Developing an empirical typology of farmers to assist agroforestry extension: a case study in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, Philippines
Magcale-Macandog, D.B. | Ani, P.A.B. | Delgado, M.E.M., Philippines Univ. Los Baños, College, Laguna (Philippines). Ecoinformatics Lab.
A two-step cluster analysis procedure was used to identify an empirically derived typology of farmers to improve agroforestry adoption. The analysis involved 23 variables related to the demographic characteristics, household assets and income, farming characteristics, and perceptions on agroforestry and soil erosion from a survey of 300 farming households in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Cluster analysis revealed two distinct clusters of farmers: cluster 1 (Older farmers with farms located in mid- to low elevation and gently sloping areas and who have lower educational attainment and less diversified sources of income) and Cluster 2 (Young farmers with farms located in high elevation and rolling areas and who have higher educational attainment, diverse sources of income and who observed occurrence of decline in soil fertility in their farms and are in favor of adopting agro-forestry systems for soil conservation). Recommendations for Cluster 1 farmers include improved understanding of parkland agroforestry system through trainings on high-value fruit trees and organic farming technologies for the corn-based cropping system. Recommendations for Cluster 2 farmers are to increase capacity building in coffee-based multi-storey agroforestry system as well as organic farming and hedgerow agroforestry system in tomato-based cropping systems. Information exchange materials and training modules must be designed for specific requirements of farmer types based on their capacity such as level of educational attainment. For both cluster groups, development of appropriate institutional arrangements to provide market outlets for a diverse range of farm products is encouraged.
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