Philippine E-Journals

Sustainable Practices for Rice Agripreneurs

Stephanie Kim O. Ramos | Arly N. Visperas | Clarisse S. Vila | Lurene Myles V. Bernales | Aira Camille J. Cenizan | Jemyma Joyce M. Decenon | Mark Juven C. Sibucao

Discipline: agricultural sciences

 

Abstract:

This study, "Sustainable Practices of Rice Agripreneurs," exam- ines how rice agripreneurs in Villasis, Pangasinan, can integrate organic farming, modern farming methods, and smart farming activities into improving the sustainability of agriculture. Alt- hough technology has been developed, barriers to access to new technology by many farmers include limited capital, technical skills and training, creating a disparity between the non-modern and modern farming systems. It utilized a quantitative descrip- tive study design based on validated questionnaires given to 35 registered agripreneurs of rice in Villasis, Pangasinan. Statistical analysis was used to interpret data in terms of frequency, per- centage, weighted mean, and Pearson correlation, to determine sustainable practices and their association with business pro- files. This research is also anchored in the UN-SDGs 1, 2, 4, 10, 12, 15, and 17. The majority of the respondents possess vast ag- ribusiness experience, operate small to medium-size farms, most of which are rented. Most common was modern farming prac- tices (AWM = 3.28), then organic farming practices (AWM = 2.89), and then smart farming tools were sometimes practiced (AWM = 2.21). These results show that despite the use of sus- tainable practices by agripreneurs, there is minimal technologi- cal practice. The findings of the study showed that business pro- files and sustainable practices did not show any correlation, which suggests the same adoption regardless of experience or size of farms. The results are concluding that rice agripreneurs are more sustainability oriented, but they need to have a greater access to technology, funding, and institutional support. It pro- poses