Policy Option to Address Low Rice Seed Technology Adoption of Farmers in Sariaya, Quezon, Philippines
Abstract
The importance of access to and the proper utilization of technology in improving farm productivity is widely recognized. For this reason, many interventions focus on the development and promotion of farm technologies in rural areas. Sariaya, Quezon is one of the recipients of the programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA), particularly the Bayanihan Agri Clusters (BACs), the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), and the Rice Business Innovations Community Program (RiceBIS). While these programs are being implemented, the adoption of certified seeds technology in the community remains low. Policy Delphi technique was employed to formulate policy outcome forecast, issue statement, and the corresponding goal of the low technology adoption (as a core problem). This paper centers on the limited knowledge and negative attitude of farmers towards the technology due to the limited direct extension services. Experts note that there is a high probability (70.83%) that poverty among rice farmers will persist if this problem is left unabated. Hence, two policy options are proposed: (1) increase the number of local government unit-based extension workers; and (2) develop private village-based extension agents. The analytic hierarchy process was utilized in determining the best policy option. Results show that increasing the number of LGU-based extension workers in Sariaya, Quezon is the best policy alternative compared to developing private village-based extension agents and maintaining the status quo. The resources needed to implement this initiative by the LGU of Sariaya can be complemented by the resources coming from the implementation of Executive Order No. 138.
