Introduction

October 2009

IRRI ReseaRch BRIef 4

How has rice farming in the Philippines changed in the last 10 years?
This policy brief describes the major results of the study: N Jamora, P Moya, a Mataia, and D Dawe. 2009. a panel data analysis of productivity and yield growth in Philippine rice farming, a collaborative study with the food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Philippine Rice Research Institute, and the International Rice Research Institute.

Farm-level survey data in the Philippines confirmed that rice yields in the last 10 years have increased by 14.4% (1.4% per annum) across seasons and ecosystems. Paddy yields have increased by nearly half a ton per hectare from 1996-97 (3,428 kg/ha) to 2006-07 (3,922 kg/ha). This growth is consistently observed in all regions of the Philippines, ranging from 1.3% per year in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) to as much as 5.6% per year in Region 8 (Eastern Visayas). Nine out of 16 regions in the Philippines have performed markedly better than other regions, surpassing the national average yield growth of 2.7% per annum. Considering that there have been no new revolutionary technologies since the Green Revolution of the 1970s, there are no convincing explanations yet for this growth in yields in the Philippines. Has there been any significant change in the way farmers produce rice? Is there any change in the way they establish their crop? Have farmers increased their fertilizer and pesticide usage? Different observers perceived different reasons for the growth acceleration in rice yields. They attributed it partly to the introduction of certified seeds, hybrid rice varieties, and location-specific intervention technologies such as the leaf color chart, minus one element technique, and Palay Check program of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, without showing any evidence to support their claims. This study examined the changes (if any) in rice farming practices that have occurred in the last decade, with the purpose of evaluating the opportunities for sustaining yield increases in the Philippines. It reports the findings of the Rice-Based Farm Household Surveys (RBFHS) conducted by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) in the 1996 wet season (WS)1997 dry season (DS), 2001 WS2002 DS, and 2006 WS2007 DS. The RBFHS contain detailed information on farm inputs and outputs, prices and costs, crop management practices, technology adoption, labor inputs, patterns of crop diversification, socio-demographics, and household income. Changes in crop management practices, 1996-97 to 2006-07 Fertilizer management. The study found no significant changes in the application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizer nutrients over time (Fig. 1). Farmers rate of application of N averaged 71 kg/ha on irrigated farms and 44 kg/ha on rainfed farms. Similarly, P use averaged 7.7 kg/ha on irrigated farms and 4.6 kg/ha on rainfed farms, while the use of K fertilizer averaged

11.9 and 5.9 kg/ha, respectively. However, the use was still below the recommended rate of 100-30-30 kg/ha of NPK in the WS and 125-30-30 kg/ha of NPK in the DS.1 Across ecosystems, fertilizer application was at least 50% higher on irrigated farms than on rainfed farms. Pesticide use. The survey data confirmed the steady downward trend in insecticide use in the Philippines (Fig. 2) that has been evident since the 1980s.2 The reduction in insecticide application from 1996-97 to 2006-07 was noticeable in all survey areas, particularly in Central Luzon,

Fig. 1. Changes in fertilizer use (NPK). (RBFHS, PhilRice-BAS)

Fig. 2. Changes in pesticide use (a.i. kg/ha). (RBFHS, PhilRice-BAS)

Source: Sebastian L, Alviola P IV, Francisco S. 1999. Bridging the rice yield gap in the Philippines. In: Papademetriou M, Den Ft, Herath E (editors). Bridging the rice yield gap in the Asia-Pacific region. Bangkok (Thailand): Food and Agriculture Organization. Source: Dawe D. 2002. The second Green Revolution. Rice Today 1(1):30.

Fig. 3. Changes in crop establishment (% of farmers). (RBFHS, PhilRice-BAS)

Fig. 4. Changes in seeding rate (kg/ha). (RBFHS, PhilRice-BAS)

Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. Insecticide use dropped in Central Luzon by about 0.169 active ingredient (a.i.) kg/ha, a 44% decline from its 1996-97 level. In contrast, a significant increase in herbicide use was observed. From 1996-97 to 2006-07, herbicide use increased by more than 50% on both irrigated and rainfed farms. Farmers often used herbicides for better weed control and as a substitute for weeding labor. Crop establishment. A majority of farmers in the Philippines transplant rice seedlings. On average, the data showed that the proportion of respondent farmers who transplant seedlings in the Philippines remained constant at 71% from 1996-97 to 2006-07 (Fig. 3). Transplanting of rice seedlings is predominant in Ilocos and Cagayan, as more than 90% of the farmers transplant rice in both seasons. Across regions, survey data confirm that direct seeding is slightly preferred during the DS. More than half of the respondents in Central Luzon (55%) and Bicol (55%) direct- seeded rice during the 2007 DS. Seeding rate. Across seasons and ecosystems, seeding rate, or the amount of seed use whether the rice crop is transplanted or direct-seeded, declined significantly from 1996-97 to 2006-07 (Fig. 4). However, the levels are still much higher than the recommended rate of 2040 kg/ha for transplanted rice and 4080 kg/ha for directseeded rice in all survey areas. On average, the seeding rate was 135 kg/ha for direct-seeded rice and 83 kg/ha for transplanted rice in 2006-07. Seed use is higher with direct seeding to compensate for seeds that do not germinate and the common belief of some farmers that a high seeding rate means high yield. Moreover, data for 2006-07 reveal that about half of the farmers are not aware of the recommended practice. This explains why current seeding rates are still much higher than the recommended ones and this implies that a more rigorous campaign from

