Agriculture modernization is “the process of transforming the agriculture (and fisheries) sector into one that is dynamic, technologically advanced, and competitive, yet concerned on human resource development, guided by the sound principles of social justice” (Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997). Anchored to the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work in 2018, which called for a “human-centered approach for the future of work,” this research aimed to understand better the role of human capital productivity management towards the improvement of competitiveness in the agriculture sector as well as it aimed to contribute to the realization of agriculture modernization for the Philippines.
Employing a qualitative approach and case study design through select agriculture cooperatives producing the country’s priority commodities, which present the key insights from analyzing the institutions, strategy, and culture, this research found that it is essential to acknowledge the role of human capital productivity management to improve the competitiveness and technology adoption of agribusinesses in the country. This hoped to open doors for dialogues toward policy reforms and strengthen collaboration among relevant stakeholders so that more human-centered productivity management strategies will be implemented for the agriculture sector, especially in paying attention to utilizing human capital, gainsharing, and promoting productivity culture in the sector. Lastly, this research provided recommendations that may be considered for realizing the vision for agriculture modernization using a human-centered approach to productivity management.