Catanduanes State University – Main Campus

College of Agriculture and Fisheries

Virac, Catanduanes

Learning Materials in
AGRI1: INTRODUCTION
TO AGRICULTURE
A Compilation of Activities

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 WELCOME TO AGRI1: INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE!

As an introductory course, Agri1 will provide students a general overview of the field and discipline
of Agriculture. At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:
1. Discuss and broaden agriculture and its vital role in advancing farmers progress and national
development in capitalist and non-capitalists societies
2. Develop the sense of awareness about rural poverty and their commitment to agriculture
development
3. Develop the sense of awareness towards economic and social uplift of the rural poor.

DISCLAIMER

This learning materials is used in compliance with the flexible teaching-learning approach espoused
by CHED in response to the pandemic that has globally affected educational institutions. Authors and
publishers of the contents are well acknowledged. As such the college and its faculty do not claim ownership
of all sourced information. This learning material will solely be used for instructional purposes not for
commercialization.

CatSU College of Agriculture and Fisheries

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 Table of Contents

I. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE ....................................................................... 1

Brief historical development of World and Philippine Agriculture ................................................................ 1
Agriculture as an Economic Factor ............................................................................................................. 4
Agriculture as an Industry, a Science, and a Profession ............................................................................. 5
II. INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE AND ECOSYSTEM ................................................................ 6
Agriculture and the environment ................................................................................................................. 7
Agriculture and the society .......................................................................................................................... 7
III. ANALYSIS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND POPULATION GROWTH IN DEVELOPED AND
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ............................................................................................................... 9
Hunger and Food Security ........................................................................................................................ 10
Overcoming Economic Inequality and Food Insecurity ............................................................................. 13
IV. OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE .................................................................................. 14
Resources ................................................................................................................................................. 15
Production Systems .................................................................................................................................. 17
Small hold farming and agribusiness ........................................................................................................ 20
Problems Confronting by the Philippine Agriculture .................................................................................. 20
Challenges on Philippine Agriculture ........................................................................................................ 21

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 List of Tables

Table 1. Negative Impacts of Agriculture in the Environment...................................................................... 7

Table 2. Revised Public Storm Warning System Source: PAGASA .......................................................... 16
Table 3. Distribution of GVA in Agriculture and Fishing by subsector in the Philippines Source: PSA...... 17
Table 4. Possible strategies for different challenges faced by Philippine Agriculture sector ..................... 21

List of Figures

Figure 1. Centers of Origin of Selected Crops ............................................................................................ 3

Figure 2. Economic categories of countries ................................................................................................ 9
Figure 3. World map of countries and territories by population ................................................................ 10
Figure 4. Percentage of Population Suffering from Hunger Image............................................................ 11
Figure 5. Population living in extreme poverty with per capita household consumptions below $1.90...... 11
Figure 6. Arable land percentage by country ............................................................................................ 12
Figure 7. Total area land use for agriculture, measured as the combination of land for arable farming and
grazing in hectares .................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 8. Climate map of the Philippines based on the Modifies Coronas' Climate Classification, based on
the type of rainfall distribution during 1951-2010 period Image ................................................. 16
Figure 9. Palay Production and Yield per Hectare in the Philippine, 2009-2018 ....................................... 18
Figure 10. Spatial Distribution of Palay Production in the Philippines in 2017 .......................................... 18
Figure 11. Corn Production and Yield per Hectare in the Philippine, 2009-2018 ...................................... 19
Figure 12. Spatial Distribution of Corn Production in the Philippines in 2017 ........................................... 19

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I. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE
“When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.”
Daniel Webster

Agriculture is derived from the Latin words ager (field) and colo (cultivate), that when combined
yield to Latin word agricultura, or the act of field tilling. From that earliest definition, the word agriculture
evolves and now covers a wide range of activities. Agriculture is the most comprehensive term to denote
the art and science of growing crop plants and raising domestic animals to sustain the global human
population by providing foods and other products (Harris & Fuller, 2014). Today’s agriculture is indeed a
product of continuous growth and development

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, student should be able to understand the history and development of the
agriculture. Also, students should be able to elaborate the role of agriculture as an economic factor,
industry, science, and profession.

