet cacao beans to institutional buyers appears to be more profitable compared to value-adding through drying and selling dried beans to nearby buyers. These observations raise the question of whether value addition consistently translates to improved income. Small-scale farmers may potentially end value-adding endeavors if they have better options to improve their income. This study implies value adding does not always guarantee better income. It is significant to align cacao farmers’ output with the demands of sustainable buyers considering that Mindanao, particularly the Davao Region, is the major producer of cacao beans in the country
Transforming Agriculture though Adoption of Climate Resilient Practices
No full textProf. Moises Neil V. Seriño, PhD, is a professor of the Department of Economics, College of Management and Economics, Visayas State University (VSU), Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines. He is the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Young Scientist Award given by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Philippines for his substantial contribution in socioeconomics and development in the Visayas. He finished BS in Statistics in 2005 from Leyte State University, Philippines. He earned his master\u27s degree in International Development Program (IDP) (economics) at the International University of Japan in 2009. He pursued doctorate degree in Economics at the University of Göttingen, Germany in 2014. He was a visiting research fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan in 2019. He was a John Dillon Fellow - Philippines (2021) of the Australian Center for International and Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australia and recipient of the USDA Scientific Exchange Fellow (2023) at Louisiana State University, USA. He is currently the Dean of the College of Management and Economics, Visayas State University (2020 - present) and concurrent director of the Visayas Socio-Economic Research and Data Analytics Center (ViSERDAC) (2020 - present). He was elected board member of the Philippine Agriculture and Economic Development Association (PAEDA) in 2021 and served as the convenor of the Australia Alumni Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Community of Practice (AANCoP) in 2022
Agritourism Farms as Conduit of the Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in Eastern Visayas, Philippines
No full textPhilippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP) is an important policy mechanism adhering to the food safety act of the Philippines (RA 10611) in ensuring food safety, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility in the agricultural sector. However low adoption of PhilGAP standards has been observed particularly in the Eastern Visyas Region. This is in spite of the region having vast agricultural areas. A significant challenge in the low adoption of PhilGAP is the low awareness of both producers and consumers of PhilGAP processes along with its benefits. Grounded in this premise, this project highlights the potential contribution of the local agritourism farms in the promotion of PhilGAP within the Eastern Visayas Region. The significant number of agritourism farms within the region could serve as a conduit for education, communication, and collaboration between farmers and consumers in increasing awareness and appreciation of PhilGAP. Using multiple case studies as research design, the project is aimed at identifying and understanding the challenges and prospects of agritourism farms in Eastern Visayas for PhilGAP certification and ultimately, in the promotion of PhilGAP within the region. The results of the study reiterate the different challenges in relation to the absence of niche market of PhilGAP-certified produce, which could be further associated with the lack of awareness. With the status of the local agritourism farms as learning sites, this study reaffirms their significant role in establishing the market niche of PhilGAP certified produce. It further recommends the provision of institutional support emanating from local government units and national government agencies in relation to PhilGAP certification and promotion through these agritourism farms
Estimating the Demand for Banana Ketchup in Rural and Urban Supermarkets in Davao Region, Philippines
No full textIn the Philippines, the banana sector is recognized to play an important role in the economy. The country produces an average of 4.8 million metric tons of Cavendish Banana annually from 2018-2022. Fifty-three percent of this volume is produced by Region XI. Around 10 percent of the total cavendish banana produced accounts for reject or off-grade banana. One of its by-products produced from reject and surplus is banana ketchup, a cheaper and sweeter substitute to tomato ketchup. With this, this paper explores the demand for different ketchup brands in the market to better understand how efficiency is achieved and wastage is minimized in the banana value chain through demand response. An Almost Ideal Demand System model using point-of-sale data was utilized, while focusing on key performing brands. Own-price, cross-price, and expenditure elasticities across brands and across branches were also estimated to see the substitutability and market potential across different ketchup brands and variants. As expected, tomato ketchup was highly substitutable with banana ketchup. Cheaper local brands were also seen to be highly competitive