COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT: EXPLORING THE DECLINE OF AGRICULTURAL WORKFORCE

Authors: Jon Kenn A. Ramirez, Marjorie Tejano, Romeo Leandro Cabardo, Dr. Liza M. Empedrad & Christian Bosch Taylan

ABSTRACT

Farming is one of the main occupations and sources of income for many Filipino rural households. It provides not only employment opportunities for the country-side folks but substantially contributes to the overall economic growth and stability in rural areas. Contrastingly, however, the departure of farmers from this occupation has become a concerning trend. This phenomenon has a tremendous impact to the agricultural sector as it not only affects rural livelihoods but also poses challenges to food security and sustainability. Hence, this paper was thought of. The study utilized a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with twenty-two (22) participants who were former farmers and listened to their narratives about leaving the farming work. The findings revealed four (4) main themes concerning the economic, social, technological, and public service issues encountered by the participants. The sub-themes include: 1) accumulating debt; 2) experiencing capital loss due to calamities; 3) feeling of discontentment on profitability; 4) struggling to identify successor; 5) pursuing off-farm employment; 6) dealing with old age; 7) dissatisfaction in the delivery of public service; 8) difficulty in using machinery; and 9) insufficiency of subsidy programs. The predominant finding of this study was the economic challenges faced by the participants, stemming from accumulated debt accrued through habitual loans from large establishments in their barangay. The burden of debt has placed immense pressure on farmers, leading to economic hardships and ultimately driving them away from farming. This study focused on policy recommendations for reducing debt among farmers, reviewing format credit institutions for faster payouts, regulating informal lenders and private ownership of agricultural lots, and investing in village banking programs.

Keywords: agricultural workforce, agriculture, countryside development, debt accumulation, farmer, farming, food security, indebtedness, rural livelihood, outmigration

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