LABORER’S AND IT’S IMPACT TO

THE AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION

SUBMITED BY:

STEFANO KAI J. BASILA

EARON LANCE IGLESIA

ST. FRANCIS GR. 9

In partial fulfilment of the PERFORMANS TASK in the subject:

ARALIN PANLIPUNAN

SUBMITED TO:

ALVIN CADIENTE MATIAS GUTING

Subject teacher

June 1 2023
Part I. Introduction and Analysis

History
During the early 20th century, the Ilocano people were recruited as agricultural laborers for
Hawaii's plantations. It is unclear how this event impacted the agricultural innovation history in
Isabela, Philippines. However, the Philippine government has several initiatives designed to
expand economic opportunities in agriculture, such as the Philippine Innovation Act which
establishes the National Innovation Council to create a comprehensive innovation strategy and
supporting innovation infrastructure. Additionally, the social and economic effects of genetically
engineered crops have been studied, including in Isabela Province in Northern Luzon.

Laborers have played a significant role in the agricultural industry of Isabela, Philippines. The
Impact Evaluation of the KASAMA Program Baseline Report showed that child labor was
prevalent in the agricultural activities in Isabela, such as sugarcane. The KASAMA Program
aimed to combat this issue by providing sustainable livelihoods intervention to the parents of
child laborers. Regarding the history of laborers in Isabela, I do not have specific information.
However, the Updated Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 seeks to expand economic
opportunities in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, which can potentially benefit laborers and
improve their livelihoods.
Background Information

Isabela is a province in the Philippines known for its agricultural industry. The labor force,
particularly the agricultural laborers, plays a significant role in the development of agricultural
innovation in the province. Their knowledge, skills, and practical experiences can contribute to
the creation and adoption of farming practices and technologies that can increase agricultural
productivity and improve rural welfare.

Studies have shown that increasing agricultural productivity and innovation can lead to economic
growth and poverty reduction in rural areas. However, labor issues in the agricultural sector, such
as low wages, heavy workload, and lack of access to training and education, can hinder the
adoption of innovative practices. Governments and the private sector can work together to
strengthen agricultural innovation systems and foster innovative practices on farms and at agri-
food firms. For instance, the OECD Productivity-Sustainability-Resilience (PSR) Policy
Framework examines the impacts of a wide range of policies on the creation and adoption of
agricultural innovations.

Purposes of the Study

The study of Food and agricultural innovation pathways for prosperity suggests that increased
productivity of existing workers can alleviate the domestic farm labor shortage in the US. The
adoption of agricultural innovations, such as higher yielding cultivars and varieties, can lead to
increased productivity and income for poor farm households, as well as increased employment
opportunities in agricultural markets. Mechanization also plays a significant role in increasing
farm productivity and reducing the labor shortage. However, there are ongoing labor issues in the
food system, particularly in the US, where a large percentage of farm workers are Hispanic and
face dangerous working conditions. I'm not sure about the specific study in Isabela that you are
referring to, can you provide more details on it?
Analysis

There is a significant relationship between laborers and agricultural innovation analysis in

Isabela. Laborers play an important role in implementing new technologies and practices that
accompany agricultural innovation. According to the OECD, Total Factor Productivity (TFP)
growth, which is a measure of efficiency in combining inputs to make outputs, has been
responsible for most of the growth in agricultural production in recent decades. Adoption of
innovations such as new technologies and practices is therefore critical to the ongoing
development and productivity of agriculture. Additionally, as farmers adopt these innovations,
they can potentially lead to increases in productivity, input use efficiency, profitability, resilience,
and/or food and nutritional security. It is therefore essential to consider laborers and their role in
the implementation of agricultural innovations in Isabela. However, further analysis would be
required to understand the specific impacts that laborers have in this context.

