Gender-based roles, management practices and needs of women farmers in Occidental Mindoro [Philippines]

Women do not only contribute to the agricultural labor force but also perform as agricultural managers and decision makers. They are involved int he production of food for the household and business but as to how much they have contributed, labor force statistics does not emphasize. Hence, development programs fail to address their specific needs. This paper describes the personal, family, and socio-economic characteristics of women farmers of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. Their farm management practices and needs are also determined to identify interventions appropriate to their specific needs. They are small landholders who practice multi-cropping and are engaged in small-scale animal production. They are not affiliated to any organization and have not attended trainings especially those related to agriculture and farm business management. They have not received any technical and financial assistance from government and non-government organizations. The women do occasional farm record keeping but is not up-to-date which they use for planning and decision making. They do not seem to appreciate the importance of preparing project proposal. Sourcing of funds is the women's foremost consideration. The women farmers wish they could improve agricultural productivity and income so that they also attain better life. Study results show that development programs have not yet really served women probably because planners and policy makers still think that women nowadays are confined to traditional home management and child rearing roles. If there are any programs available in the communities, these have not benefited most women because these are designed for the men or for those who belong to organizations. Most women do not think of farming as a business but only a source for family subsistence so that they are not confused on other farming strategies or mechanisms that may give them higher return on investments.