5). The adoption rates of CS varied by region and were highest in Cagayan (49%), Ilocos (29%), and Central Luzon (29%), the highest rice-yielding areas in the Philippines. Hybrid rice is a recent seed technology. The Hybrid Rice Commercialization Program in the Philippines was launched in December 2001 and was initially implemented in the 2002 WS.4 Not surprisingly, adoption of hybrid seeds in the Philippines was low at 6% across seasons and ecosystems in 2006-07. Moreover, the majority of farmers who used hybrid seeds are concentrated in three regionsCagayan, Central Luzon, and Davao. Farm labor. The total labor requirement in rice farming remained about the same in the DS but declined by 9.6 day/ha in the WS (Fig. 6). In the WS, labor allocated to different crop activities declined, except in crop care management, which saw a significant increase of 7.6 days/ ha in the 10-year period. Labor input in land preparation declined by 5.9 days/ha in the WS and by 2.4 days/ha in the DS. This decline could be attributed to the increase in mechanization, which led to a noticeable reduction in the number of person-days employed in land preparation. From 1996-97 to 2006-07, ownership of hand tractors increased from 19.5% to 24.6% across the country. Although there was no change in the proportion of farmers who transplanted their rice crops over the 10-year period, the total labor input allocated to crop establishment, which is largely dependent on hired labor, declined from 17.4 days/ha in the1996 WS to 13.3 days/ha in the 2006 WS; it remained about the same in the DS. Harvesting and other postharvest activities remained the most labor-intensive activity and the most dependent on hired labor, with an average of 24.8 days/ha in the 2006-07 DS and 18.4 days/ha in the 2006-07 WS. Policy implications Farm-level data have shown that rice yields in the Philippines have grown in the last decade. However, there have been no significant changes in the way Filipino farmers grow rice. The use of farm inputsfertilizer, herbicide, laborand crop establishment methods have not changed significantly. The one major change that could be related to the growth in yield is the increased adoption of high-quality seeds (i.e., certified and hybrid seeds). The analysis highlighted the limited opportunities to further increase yield through changes in current crop management practices and implies a need for a major breakthrough in rice technology, such as exceptionally

Fig. 6. Changes in rice farming labor (person-days/ha). (RBFHS, PhilRice-BAS)

high yielding varieties that could easily be adopted by farmers. In 1971, Hayami and Ruttan identified the capacity to develop technology as the single most important variable that explains the growth of agricultural productivity.5 Nearly four decades later, this statement remains relevant in Philippine rice farming. A yield increase from changing farmers current practices will not be a major source of growth in the future. In the long run, the results of the study support the need to increase investment in research and development that would result in technological advances in rice production.
3

IRRI. Rice fact sheet on Using Good Seeds. April 2003. Prepared by T Mew, J Rickman, M Bell, V Balasubramanian, and D Shires. Available at www.knowledgebank.irri.org/factSheets/Crop_Establishment/Seeding/goodSeed.pdf. Sebastian L, Bordey F. 2005. Embracing hybrid rice: impacts and future directions. PhilRice. Available at www.philrice.gov.ph/images/downloadables/hybridrice/Embracing%20Hybrid%20Rice_Impacts%20and%20Futur e%20Directions.pdf. Hayami Y, Ruttan VW. 1971. Agricultural development: an international perspective. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Fig. 5. Adoption rates of certified and hybrid seeds. (RBFHS, PhilRice-BAS)

an extension agency should be undertaken to increase awareness and adoption of the recommended seeding rate. Use of high-quality seeds (HQS). Seeds are considered high-quality if they are certified, registered, foundation, or breeders seeds. Farm experiments have established that HQS can increase yield by 5% to 20%.3 In spite of this finding, a majority of the farmers are still using homegrown seeds that are not of the highest quality. This situation has been improving in the last decade. The farm surveys showed increased adoption of certified seeds (CS) nationwidefrom 15% in 1996-97 to 24% in 2006-07 (Fig.

CONTACT: njamora@cgiar.org; pmoya@cgiar.org

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