Diagnostic Test

1. In what era did the domestication of crops and livestock started?

2. In what country(s) does rice was believed to be first domesticated?
3. What international effort initiated in the late 1950’s aimed to solve the worldwide famine
through the use of modern agriculture?
4. What revolution gave birth to different agriculture concepts and techniques like plant
and livestock breeding and fabrication of farm machineries?
5. What is the first official name of Department of Agriculture during the 1st Republic of the
Philippines?

Definition of Terms

Agriculture – the art and science of growing crop plants and raising domestic animals to sustain the global
human population by providing foods and other products

Domestication – process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use. Domestic species are raised
for food, work, clothing, medicine, and many other uses.

Brief historical development of World and Philippine Agriculture

World Agriculture

The birth of agriculture contributed a lot to the rise of early civilization. It is believed that it has been
practiced periodically for the past 13,000 years, and widely established for 7,000 years (Montgomery,
2008). In the long span of human history, however, this is just a glimpse compared to the nearly 200,000

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years of hunting and scavenging in the wild. There are five broad periods of unequal length in agriculture
history (McKenzie, 2007):

1. Prehistoric Period up to Neolithic period

a. Pastoral Stage – Early human spent most of their lives searching for food by gathering wild
plants and hunting wild animals caught by bare hands. These wild plants are used for medical,
cosmetics, as well as for their food value.

b. Middle Stone Age (8000 - 4000 B.C.) – Bows and arrows were used for hunting. In this period,
drying and storing of caught fish, seeds, nuts and fruits were started. The domestication of
some animals and plants was recorded with the help of stone tools:
Sheep 9,000 B.C. North Iraq
Cattle 6,000 B.C. North East Iran
Goats 8,000 B.C. Iran
Pigs 8,000 B.C. South East Asia
7,000 B.C. Greece
Horses 4,350 B.C. Ukraine
Wheat and Bailey 8,000 B.C. Middle East
Millet and Rice 5,500 B.C. India and South East Asia
Squash 8,000 B.C. Mexico
Legumes 6,000 B.C. Thessaly & Macedonia

Figure 1 points out the general regions where crops are believed to have been first been
domesticated.

c. New Stone Age, Neolithic (4000 -2500 B.C) – Domestication of plants and animals continues
in this era using improved stone tools.

2. Historic through Roman period (2500 B.C. to 500 A.D.) – The use of metal was introduced in
this period. Trades in wine and olive oil was mentioned in Egyptian record around 2,900 BC. Widely
cultivated crops around 2,000 B.C. were rye and oats in North Europe, dates in Near East Europe,
linen and silk in China, and cotton in India. In this period, Rome started a rural agriculture society
which supplied grains to many other cities. This community used slave labor and tenants paid
predetermined share to estate owner. By 4,000 A.D., serfdom was well established and former
tenant was attached to the land.

3. Feudal (peak in about 1100 A.D.) – This period began soon after the fall of the Roman empire.
In a Feudal system, majority of the people were laborers who did all the farmlands works. However,
they had to give most part of their harvest to their lord, earning just enough supplies to survive.

4. Colonial and Scientific Agriculture (1600s-1800s)– By 1600, population in Europe were

expanding exponentially which triggered on the exploration and colonization of land in America,
Africa, and Asia to produced cash crops and feed to the home country. From 1500 to 1900, slaves
from the colonized countries were used in plantations, especially in sugar, cotton, tobacco, and tea
plantations.

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 Figure 1. Centers of Origin of Selected Crops, developed using data of the National Plant Germplasm
System's Plant Exchange Office
Image Source: USDA

Scientific revolution occurred from the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment in Europe which
gave birth to agriculture concepts and techniques that we used up to these days. It includes:
• plant and livestock breeding (1700s)
• fertilizer application (late 1700)
• crop rotation practice
• irrigation and drainage
• fabrication of farm machineries (late 1700 to 1800)

5. Industrial Agriculture and the Green Revolution (1900s) – Land availability for crop production
became major limiting factor starting early 1900s since the priority was to increase crop yields to
sustain the growing population. Chemical inputs for agriculture greatly increased, and the
mechanized methods of farming and food productions became the norm. Animal agriculture
industry began raising large numbers of animals confined in crowded indoor facilities. Between
1950 and the late 1960s, a planned international effort to eliminate hunger by improving crop
performance and introducing modern agriculture practices called Green Revolution was initiated
by Norman Borlaug who was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