compared to. Specifically, showed that UFC is most sensitive to changes in its own price, while cross-price elasticities show that Del Monte is highly substitutable to Queen, Papa, and UFC. Papa carries the highest expenditure elasticity for rural areas and Queen for urban areas. With these results, retailers may consider increasing their selling price for Papa and Queen for potentially higher revenues. Also, the competitiveness of cheaper substitutes in urban retail markets is also acknowledged, especially because of the emergence of smaller businesses which are predominant buyers of said product. Hence, it is worthwhile to support smaller processors, offering cheaper alternatives to the banana ketchup market by linking them with banana growers, and subsequently allowing them to access the supply of underutilized off-grade bananas. This will help reduce food waste by increasing the utilization off-grade bananas and help the processors access cheaper inputs to production. The feasibility of their expansion is supported by the results of the AIDS estimation
Technical and Economic Evaluation of Selected Technologies in Mango Production: A Case in IGaCoS, Philippines
No full textThe Philippine mango industry contributed Php 35.520 billion in gross value added in 2020 and remained as the top three most exported crop from the country. However, the mango industry is currently facing enormous challenges specially in the aspect of production and postharvest. In this study, we evaluated the technical and economic aspects of three technologies introduced in the Island Garden City of Samal, namely: preharvest bagging using Taiwan paper bag (TPB), harvesting at proper maturity, and use of hot water treatment (HWT). A field trial was conducted using 53 randomly selected ‘Carabao’ mango trees in a one-hectare portion of the Gabonada Farm located in Brgy. Aumbay, IGaCoS, Davao del Norte. The freshly harvested mango fruits were transported and stored in ambient room conditions at the Postharvest Biology Laboratory in UP Mindanao, Davao City. For 12 d, the fruits are evaluated every 4 d for physico-chemical quality (percentage weight loss), total soluble solids (TSS), peel color, visual quality, shelf life, and the degree and onset of anthracnose and stem-end rot. The data were subjected to two way and three-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) for harvest and postharvest assessment, respectively. The use of TPB significantly improved the quality of mangoes by almost doubling (98%) the proportion of Class A (fresh export grade) and increasing Class B (Hong Kong and Local Manila markets) by 38%. We also proposed harvesting at 110-115 days after flower induction (DAFI), which led to 91-100% mature fruits compared to only 34% when harvested at 105 DAFI. Fruits have also higher total soluble solids (16.72 and 19.48% Brix, respectively) compared to only 15.34% Brix during the 8th day of evaluation period. We also recommend HWT for 10 minutes at 52-55 °C, which reduced the degree of anthracnose and stem-end rot thereby improving its marketability. The results of using these technologies were proven to improve the overall quality of mangoes in the Island Garden City of Samal. Furthermore, the results of this studymay also be applicable in many mango-producing areas in Mindanao since their practices are generally similar
Identifying Optimal Market Choices to Increase the Profitability of Coffee Farmers in Sultan Kudarat through Modelling and Scenario Analysis
No full textPhilippine coffee production experienced a significant decline in the year 2019-2020 due to low productivity, lack of capital, limited access to credit, limited knowledge of farming technologies, high production costs, price volatility, and inability to meet market requirements in terms of quality and volume. This study focuses on the coffee chain of Sultan Kudarat – the top producer of coffee in the Philippines. Coffee farmers in this area allocate their harvested cherries as fresh cherry, dried cherry, and green coffee beans to five market outlets: Nestle Philippines, local traders, growers’ association, direct selling, and other markets (e.g., coffee shops and hotels). Choosing the best market to sell their product is a problem for farmers, especially when there are restrictions in marketing their coffee. Hence, a supply chain network design model and simulation are developed to investigate the changes in the profits of coffee farmers as they market their products, whether to be sold as fresh cherry, dried cherry, or processed into green coffee beans before marketing to the above-mentioned market outlets, based on the average annual costs affecting the production, primary processing, and market prices of coffee products. Assuming that the annual coffee yield per tree and the average prices of coffee product in different markets are constant, the results show that selling fresh cherry or dried cherry gain positive profits given the farmer’s current resources and farming practices. Our approach was inspired by the developed SCND model for the Cavendish banana commodity in the Davao Region, which serves as a diagnostic tool for assessing the profitability of a commodity in different market options. Therefore, the developed model can be modified and used for regular coffee farms and other commodities, and the results from the scenario analysis can offer recommendations to smallholder farmers by identifying the optimal market choices to increase their profitability