SOIL FERTILITY
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
OF RICE FARMERS IN
CARIGARA LEYTE
PREPARED BY: RICHARD J. CABELIN BSA-3A
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture plays a very crucial role in economic growth, food security and poverty
allocation in most developing countries such as Philippines (Anang et al, 2018)
Fertilizer application enriches soil nutrients, enhances nutrient uptake and increases rice
yield.
Therefore, assessment on soil fertilizer management of rice farmers is needed to
know/understand the varies fertilizer used by farmers soil fertilizer management practices
and to determine the problem/constraints faced by rice farmers to ensure adequate food
supply for the unabated population growth.
This study will also serve as a guide for efficient conservation practices and management
policies of rice fields and serve as a baseline information for future studies in Carigara
Leyte.
Objectives:
Generally, this study aimed to asses the soil fertility management
practices of rice farmers in Carigara, Leyte. Specifically, the study
aimed to:
1. Describe the socio-demographic profile of the respondents;
2. Identify the fertilizers used by farmers ;
3. Determine the soil fertility management practices of the rice framers;
Scope and limitation of the study
The study focused on the soil fertility management practices of the
rice farmers in Carigara Leyte.
The study dealt only on the following variables: Socio-demographic
profile of the respondents
a.) Mode of fertilizer application,
b.) Time of fertilizer applications,
c.) Irrigation management,
d.) Crop residue management
Time and Place of the study:
The study was conducted on September
2023 in the selected Barangays of Carigara
Leyte, particularly Brgy. Sagkahan, Balilit
and Barugohay Central
Review of Related Literature
Organic Fertilizer
Soil Fertilizer management
Theoretical and Coceptual Framework
This study will be conducted to asses current fertilizer management practices of rice
framers on three selected Barangays as a source of rice in Carigara Leyte.
Figure 1. Shows the conceptual framework of the study.
Soil fertility
Socio-demographic
management practices
profile of respondent
of the rice farmers
Methodology
Description of the study Site:
Carigara is a coastal municipality in the northern part of Leyte Province
located on the shores of Carigara bay and by wide rice fields fanning out
towards the mountains in the distance.
The municipality has a land area of 117.86 square kilometers or 45.51 square
miles which constitutes 1.86% of Leyte’s total area.
This study was conducted in the three Barangays of Carigara namely Brgy.
Sagkahan, Brgy. Balilit and Brgy. Barugohay Central.
The choice of these Barangays is based on the fact that they are one of the
major rice sources in Carigara Leyte.
Sample size and sampling technique
To solve the number of respondents per
The sample size of the study was
Barangay, the study used the concept of
determined using the Sloven’s Formula.
ration and proportion.
Formula:
𝑵
𝒏=
𝟏+ 𝑵 ⅇ𝟐
Where: m= number of respondents per
Where n= sample size Barangay
N= population size X= total no. of registered number
farmers/per barangay.
e= margin of error
N= population size
N= sample size
Table 1: Destribution of respondents in three selected Barangays in
Carigara Leyte.
Barangays Total number of Number of
registered rice farmers respondents
Sagkahan 45 35
Balilit 50 37
Barugohay Central 35 28
Total 130 100
Research Instrument
The study uses an interview schedule instrument. During the
actual interview, the questions is being translated in “waray-
waray” dialect in order for the farmers to deeply understand each
question
The farmers are asking about their socio-demographic profile of
the respondents in terms of age , sex, civil status, educational
attainment, household size, estimated income per harvest,
tenurial status and the different rice production practices in rice
farmers and problems encountered in the management practices.
Data Gathering procedure
A formal request letter to conduct the study was addressed to
the barangay captain in the three (3) selected Barangay in
Carigara, Leyte; namely Sagkahan, Balilit, Barugohay Central.
The said questionnaire was divided in three parts; To describe
the socio demographic profile of the respondent, to determine
the fertilizer used by the rice farmers, to assess the soil fertility
management practices of rice farmers.
Data Analysis
The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics such as frequency, percentages and
mean. Descriptive analysis was performed using
Microsoft Excel 2010.
Results and discussion
Table 2. Socio-demographic profile of the respondents:
Variables Frequency Percentage(%)
Age
Young (21 below) 0 0
Adult (22-46) 20 20
Old (47-59) 30 30
Senior (60 and above) 47 100
Total 100 100
Mean = 57
Results and discussion
Sex
Male 76 76
Female 24 24
Total 100 100
Civil Status
Single 13 7
Married 72 87
Widowed 15 7
Total 100 100
Results and discussion
Educational Attainment
Elementary Level 7 7
Elementary Graduate 25 25
High School Level 20 20
High School Graduate 28 28
College Level 13 13
College Graduate 7 7
Total 100 100
Results and discussion
Organizational Affilliation
Yes 77 77
No 23 23
Total 100 100
Household Size
1-2 10 10
3-4 23 23
5-6 30 30
7-9 27 27
10 and above 9 9
Total 100 100
Mean = 5.67
Results and Discussion
Farm size (ha)
<0.5 17 17
0.6—1.0 57 57
1.1—1.5 11 11
1.6—2.0 13 13
2.1—2.5 1 1
2.6—3.0 0 0
>3.0 1 1
Total 100 100
Mean = 1.1055
Results and Discussion
No. of Years in Farming
<10 11 11
11—19 20 20
20—29 20 20
30—39 15 15
40—49 19 19
>50 15 15
Total 100 100
Mean = 30.67
Tenurial Status
Rented 1 1
Landowner 36 36
Tenant 63 63
Total 100 100
Results and discussion
Yield per cropping (sacks/ha.)
6-26 10 10
27-46 35 35
47-66 20 20
67-86 13 13
87-106 12 12
107-206 7 7
207-226 2 2
307-336 1 1
Total 100 100
Mean =63
Conclusion
Based on the results of the study the following conclusions are listed below.
1. Majority of the farmers were senior citizen and dominated with male farmers, married, high
school graduate. Tenant having less than 1 to 1n hectare that belongs to marginal farmers
category, have 20 years in farming engagement as a main source of income and have
harvested for about 27-46 sack of rice per hectare.
2. The rice farmers would rather use a mixed urea and complete instead of applying pure urea
and complete in 15 and 45 days after transplanting and (44%) of the rice farmers apply 45
days after transplanting.
3. Majority of the rice farmers let their crop residues decomposed at the field and almost of
the respondents practiced manual weed management. In terms of mode of fertilizer
application majority (99%) of the framer used broadcasting method of fertilizer application
and were applying fertilizer in the morning. As regards to the soil fertility management
majority (99%) of the rice farmers were irrigated, and during the vegetative cropping stage
water flows to their fields.
Implication
Based on the result of the study the following implication are listed below.
1. Majority of the framers were senior citizen and dominated with male
farmers, married, high school graduate, tenant having less than 1 to 1
hectare, have 20 years of farming engagement as main source of income
and have harvested for about 27-46 sack of rice per hectare.
2. The rice farmers preferred the use of mixed urea and complete instead of
applying pure urea and complete in 15 and 45 days after transplanting.
3. The majority of rice farmers let their crop residues decompose in the field,
and al;most all of the respondents practice manual weed management.
Recommendation
1. Local government must provide a workshop seminar to educate farmers on improving the
rice production activities especially the proper use of fertilizers, new techniques and skills are
very useful in enhancing productivity as well as farmers satisfaction.
2. Farmers also need to encourage their children to enroll in agriculture related courses to
solve the aging farmers problem, DA in partnership with CHED must provide a scholarship
program intended only for the children of small farmers to develop new generation of farmers.
3. The National Irrigation Administration should visit the farmland of the small farmers and
provide appropriate irrigation systems or build more solarized irrigation facility.
4. The Department of Agriculture should strengthen in extension unit to provide appropriate and
up to date agricultural practices to farmers. Capacitate extension workers to better understand
the situation of the framers as well as the farmland.
Thank you for
Listening!