Philippine Agriculture

Philippine is one of the largest archipelagos in the world with 7,641 islands (NAMRIA, 2017). It has
a total land area of about 30 million hectares, and about 41% of it is devoted to agriculture. The Philippine
agriculture has a long history which is divided into three stages of development:

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 1. Pre-colonial period

• Indo-Malayan migrants brought with them a wet rice agriculture and carabao.
• Agriculture were predominated near bodies of water like rivers and lake.
• Slash and burn kaingin culture or non-plowing farming.
• Main crops were rice, gabi, yams, bananas, corn, millet, coconuts, citrus, and ginger
• In mid-1600, the estimated population was 500,000.
• Problems in this period were limited foreign trade, food scarcity, and in decrease
agricultural production.

2. Colonial period

• There was an increased in agricultural production

• There were productions of mulberry, cocoa, wheat, cucumber, coffee, watermelon new
varieties of cereals peas, and vegetable.
• Introduction of new technological innovation for production and processing.
• The Department of Agriculture and Manufacturing was formed eleven days after the
proclamation of Philippine Independence (1898), and later renamed to Insular Bureau of
Agriculture (IBA) under the Department of Interior (1901)
• On March 16, 1909, the College of Agriculture was founded in University of the Philippine
Los Baños which initiated the generation of technologies for agriculture production in the
country.
• In 1917, the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) was created to took
over the functions of IBA.

3. Post-war period

• After the country’s liberation from the Japanese (1945), the government rebuilt the country
and reconstituted agencies including the Department of Agriculture and Commerce (DAC)
• Introduction of technological improvements
• Modern farm inputs and farm mechanization in 1950s
• Building up of market for tractors and power tillers 19960s.
• Establishment of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
• Introduction of high yielding rice varieties.
• Development and expansion of international trading for coconut, tobacco, sugar, and
pineapple.

Agriculture as an Economic Factor

The agriculture sector plays an important role in the economy of any country (Praburaj, 2018).
Agriculture makes its contribution to economic development in several ways which include:

1. Provide food supply and raw materials for industrialization

2. Create demand of products of non-agricultural sectors by the rural people
3. Provide investable surplus in the form of savings and taxes to be invested in non-agriculture
sector
4. Create valuable foreign exchange through the export of agricultural products
5. Contributes to country’s capital formation
6. Offer employment to rural peoples which eventually improves the rural welfare
7. Improve infrastructure and transportation especially in rural areas

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Agriculture as an Industry, a Science, and a Profession

Industry Science Profession

includes enterprises provides opportunities to

engaged in growing multidisciplinary field of
biology, natural sciences, contribute to the mission
crops, raising fish and of eradicating hunger
economics, and social
animals, logging woods, and enabling food
sciences.
dairies, hatcheries, and security
set of all activities,
ranches.
transformation,
modern innovation in the
techniques, application,
agriculture industry is the
and. research.
Green Revolution

Self-Assessment Questions

1. Do you believe Philippines is still an agriculture-based country? Why or Why not?

2. How can agriculture contribute to the country’s economic development?

Assignment

Draw a timeline of history of the World and Philippine Agriculture

References

Harris, D., & Fuller, D. (2014). Agriculture: Definition and Overview. In C. Smith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of
Global Archaeology (pp. 104-113). New York: Springer.

McKenzie, S. (2007). A Brief History of Agriculture and Food Production: The Rise of "Industrial Agriculture".
Johns Hopkins University and Shawn McKenzie.

Montgomery, D. (2008). Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University
of California Press.

NAMRIA. (2017, January 10). National Mapping and Resource Information Authority News and Events.
Retrieved July 5, 2020, from [Link]
tiangco-welcomes-2017&Archive=1

Praburaj, L. (2018). Role of Agriculture in the Economic Development of a Country. International Journal of
Commerce, 1-5.

Supplementary Learning Resources

[Link]

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II. INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE AND ECOSYSTEM
“Agriculture is the process of turning eco-systems into people.”
Toby Hemenway

Agriculture uses about a third of the world’s land surface and depend on the wider environment for
its existence and sustainability. Biotic (diversity of plants, animals, and microbes) and abiotic (sunlight,
water, nutrients) components all play fundamental roles in agricultural production to ultimately attain global
food security.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, student should be able to explain the impact of agriculture in the
environment and the society.

