This research involves a needs assessment of the six Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) and their immediate communities, and a design assessment of the proposed partial mechanization of farming operations in irrigated rice-based farms in selected barangays in Ibaan, Batangas.
The main objective is to improve palay production, farming efficiency, and the income of farmers in the 180 ha of irrigated areas managed by six farmers associations in the six barangays in the Municipality of Ibaan, Batangas, through the provision of hand tractors for land preparation, threshers, and one elf truck drop side for easy transfer of the machineries to the different barangays.
The organizations’ strengths and weaknesses in adopting and implementing the proposed projects were assessed thru the current profiles of the members of the organizations, existing services, and capacities as well as the financial standing of the organizations.
Focus group discussions among officers and members of ARBOs, as well as nonmembers of ARBOs were done. Using SWOT analysis, resources in the community and natural surroundings, institutional arrangements, and livelihood opportunities were examined as they could aid in the effectiveness of the projects. It was also used to assess the design of the project and identify the areas of intervention.
Findings revealed that boosting agricultural mechanization in the study area--by providing four hand tractors, three mechanical threshers and one elf truck drop side together with the business development services (BDS) provider to manage the entire project for three years--is very much acceptable to all the ARBOs.
With the provision of agricultural machinery, the rental fee for use of hand tractor and mechanical thresher would decrease; land preparation and threshing would not be delayed; the quality of palay harvested would be higher, as farmers do not have to wait long for the use of thresher; renting out to other farmers of the hand tractor and thresher would be a source of income for the ARBOs; and, thus, income of farmers would increase due to reduction in cost of production and better quality of palay produced.