Grade 12 students writing about rice deflamation in their locality. This is a research activity of Grade as part of their performance task in the subject

1. EFFECTS OF RICE DEFLATION TO FARMERS
DURING PANDEMIC IN LA PAZ, AGUSAN
DEL SUR

2.  BACKGROUND Of THE STUDY
Rice is the staple food for about 80 percent of Filipinos, and is
therefore a major item in the consumption basket of
consumers. It is the single most important agricultural crop in
the Philippines, and is therefore a major source of income for
millions of Filipino Farmers. Because of its political significance,
the government is heavily involved both in its supply and
distribution to assure consumers a sufficient and stable supply
at low prices and to maintain a reasonable return to rice
farmers with adequate price incentives. (Corotion,et al., 2020)

3. Moreover, Rebualos,et al.,(2021), farmers play an
important role in the global fight against hunger
because access to high-quality; nutrient- dense food
is essential for human survival. access to food can
bring a horizon of positive impacts including
economic growth and job creation; poverty
reduction, trade opportunities; increased global
security and stability, an improved health and
healthcare. Farming as part of the agriculture society
is a very important and reliable source of livelihood
in most regions of the world.

4. THE PHILIPPINES RANKED EIGHTH IN WORLD RICE
PRODUCTION IN 2018 (FAOSTAT, 2020). RICE IS WIDELY
GROWN IN LUZON, WESTERN VISAYAS, SOUTHERN
MINDANAO, AND CENTRAL MINDANAO. FOR THE PAST
TWO DECADES, RICE PRODUCTION HAS INCREASED FROM
12 MONTH A DAY IN 2021 TO 19(MT) MONTH A DAY IN
2016 (FAOSTAT, 2020). A YEAR INTO THE PANDEMIC, THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES HAS EASED
QUARANTINE RESTRICTIONS, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE
COUNTRY MOVING INTO A LESS STRINGENT COMMUNITY
QUARANTINE ORDER. HOWEVER, THE ECONOMY IS
STRUGGLING TO RECOVER FROM THE EFFECTS OF COVID-
19 LOCKDOWNS.

5. ACCORDING TO RECENT 2020 DATA FROM MUNICIPAL
AGRICULTURE OFFICE OF LA PAZ, THE MUNICIPALITY HAS A
TOTAL AGRICULTURAL LAND AREA OF 3,397 HECTARES
CATEGORIZED AS IRRIGATED WHICH CONSISTS OF 1,201
HECTARES, RAIN FEED 2,006 HECTARES AND 190 HECTARES
IDENTIFIED AS UPLOADED. THE IRRIGATED AREA
PRODUCES 2.90 METRIC TONS; RAIN FEED PRODUCES 2.52
METRIC TONS WHILE THE UPLOAD AREA GAINED 2.48
METRIC TONS. THE TOTAL AGRICULTURAL LAND OF LA PAZ
HAS 2.66 METRIC TONS AS AREA OF PRODUCTION.

6. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This study will be anchored into: Resiliency Theory.
According to Southwick (2019), most of us think of
resilience as the ability to bend but not break,
bounce back, and perhaps even grow in the face
of adverse life experiences. The American
Psychological Association (2018) defines resilience
as “the process of adapting well in the face of
adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or even
significant sources of stress.

7. In defining resilience, it is important to specify whether
resilience is being viewed as a trait, a process, or an outcome,
and it is often tempting to take a binary approach in
considering whether resilience is present or absent. However,
in reality, resilience more likely exists on a continuum that may
be present to differing degrees across multiple domains of life
(Pietrzak & Southwick, 2016). An individual who adapts well to
stress in a workplace or in an academic setting, may fail to
adapt well in their personal life or in their relationships. The
Resiliency theory suggests that using inborn coping
mechanisms individuals are able to overcome adversities in
their lives.

8.  CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
COST
RICE DEFLATION DURING PANDEMIC
FACTORS:
1. PRICE OF FARMING SUPPLIES?
2. DISTANCE OF FARM TO MARKET
ROAD?
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
(Cause)
Rice deflation during
pandemic factors:
Price of farming supplies?
Distance of farm to market
road?
Dependent variables
Effect
Effects to Farmers in terms of :
1. Quality of yield crops?
2. Income per cropping?
Dependent variables
(Effect)
Effects to Farmers in terms
of :
Quality of yield crops?
Income per
cropping?pping?

9.  Statement of the Problem
This study seek to aims to know the effects of rice
deflation rate to farmers during COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, this study sight to answer the following
questions:
1. Socio- demographic profile;
1.1 Name:
1.2 Place:
1.3 Size of rice fields (Hectare)
1.4 Annual income:
1.5 Average Income:

10. 2. How does The pandemic affects
farmers in terms of?
2.1 Quality of yield crops
2..2 Access to buyers
2.3 Income per cropping
3. Is there a significant influence of the
pandemic to farmers in terms of quality
of Yield crops, and access to buyers?