Diagnostic Test

1. What greenhouse gas does rice and cattle production produce which contribute to
Climate Change?
2. What is Climate Change?
3. What are the causes of land degradation?
4. What are the possible reasons why society do not embrace new agricultural concepts
and technology?

Definition of Terms

Agricultural ecosystem or agroecosystem – domesticated or human controlled ecosystem compost of

interconnected interrelated and interacting living and non-living.

Biodiversity – variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems.

Climate Change – change in the average conditions of temperature and rainfall in a region over a long
period of time

Deforestation – decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural
cropland, urbanization, or mining activities.

Slash and Burn – method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new
seeds are sown, typically used as a method for clearing forest land for farming

Soil Erosion – displacement of the upper layer of soil

Soil Exhaustion – loss of nutrients in soil from farming the same crop over and over again

Soil Salinization – accumulation of water-soluble salts within soil

Water Eutrophication – a condition when a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and
nutrients which induce excessive growth of algae

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Agriculture and the environment

The major challenge of the agriculture sector is to feed the increasing global population, while at
the same time reducing the environmental impact and preserving natural resources for future generations .
Significant negative impacts of agriculture to the environment (Rohila [Link], 2017) are the following:

Table 1. Negative Impacts of Agriculture in the Environment

IMPACT CAUSES
1. Land Transformation • Deforestation
• Drainage of wetlands to grow crops
• Landscape degradation through activities like road construction
for transport of agricultural produce
2. Land Degradation • Soil Erosion
• Soil Exhaustion
• Soil Salinization
• Overgrazing
• Loss of soil biodiversity due to agrochemicals
3. Water Pollution • Soil erosion and agrochemicals (fertilizers & pesticides)
• Effluents from agro-processing factories
4. Loss of Biodiversity • Slash and burn
• Monoculture cropping
• Water eutrophication from agricultural fertilizers
• Genetic Engineering
5. Climate Change and • Burning
Atmospheric Pollution • Use of fertilizers that produces greenhouse gases
• Rice growing and keeping of cattle and other ruminants which
produce methane gas

Agriculture can also positively impact the environment, for instance by trapping greenhouse gases
within crops and soils, or mitigating flood risks through the adoption of certain farming practices.

Agriculture and the society

The development of agriculture fundamentally changed human societies, first and foremost with
the change from nomadic to sedentary life. For the last centuries, agriculture has been the backbone of
every country’s economy as it provides food and raw materials for industrialization. Today, over one third
of the world's workers are employed in agriculture (Kriskela, 2015). That being said, agriculture societies
are the most common form of socio-economic organization for most of the counties.

One of the major problems associated with agriculture and society is the marginalization of small-
scale farmers. It is caused by the liberalization of agricultural trade under World Trade Organization,
legalization of the use of export subsidies, and the use of agricultural subsidies for inputs by developed
countries.

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Societal and Cultural barriers to Agricultural Change

With the advancement in different agricultural operations, there are still rural farmers who cannot
cope. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are features of society and culture that
may act as barriers to change in agriculture which includes:
1. Respect for tradition
2. Belief in one’s own culture
3. Pride and dignity to practice ways of farming
4. Relative values in terms of taste, appearance, or some other factor more than the level of
output
5. Responsibilities and social obligations
6. Traditional ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, and religious festivals that can take up so
much time that farmer may be unable to work to the maximum efficiency

Self-Assessment Questions

1. What are the impacts of agriculture to the environment?

2. What are the impacts of agriculture to the society?

Assignment

Give at least five impacts of agriculture sector to your own community.

References

Kriskela, C. (2015). Role of Agriculture in Modern Society: A Case Study. Journal of Ecoogy and
Environmetal Science, 3(3), 34-35.

Rohila, A., Ansul, Maan, D., Kumar, A., & Kumar, K. (2017). Impact of Agriculture Practices on Environment.
Asian Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Environmental Science, 19(2), 145-148.

Supplementary Learning Resources

[Link]
[Link]
%20change

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III. ANALYSIS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND POPULATION
GROWTH IN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
“Agriculture was the first occupation of man,
and as it embraces the whole earth, it is the foundation of all industries”
-E.W. Stewart

Based on economics, the world has been separated into two types of countries, primarily based on
annual per capita income or the average income per person. The first economic category is developed
nations which characterized for being more industrialized and a per capita income of around or above
$12,000. The second economic category is developing nations that include countries that are less
industrialized with per capita income between $1,000 to $12,000 for moderately developed and
approximately less than $1,000 for less developed. Figure 2 shows the spatial distribution of nations based
on its economic categories.

