“Magtanim ay ‘di biro”: A Descriptive Qualitative Study of Farmers in Batac, Ilocos Norte

Document Types

Paper Presentation

School Name

De La Salle University Senior High School Manila

Track or Strand

Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS)

Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Rosales, Jhon Mark, M.

Start Date

23-6-2025 3:30 PM

End Date

23-6-2025 5:00 PM

Zoom Link/ Room Assignment

Y306

Abstract/Executive Summary

The Philippine economy has historically relied heavily on agriculture, but farmers continue to face a number of obstacles, from low productivity and climate change to unchecked rapid urbanization. The city of Batac, in the province of Ilocos Norte, is the focus point of this study, examining the struggles of farmers in the selling process of their harvests and how farmers navigate these issues through the lens of Kerkvliet’s everyday politics and strategic coping mechanisms with a focus on their identity as a community, the market dynamics in the local context, the reliance of farmers on middlemen, and government-sanctioned subsidies and aid. This study employs a descriptive-qualitative methodology, and the study collected detailed experiences through in-person semi-structured interviews. The study also reveals farmers’ adaptive strategies in response to the obstacles they face, namely collective bargaining, how they time their planting schedules to maximize crop yield and profits, and how they leverage informal networks for resource sharing. Moreover, this study’s findings highlight how farmers’ micro-level negotiations and resilience are critical for sustaining their livelihoods and conclude that the significance of community support, government-led interventions, and the farmers’ agency can help in creating more inclusive and responsive agrarian policies.

Keywords

agriculture; farmers; market dynamics; everyday politics; batac ilocos norte

Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)

Socio-Economic and Political Landscape (SPL)

Statement of Originality

yes

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Jun 23rd, 3:30 PM Jun 23rd, 5:00 PM

“Magtanim ay ‘di biro”: A Descriptive Qualitative Study of Farmers in Batac, Ilocos Norte

The Philippine economy has historically relied heavily on agriculture, but farmers continue to face a number of obstacles, from low productivity and climate change to unchecked rapid urbanization. The city of Batac, in the province of Ilocos Norte, is the focus point of this study, examining the struggles of farmers in the selling process of their harvests and how farmers navigate these issues through the lens of Kerkvliet’s everyday politics and strategic coping mechanisms with a focus on their identity as a community, the market dynamics in the local context, the reliance of farmers on middlemen, and government-sanctioned subsidies and aid. This study employs a descriptive-qualitative methodology, and the study collected detailed experiences through in-person semi-structured interviews. The study also reveals farmers’ adaptive strategies in response to the obstacles they face, namely collective bargaining, how they time their planting schedules to maximize crop yield and profits, and how they leverage informal networks for resource sharing. Moreover, this study’s findings highlight how farmers’ micro-level negotiations and resilience are critical for sustaining their livelihoods and conclude that the significance of community support, government-led interventions, and the farmers’ agency can help in creating more inclusive and responsive agrarian policies.

https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2025/paper_spl/1