There is a steady improvement in the social and economic status among Filipino rice farmers and their household for the last decade, according to a study conducted by the Socioeconomics Division (SED) of PhilRice.

The study Changing image of the Filipino rice farmer, led by Divina Gracia Vergara, focused on trends transpiring in rice-based farm households and rice lands, and among farmer operators in 33 provinces for the last ten years.

“This intensive study captures the farmers’ image from 1996 to 2007,” she said.

The study shows that the rice-based farm household income is increasing as gross household income raised from P68,974.85 in 1996-1997 to P127,799.95 in 2006-2007. The finding is also consistent with the result showing that almost 60 percent of the households are above poverty level (57 percent) in the 2006-2007.

continue reading about the PhilRice study showing Filipino rice farmers’ improved socioeconomic status …

From Rice Today we got this rice genebank map that “maps out the geographical source of rice genetic diversity preserved in selected rice genebanks—one of the first steps towards producing a global picture of rice biodiversity. This will help identify any gaps around the world where rice biodiversity has not been collected yet for conservation.”

Promising approaches to address the needs of poor female farmers : resources, constraints, and interventions
By Agnes R. Quisumbing and Lauren Pandolfelli
IN World Development, vol. 38, no. 4, April 2010.

This article critically reviews some recent attempts to increase poor female farmers’ access to, and control of, productive resources, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. It surveys the literature from 1998 to 2008 that describes interventions and policy changes across several key agricultural resources. Compared to interventions designed to increase investment in human capital, only a minority of interventions or policy changes increasing female farmers’ access to productive resources have been rigorously evaluated. Future interventions also need to pay attention to the design of alternative delivery mechanisms, tradeoffs between practical and strategic gender needs, and to culture- and context-specificity of gender roles.

download the booklet here….

Got this from our friend Diderik. HungerWednesday shares this informative book published by the

The world is experiencing a grain rush. With increasing frequency, food-importing countries and private investors are acquiring farmland across the developing world. This new publication, Land Grab? The Race for the World’s Farmland marks one of the first efforts in the United States to bring together perspectives from international organizations, farmers, and investors alike about a trend often referred to as a new phase of the world food crisis. Contact asia@wilsoncenter.org for a free copy or click on the book image above to download the PDF version. Edited by Michael Kugelman and Susan L. Levenstein.

Visit the website here…

Download the free PDF copy of the book here…

Give it a try! pay a visit to the FAO Gender and Land Rights Database here…

The CRS has partnered with the Province of Nghe An to promote a territory approach to agro-enterprise development. This means that the project needs to 1) be implemented through the Government administration structure; 2) improve the skills and knowledge of government staff in promoting market oriented production; 3) promote ownership and sustainability; and 4) aim for policy improvement for poverty alleviation through agro-enterprise development.

Following the 5 processes/steps for agro-enterprise development, the project has strengthened the ability of government agencies in promoting agro-enterprise development and project management. It has also contributed to more diversified agricultural products and improved the lives of target communities (through more jobs, value-added, increase incomes and reduced environmental and health issues)
Continue reading the CRS Experience – Support to Agro-Enterprise Development in Nghe An Province (Vietnam)….

Mr. Guarin introduced the Upland Marketing Program and related about its nearly twelve years of experience in selling directly to supermarkets. He said that direct selling to supermarkets is inevitable given the worldwide trend of increasing rate of grocery sales due to various factors, such as the modernization of procurement, increasing incomes, and the growing preference of buyers for safety and convenience which the supermarkets can offer. He explained about the three waves of supermarket diffusion and noted that increasingly, supermarkets are adding more and more carts of fresh produce , fully allowing retail purchases for such just as the public markets would. More and more have flocked to the supermarkets instead of the usual public wet markets, as the latter has stricter standards for food safety and product quality.
Continue reading the Mechanisms for Product Quality and Food Safety: Tips for Entry into the Supermarket….

A market research scanning on calamansi that was done revealed important statistics and information for any farmer or group of farmers interested in producing and marketing. It was found that the production of calamansi in the country has been increasing, with major supplies coming from Central Philippines (although it can only be produced there 4-6 months in a year because of typhoons) and less but more consistent (all-year round) supplies coming from Southern Mindanao. A minimum of half a hectare is required to make calamansi production successful and it costs around 4 Philippine Pesos (Php) or 9 US cents to produce one kilo of calamansi. Potential returns are estimated to be about US$2000/year for one farmer.

The value chain actors are comprised of the farmer, the assembler or distributor (who brings the calamansi to the capital of Manila), the retailer (markets that make the calamansi accessible) and the consumer. The price increase from farmer to consumer is almost 1000%!
Continue reading the Value Chain Analysis of Calamansi….

You can download the PDF version here (right click and choose “file save as…” or drop by our office for the print version. Copies are limited though so call us first for availability.

“THE world is now facing a new era of climate change and the impacts of climate change are already being felt everywhere, particularly in the developing countries and small islands. The local knowledge systems and agricultural practices and techniques adopted by local people remain the dominant form of coping mechanisms/responses to climate change. However, there is concern that the escalating global effects of climate change could increase food insecurity due to the myriad interactions between climate variability and food systems, of which little is known. Undoubtedly, the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder/traditional family farming communities and indigenous peoples in the developing world will be severely impacted by climatic changes. It is therefore critical that implications of climate change for food security are explored and understood not only at global and national levels but also at local level.”

Download the book here…