Figure 2. Economic categories of countries

Image Source: International Monetary Fund and United Nation (2019)

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, student should be able to differentiate the developing and developed
countries in terms of its food production and population growth.

Diagnostic Test
1. In which economic category does the Philippine belong?
2. What are the two major factors in determining food consumption?
3. As of 2019, 1 out of every __ people of world population are suffering from hunger.
4. True or False. Developing countries have more arable land than developed countries.

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 In Mid-2019, the world’s population reached 7.7 billion, having an additional of a billion people since
2007 and two billions since 1994 (UN, 2019). Ninety-seven percent of all population growth are occurring
in the poorest parts of the world as shown in Figure 3. Population and income are the major factors in
determining food consumption (FAO, 2017). World food demand is growing at a rate of 2% per year, 1.8%
of this because of population increase and 0.2% because of rising income. In developing countries,
population increases at a rate of 60% with no substantial increase in the income, resulting to the food price
increase of about 90%. While in developed countries which have lower population growth, there is 72%
decrease in the food price. People on low income nations spend a large fraction of their incomes on food,
reducing their purchasing power with a continuous increase of food prices.

Figure 3. World map of countries and territories by population

Image Source: United Nation (2019)

Hunger and Food Security

Eradicating hunger and malnutrition are the great challenges of our time. As of 2019, around 821
million people or more than 1 out of every 9 people of world population suffer hunger, which is mainly due
to poverty (Figure 4 & 5). About 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 per day, while around 2.6 billion
or almost 40% of the world’s population live on less than $2.00 per day. So, in order to solve world’s hunger,
the world poverty problem must be solved first.

With that situation, question arise: why people in the developed countries are well feed, while those
in developing countries are less well fed? One major factor is that developed nation has 45% of arable land
but only has 25% of population (Figure 6 & 7). In the poorest countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America
there is an 2.5% increase in demand of food, but only 1.9% increase in supply. These countries typically
depend on developed countries like US, Canada, and Australia for their grain supplies.

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 Figure 4. Percentage of Population Suffering from Hunger
Image Source: United Nation World Food Programme (2013)

Figure 5. Population living in extreme poverty with per capita household consumptions below
$1.90
Image Source: [Link]

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% of Arable Land

Figure 6. Arable land percentage by country

Image Source: CIA (2006)

Figure 7. Total area land use for agriculture, measured as the combination of land
for arable farming and grazing in hectares
Image Source: [Link]

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Overcoming Economic Inequality and Food Insecurity
The economic inequality and the gap in terms of food security between developed and developing
countries can be solve with the government interference and policies. Some of the solutions that may be
done are the following:

1. Reduce population growth to promote economic prosperity, health, and education

2. Invest in agricultural productivity like research, extension, credit, and markets
3. Protect soil and water resources by assigning property rights and giving resource owners a
stake in environmental protection
4. Encourage economic growth among the poorest through macroeconomic policies, and
competitive markets.

Self-Assessment Questions

1. What is the difference between developing and developed nation in terms of economic
status? In terms of population? In terms of food price? In terms of arable land?
2. What are the possible solutions that can be done to overcome food insecurity of a
country?

References

"Economic Inequality: Differences in Developed and Developing Nations." [Link], 7 November 2013,
Retrieved July 5, 2020 on [Link]/academy/lesson/economic-inequality-differences-in-
[Link]

Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO]. (2017). The future of food and agriculture – Trends and
challenges. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nation

United Nation [UN]. (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights. United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.

Supplementary Learning Resources

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

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IV. OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE
“We need to improve efficiencies in production and enhance projects
and activities to ensure affordability and availability of food supply. ”
-Secretary William Dar, Department of Agriculture

Philippine is one of the largest archipelagos in the world with 7,641 islands (NAMRIA, 2017). It has
a total land area of about 30 million hectares, and about 41% of it is devoted to agriculture. Even though
many still believed that the Philippine is predominantly agriculture, its share on the country’s economy said
otherwise. As of 2019, the share of agriculture in the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) was only
8.82% (PAS, 2019), down from its 23% share in 1980 and 30% share in 1960 (Habito & Briones, 2005).

