Entrepreneurial skills development among smallholder banana farmers

The small hold banana industry is one of the important pillars of Philippine agriculture. Smallholder banana farmers cater to the needs of the domestic market. Among many farmers, however, banana is considered a subsistence cash crop. Traditional farming practices prevail, hence, productivity, and production levels remain low. Government strategies are now enhancing the productivity profitability and competitiveness of small banana farming. One strategy to support the farmers is to enhance their knowledge and skills towards agribusiness entrepreneurship. Domingo and Domingo (ISU) [Isabela State Univ., Echague, Isabela, Philippines] assessed the skills level of smallholder banana farmers to enhance their entrepreneurial capability to keep pace with commercial banana growers in the country. The study was part of the DOST-PCARRD [Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines] Science and Technology Anchor Program (STAP) for Banana. The study covered 275 smallholder farmers in Quirino and Oriental Mindoro [Philippines] covered by the banana STAP, another 239 sample farmers from Davao [Philippines] provinces were surveyed for comparative analysis. Smallholder banana farmers in the two provinces generally do not follow the recommended banana production technologies. In Davao, banana growers generally adopt fertilizer application, irrigation, stem and mat sanitation, deleafing, desuckering and fruit bagging. As such, Davao farmers had higher yield and production level than those in Quirino and Mindoro. Bananas were harvested on a weekly to monthly basis. With limited volume traded the farmers particularly in Quirino and Oriental Mindoro sold their produce fresh ungraded and by pieces. This system of selling indicated the lack of farmer's bargaining power. Conversely, banana farmers in Davao were selling their produce by weight or in kilos, hence they were better off than Quirino and Oriental Mindoro farmers had lower entrepreneurial competencies particularly in persuasion and networking, opportunity seeking, demand for quality and excellence and risk taking. Correlation analysis showed that persuasion and networking was positively related to tenurial status of the farmers. Opportunity seeking was positively related to membership in organization. Demand for quality and excellence was positively related to annual volume of banana produced, volume sold and credit availability. Risk taking was positively related to educational attainment, years in farming and volume of banana sold by the farmers. The correlation results implied that an improvement in the farmer's tenurial status will improve their competency in persuasion and networking. Active participation and membership in POs [peoples' organization] or farmers' organization will enhance their opportunity-seeking competency. Likewise, increasing the volume of banana produced and sold will improve farmer's competency in risk taking and demand for quality and excellence. A training design was prepared, validated with the LGUs [local government units] concerned and conducted in coordination and collaboration with the provincial and municipal agriculture offices of Quirino and Oriental Mindoro. Comparison of the pre- and post-assessment of the training indicated that the farmers' level of awareness increased, their network was widened and their knowledge on recommended practices was enhanced. The effectiveness of the training was limited to the assessment of gain in awareness and knowledge as well as networking capability of the farmers. The approved duration and scope of the project did not allow more in-depth assessment of the impact of the training e.g., on improvements in farm management practices and corresponding effects on productivity and competitiveness of the farmers. The output and impact on the trainees of the entrepreneurial capability development training may be an interesting area for future study.