Read More - Philippine Institute for Development Studies

65
Table 2. Farmers’ responses to SCFs
Experiential Data Analytical Data Farmers’ Decisions
(Hypothetic Assumption) (Climate Forecast)
Wet cropping season for Dry season Prepare a small portion of their land to minimize spending. If the dry
three years
season comes, plant crops which are resistant to drought or shortseason
crops. Plant in small quantities to avoid too much input for an
expected below-average output.
Dry cropping season Dry season Find other means of earning income. Practise backyard gardening to
for three years
have an immediate source of food for their family. Raise farm
animals such as chickens, goats, cows, and pigs to have alternative
sources of income. Look for work in Malaybalay. Switch from corn to
more drought-tolerant crops (high risk option).
Wet cropping season Wet season Still plant corn, and plant other crops in the periphery to earn
for three years
additional income. There would be very little (or no) changes in their
farming practices because of the rainy climate for the cropping
season.
Average cropping season Dry season Prepare a small portion of their land. Farmers and their families will
for three years
cultivate their land to minimize cost in land preparation. If the dry
season comes, plant crops which are resistant to drought. Plant in
small quantities.
Average cropping season La Niña Plant crops that grow even with too much water or use corn varieties
for three years
that thrive under a wet climate condition.
mongo, soybeans, cowpeas, and other leguminous plants
so that before the dry season comes, they would have
had finished harvesting. They added that they would leave
the silage of their crops to fertilize the land. They
maintained that they would plant in small quantities to
minimize production cost for what they expect to be a
low yield due to the dry climate.
Dry cropping season experience and dry forecast.
Under this situation, the decisions made by the
respondents were more for sustaining their households
and not for income. They reasoned that by the fourth year
of a drought, they would have run out of savings for their
families. Participants said that they would find alternative
livelihood or other means of earning an income. One of
the alternative sources of income they mentioned was to
work as hired laborers in sugarcane plantations. They
claimed that sugarcane is a drought-resistant crop; hence,
sugarcane plantations will continue to operate even
during drought.
Some farmers said that they would find other work
in Malaybalay. Other farmers said that they would practice
handicraft making as an alternative source of income. As
an immediate source of food, participants said that they
would venture into backyard gardening. They claimed
that it is easier to maintain crops when grown in small
numbers. For these backyard gardens, they would use
their used water at home to water their crops. Farmers
said that they would also raise farm animals like chicken,
goats, pigs, and cows for additional income.
Wet cropping season experience and wet forecast.
For this situation, participants said that they would still
plant corn but will use the native or the “bisaya” variety.
They claimed that the native variety is cheaper and grows
well both in wet and dry seasons compared to the hybrid
varieties. Other than corn, they would also plant other
crops in the sides of their farm as a source of additional
income.
Average cropping season experience and dry
forecast. Farmers’ decisions in this situation are similar to
the decisions they have made in the wet forecast. Farmers
said that they would cultivate corn in a small portion of
their land. According to them, they will not hire laborers
to cultivate their land. Instead, their family members will
help, from land preparation to planting until harvesting.
If the dry season comes, a small number of farmers said
that they would plant crops that are resistant to drought
such as banana, sugarcane, rubber, and cassava. They
maintained that they would be planting in smaller
quantities.
Average season experience and La Niña forecast. For
this situation, farmers were asked to assume that they
have experienced an average climate for the cropping
season for three consecutive years in the past and were
then given a La Niña forecast for the present cropping