Outcomes and Social Effects of a Community-Based Development Project on Selected Rice-Based Farmers in the Philippines

Abstract

This research investigated the outcomes and social effects of a community-based development project in the form of a rice-based community intervention. Conducted in Regions 1, 6, and 10 in the Philippines, it employed mixed methods to gather quantitative and qualitative data concurrently from 86 randomly sampled farmer-cooperators and 20 purposively sampled key informants who were project implementers and facilitators. The project improved the farmer-cooperators’ human capital and social capital. They had high to very high knowledge of the component technologies of the PalayCheck System, as well as corn, mushroom, and vegetable production, after the project was implemented. PalayCheck is a rice integrated crop management system that presents the key technologies and management practices as Key Checks, which farmers need to learn, check, and share. The t-test showed a highly significant increase in almost all of the production technologies except for duck raising and bitter gourd production, which were only mildly significant. There were also significant increases in their groups and networks, trust and solidarity, collective action and cooperation, and social cohesion and inclusion after the project. Moreover, there was a highly significant increase in the farmer-cooperators’ social capital. However, the number of conflicts or disputes among the farmer-cooperators and the members of the farmer association was only mildly significant. The project also provided economic benefits to the farmer-cooperators, such as an increase in yields and incomes, through their continued adoption of the production technologies taught during training. The results further show that the increase in yields was sustained except in certain years when some of the farmer-cooperators experienced low yields due to pest problems, drought, typhoons, and other calamities. Overall, the paired sample t-test revealed a highly significant increase in mean yields in Year 1 to Year 5 after the project than before the project in the three regions. Participation and empowerment outcomes were also observed, such as greater access to information, resources, support services, and training and employment opportunities as well as improved participation in project-related decision-making and community activities.