OBLIGATIONS OF THE AGRICULTURAL LESSEE:

1. Cultivate and take care of the farm, growing crops and other improvements on the landholding
as a good father of a family and perform all the work in accordance with proven farm practices;
2. Inform the agricultural lessor within a reasonable time of any trespass committed by third persons
upon the farm, without prejudice to his direct action against the trespasser;
3. Take reasonable care of the work animals and farm implements delivered to him by the
agricultural lessor and see that they are not used for purposes other than those intended;
4. Keep his farm and growing crops attended to during the work season. In case of unjustified
abandonment or neglect of his farm, any or all of his expected produce may, upon order of the
Court, be forfeited in favor of the agricultural lessor to the extent of the damage thereby;
5. Notify the agricultural lessor at least 3 days before the date of harvesting or, whenever applicable,
of threshing; and
6. Pay the lease rental when if falls due.*
*(Sec. 26, Code of Agrarian Reform)

As held in Guevarra v. Santos (1996), destroying any improvement on landholdings is a violation of the
agricultural lessee’s obligation to take care of the farm, crops, and other improvements on the landholding
with the diligence of a good father of a good family.

“There is ample evidence showing that Herminigildo Guevarra and Apolonio

Javinia caused the death of 28 and 6 coconut trees respectively. In the case for the former,
28 trees were destroyed when hay was heaped at the base of the coconut trees and
burned, and in the latter, he failed to exercise caution in plowing his holding to prevent
serious damage to the coconut trees. As lessee-tenants defendants, the two were obliged
to exercise the diligence of a good father of a family to preserve the improvements
existing in their holdings. Guevarra while denying that he actually burned the hay,
admitted that at the time the hay was burned he was away from his holding. He may not
have had any hand in the burning of hay but certainly he should be made accountable for
depositing hay at the base of the trees, an act which would not be done by a reasonably
careful father of the family. It does not require great intelligence to perceive that hay is
highly and unpredictably flammable and if heaped at the base of young coconut trees
could cause total destruction of the trees.

On the part of Javinia, knowing that young coconut trees were growing in his
holding, he plowed too closely to the 6 trees causing their death. As a famer of long
standing he should have known that by plowing too of long standing he should have
known that by plowing too close to the base of the trees, his plow would inevitably cut
the trees’ roots. Thus, he failed to exercise sufficient caution in his plowing.”

Prohibition of Agricultural Lessee:

1. To work additional landholdings belonging to a different agricultural lessor; and

2. To employ sub-lessee to his landholdings.
The purpose of these is to prevent the agricultural lessee from dissipating his labor efforts in various
landholdings at the expense of the first agricultural lessor. Agricultural leasehold is a personal character
in the sense that the agricultural lessee must personally work and cultivate the landholding.