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, student should be able to identify the different resources available in the
country that could be used for an agribusiness engagement.

Diagnostic Test

1. According to Coronas’ Climate Classification, Catanduanes belongs to Type __,

characterized by __.
2. What is the top producing country of Abaca?
3. What is the current share of agriculture sector to employment rate in the Philippines?
4. True or False. Aquaculture has the highest growth rates among the agriculture sub-
sector
5. What two agricultural export produce in the Philippines earn at least $1 billion per year?

Definition of Terms

Arable Land - and cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest

Climate – average weather of a particular area that prevails over a period of time

Humidity – moisture content of the atmosphere

GDP or Gross Domestic Product - total value of goods and services produced in a country that is measured
over specific time frames such as quarter or a year

GVA or Gross Value Added – measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or
sector of an economy.

PAGASA or Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration – the National
Meteorological and Hydrological Services agency of the Philippines mandated to provide
protection against natural calamities and to promote national progress by undertaking scientific
and technological services in meteorology, hydrology, climatology, astronomy and other
geophysical sciences.

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PhilFIDA or Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority - agency of the Philippine Department of
Agriculture responsible for promoting the accelerated growth and development of the fiber
industry in the Philippines, such as abaca, also known as Manila hemp and cotton.

Permanent Crops - land cultivated for crops like citrus, coffee, and rubber that are not replanted after each
harvest, and includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines,

Permanent Pasture - land used for at least five years or more to grow herbaceous forage, either cultivated
or growing naturally

Rainfall – amount of precipitation in liquid form falling over a specific area

Temperature – refers to the degree of hotness and coldness of the atmosphere

Weather – specific conditions of the atmosphere at a particular place and time

Resources

People
In 2018, the total population in the Philippines was approximately 106.7 million, with 1.4% annual
growth rate. In that year, agriculture sector employed 10 million individual that represented a share of 24.3%
to the national employment (PSA, 2019). The average age of Filipino Farmers is relatively old at 57 years
old. The GDP per capita in the country that year is $3,102.71. The average daily wage rates of farmers are
Php 176.44 for male and Php 169.27 for female.

Land
Agricultural land encompasses 41% of the Philippines’s total land area, specifically 18.2% for
arable land, 17.8% for permanent crops and 5% for permanent pasture. Large fraction (85%) of these
agricultural lands are small-scale farms in the rural areas.

The type of soil is a critical part on the success of agriculture. Majority of the Philippine’s soil
resources are inteptesol which are best suited for cultivated crops. Some soil types in the country which
are also economically important for rice and other major crop production are entisols, vertisols, and
mollisols. Considered problematic soils is the ultisols, because of its high erodibility and low nutrients
content but still has potential for agricultural production. Irrigated farmlands in 2018 totaled 1.92 million
hectares and this comprised 61.39% of the estimated total irrigable area.

Climate
The country has five types of climate: tropical rainforest, tropical monsoon, tropical savanna, humid
tropical and oceanic characterized by relatively high temperature, oppressive humidity, and plenty of
rainfall. There are two main seasons in the country: rainy seasons from June to the early October, and dry
season from the later part of October to May. On average, 20 typhoons hit the country every year. The
revised public storm warning system (PSWS) of PAGASA is shown in Table 2. According to Modified
Corona Modification, there are four types of climate in the Philippines as shown in Figure 8.

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 Table 2. Revised Public Storm Warning System
Source: PAGASA

Lead Time (expected

PSWS Winds, kph Impacts of the Wind
to occur), hr
1 36 30-60 No damage to very light damage
2 24 61-120 Light to moderate damage
3 18 121-170 Moderate to heavy damage
4 12 171-220 Heavy to very heavy damage
5 12 More than 220 Very heavy to widespread

Figure 8. Climate map of the Philippines based on the Modifies Coronas' Climate Classification, based on
the type of rainfall distribution during 1951-2010 period
Image Source: PAGASA

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Production Systems

Crops subsector continue to dominate the Philippine agriculture with aggregate GVA of 48.2%
against 26.9% the livestock sector as shown in Table 3 (PSA, 2019). Aquaculture has the highest growth
rates among the agriculture sub-sector due to improved fish species used, stocking system and
supplemental feeding, low cost integrated fish farm system.