Part II. Content and Support

Content:

Labor plays a crucial role in agricultural production, and its impact on innovation depends on
various socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental factors. In the Philippine province of
Isabela, where agriculture is a significant industry, the adoption of modern technologies such as
mechanization can lead to increased productivity and efficiency, but also a reduction in labor
demand. However, the adoption and effective use of these technologies may be hindered by
factors such as lack of access to credit, inadequate infrastructure, and limited knowledge about
the new technologies. Therefore, promoting the adoption of modern technologies may require
addressing these barriers and providing support to farmers to make effective use of the
technology.
Support:

The promotion of agricultural innovation requires particular attention from policymakers because
of the crucial presence of the public sector in agricultural innovation. In addition, laborers play a
significant role in the agricultural industry, and their working conditions and treatment can have
an impact on agricultural innovation. In particular, fair and safe labor practices can contribute to
a positive work environment, which can lead to an increase in productivity and innovative
practices. In Isabela, the promotion of agricultural innovation would require particular attention
to labor issues in order to ensure a safe and fair working environment for laborers.

Claims:

According to the Department of Labor National Agricultural Workers Survey, as of 2014, 80

percent of US farmworkers were Hispanic, which included 68 percent born in Mexico and 27
percent born in the US. In the Philippines, transforming Philippine agriculture into a dynamic,
high-growth sector is essential for the country to speed up recovery, poverty reduction, and
inclusive growth, according to the latest report released by the World Bank. However, I do not
have access to information specifically discussing the impact of laborers on agricultural
innovation and the barriers and enablers of the use of digital technologies in Isabela.

Resources, Related Cases

Agriculture remains to be one of the most controversial issues nowadays due to the
implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law. On February 14, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte
signed into law the Rice Tariffication Law which aims to ensure food security, make the
country’s agricultural sector viable and globally competitive by using tariffs, and stabilize food
prices and inflation. However, it allows rice importation at cheaper price. With that, local rice
farmers have dilemma on marketing their products at a reasonable price. This resulted to low
price of local rice, benefitting the rice eating populace, but hurting the livelihood of Filipino
farmers. The Province of Isabela, farming being its primary source of livelihood, was greatly
affected by the enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law. Local rice farmers clamor on how little
they are earning since the law was implemented. On July 16, 2019, timely with the planting for
wet season, driven by the goal to help the farmers in the province, the Provincial Governor, Hon.
Rodolfo T. Albano, III, thought of organizing an agriculture cooperative. On that day, 59 small
farmers and staff of Municipal Agriculture Offices attended the Pre-Registration Seminar to
capacitate them on the knowledge they need in organizing, joining and managing a cooperative.
These farmers saw the urgent need of forming a cooperative which made them decide to register
the Nagkaisang Magsasaka ng Isabela Agriculture Cooperative (NMIAC) with business
address at Magsaysay, Naguilian, Isabela and was eventually registered on August 28, 2019 with
Registration No. 9520-1020000000047463.

Dubbed as “Super Coop,” its objective is to benefit the marginalize farmers in marketing their
wet and dry rice products. But it will not stop on marketing only, the Super Coop also ventures
into milling and other processing activities which will add value to the products of small rice
farmers in the Province of Isabela.

Justifications, explanations

Justifications:

In the Philippines, agriculture is an important part of the economy, with crops like rice, coconut,
banana, and sugar dominating the production of crops and exports. According to the World Bank,
agriculture employs 23% of the country’s workforce as of 2021.

Unfortunately, agriculture seems not to be moving forward as expected. One reason is that most
Filipino farmers are still not using farm machineries to make it more competitive. “We have yet
to mechanize Philippine agriculture, at a level of at least four horsepower (hp) per hectare (ha),
and be at part with our ASEAN counterparts,” said William D. Dar when he was the secretary of
the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Studies conducted by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization
(PHilMech) – the center of mechanization in the agriculture sector – show the country’s level of
mechanization is 1.23 hp/ha for all crops, 2.31 hp/ha for rice in all provinces, and three hp/ha in
major rice-producing provinces like Isabela and Nueva Ecija.

“The government has been striving to develop and promote appropriate agricultural machinery
and other mechanization technologies,” wrote Elmer Bautista, Jong-sun Kim, Yun-jung Kim, and
Maria Evic Panganiban, authors of a paper that was published in the Journal of the Korean
Society of International Agriculture. “It is well known that agricultural mechanization raises the
efficiency of farm operations and inputs, and lowers production costs and postharvest losses.”

Explanations: