INNOVATIVE PERFORMANCE OF COCONUT FARMERS IN LEYTE AND SOUTHERN LEYTE, PHILIPPINES

Abstract

The innovative performance of coconut farmers in Leyte and Southern Leyte was determined. The respondents had an average age of 52 years with an average farming experience of 23 years. Their mean educational attainment was 5 years; average number of household members, 6, and an average annual income of P5,969.47. Majority were owner-operators and slightly over one-half were part-time farmers. They had an average farm size of 3.29 ha. The respondents adopted an average of 5 recommended coconut production practices and had high adoption scores in selecting the seedlings for transplanting, preparing the seednuts for germination, selecting the planting materials, replanting, laying out the field before planting, and intercropping. The practices which had low adoption scores were: plowing, controlling pests, controlling diseases, and application of fertilizer. Reasons given for non-adoption were: ignorance of the advantage of the practice, not certain of its success, lack of money to buy the farm inputs, and did not know how to do it. Sources of farm information, aspirations in life, perception of coconut farming, attitude towards modernization in coconut farming, annual gross income, size of farm, production credit and expectations from coconut farming were found significantly related to innovative performance. Farmers were beset with many problems, such as low price of copra, low yield, no working animals, poor sharing system, frequent occurrence of typhoons, and presence of rats. Preparing the seednuts for germination and plowing were considered "very simple" to understand and use; intercropping, replanting and selecting the seedlings for transplanting, "simple"; selecting the planting materials, laying out the field before planting and fertilizing, "difficult"; and controlling diseases and pests, "very difficult."