Major agricultural systems in the country include lowland irrigated farming, rainfed farming and
upland farming. Irrigated farm areas mainly grow rice and sugarcane whereas rainfed areas are planted
with coconut, corn, and cassava. The Philippines' major agricultural products include rice, coconuts, corn,
sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, abaca, and mangoes.

Table 3. Distribution of GVA in Agriculture and Fishing by subsector in the Philippines

Source: PSA

Industry/ Industry Group 2000 2008 2018

Agriculture Industry 99.36 99.61 99.99
a. Agriculture 85.07 84.49 83.5
Palay 19.47 20.88 20.1
Corn 5.54 6.83 5.7
Coconut 4.42 6.83 3.8
Sugarcane 3.24 2.86 2.1
Banana 3.83 6.3 4.6
Other Crops 32.26 28.32 11.9
Livestock 16.16 14.22 14.5
Poultry 9.71 8.21 12.4
Agricultural activities & services 5.37 5.55 8.4
b. Fishery 14.93 15.51 16.5
Forestry 0.64 0.39 <0.01
Total 100 100 100

Rice
Rice is the most important staple crop which represent 35% of the caloric intake of the average
Filipino. Rice yields in the country have increased substantially since the 1960s as a result of the use of
high yielding varieties developed during the Green Revolution. In 2018, the Philippines is the 8th largest
rice producer accounting for 2.8% of global rice production. Around 4.8 million ha of land is under rice
cultivation and the total production was 19.07 million metric tons (Figure 9) (PSA, 2019). The Philippines is
however the world's largest rice importer in 2019 (Ocampo, 2019).

Corn
Corn is the second most important crop in the Philippines. 600,000 farm households are employed
in different businesses in the corn value chain. As of 2018, around 2.51 million ha of land is under corn
cultivation and the total production was 7.7million metric tons (Figure 11).

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Figure 9. Palay Production and Yield per Hectare in the Philippine, 2009-2018
Image Source: PSA

Figure 10. Spatial Distribution of Palay Production in the Philippines in 2017

Source: PSA

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 Figure 11. Corn Production and Yield per Hectare in the Philippine, 2009-2018
Image Source: PSA

Figure 12. Spatial Distribution of Corn Production in the Philippines in 2017

Source: PSA
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Sugar
There are at least 19 provinces that produce sugarcane in the Philippines. As of 2018, over 400,
000 hectares are devoted to sugarcane production. The largest sugarcane areas are found in the Negros
Island which accounts for 51% of sugarcane areas planted. In 2018, the production volume of raw sugar in
the country was around 2.2 million metric tons (USDA, 2019).

Coconuts
Coconut plays an important role in the national economy of the Philippines. In 2018, the production
volume of coconut in the country was around 14.7 million metric tons (PSA, 2019) produced in 69 provinces
in the country. An estimated 3.6 million hectares of land in the country are planted with coconut trees.

Abaca
According to PhilFIDA (2016), the Philippines is the abaca top producing country in the world
providing 87.17% of the world's supply in 2015. An overwhelming share of 34.96% of the country’s abaca
production come from the island of Catanduanes, followed by Davao Oriental (8.48%), Northern Samar
(7.73%) and Lanao del Sur (6.70%) (PhilFIDA, 2016).

At present, the Philippines only has two agricultural products that earn at least $1 billion per year
in export receipts: bananas; and coconut products (mostly in oil form). Thailand has 13 types of farm exports
earning over $1 billion each year, Indonesia has five, and Vietnam has seven (DA, 2016).

Small hold farming and agribusiness

The term “smallholders” includes small farmers who own or control the land they farm. There are a
number of characteristics common to smallholders as detailed in the Ethical Trading Initiative (WEIGO,
n.d.):

• They produce relatively small volumes on relatively small plots of land.

• They may produce an export commodity as a main livelihood activity or as one of many activities.
• They are generally less well-resourced than commercial-scale farmers.
• They are usually considered part of the informal economy (because they may not be registered,
tend to be excluded from aspects of labour legislation, lack social protection and have limited
records).
• They may depend on family labour and/or may hire workers.
• They are often vulnerable in supply chains.

Problems Confronting by the Philippine Agriculture

A. Climate Change
- Estimated loss to 2010 El Nino phenomenon Php10 billion
- Also happened in 1998 when rice production was reduced by 20%
- In 2009, Typhoon Ondoy destroyed agricultural crops estimated Php5.5 billion while Typhoon
Pepeng destroyed Php 453 million (NDCC, 2009).
B. Low Productivity brought about by intertwining technical, social, political, and environmental
factors
C. Unemployment and poverty
- In 2018, poor accounts to 16.6% of population and 13.3% are suffering from hunger
- Unemployment is high, i.e. 2.34% of population.

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 - The agriculture share in employment is declining:1960 (61.2%), 1980 (51.4%), 2007 (36.1%)
2019 (24.3%)
D. High Population Growth
- Philippine has current annual population growth rate of 1.4%, higher than its neighboring
country like Vietnam (1.0%), Indonesia (1.1%), and Thailand (0.3%).

Challenges on Philippine Agriculture

Agricultural sector in the country has been beset with persistent challenges resulting in low farm
incomes, low rural employment, lack of food security, and meager agricultural competitiveness. Here are
some of general strategies that can be done to overcome these challenges (Angeles, 2009):

Table 4. Possible strategies for different challenges faced by Philippine Agriculture sector

CHALLENGES STRATEGIES
- Increase yield and quality through
- Promote product diversification
- Expand area, if available and put on hold land conversion
- Reduce pest and disease
Food Security
- Reduce population Growth
- Increase Rural Income, Increase employment opportunities
- Increase in Research and Development and agricultural
education
- Increase production efficiency and proper postharvest handling
technologies
Agriculture-Industry linkages - Provide investment incentives
- Shift in orientation from farming to agribusiness
- Promote agri-entrpreneurship in agri education
- Reduce soil erosion and promote water conservation through
appropriate farning systems
- Develop new crops tolerant to soil acidity, and other soil infertility
Promote Environmental
problems
Sustainability
- Proper waste management
- Reduce pesticide residues
- Address food related issues
- Accelerate technology development
- Promote effective extension delivery system
Promote Production Sustainability - Implement land use policy
- Credit infrastructure
- Strngthen marketing and trade

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 Self-Assessment Questions

1. Who are small-holder farmers?

2. What are the challenges and the possible solutions of today’s Philippine Agriculture?

Assignment

Give a list suitable crops to be grown in places with Type II climate

References

Angeles, D. E. (2009, March 16). State of Philippine Agriculture. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from
[Link]

DA. (2016, September 25). Promotion of Exports. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from [Link]
promotion-of-exports/

FAO. (2009). 2009 Crop Production Statistics. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from [Link]

PhilFIDA. (2016). Abaca Sustainability Manual. Quezon City: Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority.

PSA. (2019). 2019 Selected Statistics on Agriculture. Quezon City: Philippine Statistics Authority.

PSA. (2019). Agricultural Indicators System (AIS) Economic Growth: Agriculture. Quezon City: Philippine Statistics
Authority.

USDA. (2019). USDA Foreign Agricultural Service: Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) Report. United
States of America Department of Agriculture. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from
[Link]
nila_Philippines_4-[Link]

WEIGO. (n.d.). Smallholder Farmers. Retrieved July 8, 2020, from Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and
Organizing: [Link]

Supplementary Learning Resources

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]/images/Publications/abacasustainabilitymanual/[Link]

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23
 1. Which of the following projections is in correct?
a. 10 billion persons in the world in year 2057
b. 9 billion persons in the world by year 2037
c. 7.8 billion persons in the world by year 2020
d. 125 million Filipinos by 2030
2. The world’s most populated country?
a. Philippines b. India c. China d. U.S.A.
3. The population of Filipinos in 2020
a. 103 million b. 110 million c. 116 million d. 97 million
4. The following is true about Philippine agriculture, except
a. GDP increased by 6.2 percent in 2018
b. GVA in the agriculture sector recorded a 0.8 percent increment in 2018
c. Crops registered a 0.99 percent reduction in output in 2018
d. Livestock production increased by 1.90 percent in 2018
e. None of the above

f. The green revolution occurred in 1960s to 1970s generate a significant increase in food production.
g. The use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides damaged the DNA of 30 percent of American farmers according to
a study conducted by Punjabi University.
The 3rd Agriculture Revolution address the lack of food self-sufficiency by developing new synthetic fertilizers, agrochemicals,
improved crop varieties, irrigation innovation and mechanization.

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