11.  Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be helpful to the following.
Farmers -stands for community supported agriculture, Shop
at the farmers market, Communities are taking different
approaches with their farmers market, Visit u-pick farmers,
tell your friends, Neighbors, And family.
Consumers – Consumer protection makes markets work for
both businesses and consumers. Consumers need to be able
to obtain accurate, unbiased information about the products
and services they purchase.

12. Scope and Delimitation of the
Study
The researchers Aim to know the
effects of rice deflation to farmers the
study will Limited to select Farmers of
La Paz, Agusan Del Sur.

13. DEFINITION OF TERMS
Rice Farmers In this study, this refers to the respondents who have
been facing challengesand knowing survival strategies in the effects
of low price of rice in thier daily living and livelihood.
Deflation –general decline in prices for goods and services.
Farm to Market Road - a state highway or country road that
connects rural or agriculture areas to market towns
Cropping- the removal of unwanted outer areas from a
photographic or illustrated image.
Pesticides-any substance used to kill, repel, or control certain
forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests.

14.  REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The use of modern high-yielding varieties (HYVs) and the management
of nutrients, pest and diseases, and water are technologies that directly
contribute to higher yield. On the other hand, farm mechanization and
direct seeding do not directly affect production but significantly
contribute to labor costs. Rice production practices in the Philippines
have been continually changing over time mainly due to new
technologies and government programs that evolve to meet the
dynamic challenges and needs of Filipinos. Most pressing among these
needs are the growing population that has to be fed with the staple
food and the clamor for cost-reduction measures to make rice farming
profitable to most farmers.

15. Over time, tremendous strides have been made to
improve the yield and reduce the cost of producing
rice in the countryside. Rice was produced at 0.70
tons/hectare in 2021 and 3.08 tons/hectare by
2019—an improvement by almost 340 times! This
success, although still lacking in terms of the means
to realize full self-sufficiency in the country, has
been attributed to the technological breakthroughs
in rice science and practices of Filipino farmers.

16. Nonetheless, Bautista and Javier (2021) stressed that
Sabog is a method for planting lowland rice paddies with
existing dikes and done in areas where irrigation water is
insufficient. Seeds are broadcasted by hand after the area
is plowed and harrowed until the soil becomes totally
puddled. The land is prepared with as little water as
possible and the seeds are sown at the rate of 60
kg/hectare. Then, water is introduced in sufficient
amounts to allow germination of seeds, and the field is
maintained in submerged condition if rainfall is
abundant or at just enough moisture for the entire rice-
growing period.

17. This method, however, risks not getting enough water to
maintain the crop. Rainfall occurrence can save the plants but
an irrigation pump, if available (this was only introduced in the
early 2019), can help draw water from nearby rivers or streams.
The crop is harvested before the close of the rainy season, and
the fallowed area is used as pasture land for animals during the
dry season and then prepared again just before the next wet
season comes. Tubigan is the oldest planting method as this
has been practiced in the rice terraces in olden times. This is
also the most profitable planting method in areas where
irrigation is abundant because the possibility of drought is less
and planting two rice crops per year (i.e., the dry and wet
cropping seasons) is possible. Paddy dikes are built to hold
water as the area is prepared in “muddy” or wet condition.

18. In the wet season, once the rain starts, the area is plowed
once under water then harrowed thoroughly before
leveling. Pregerminated seeds at the rate of 35–44 kg is
first sown in 400 sq m of seedbed (to plant a hectare) and
transplanted into the prepared fields when seedlings are
already 30–40 days old. Transplanting is done by at least
12 hired transplanters paid at 40–60 centavos (circa 2016)
plus free meal and afternoon snack per day. Guitar music
at the background helps make transplanters speed up their
work.

19. Transplanting is usually done by women and children or
solely by men (depending on the region), who walk
backward in the soft mud while poking three to five
seedlings at 2-1/2 cm deep into the mud with their
thumbs and the first two fingers, covering as much space
as they can reach on either side. In the Ilocos provinces,
where the land is seldom thoroughly puddled, sharp
wooden sticks are used to make the holes where two to
six seedlings are dropped.

20.  Research Methodology
This chapter presents the methodology and
procedures that are used by the researchers in
gathering and analyzing the data. This section includes
the research design, sample and sampling technique,
research locale, research instrument, data gathering
methods and procedures, ethical considerations and
data analysis.

21. Research Design
This study will use qualitative design in which it looks the
informants in natural setting and asks the individual to
participate in data collection (Creswell, 2017). A qualitative
research design is concerned with establishing answers to the
whys and hows of the phenomenon in question. Qualitative
research is often defined as being subjective, and findings are
gathered in a written format as opposed to numerical (DJS
research, 2021) data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand
concepts, opinions, or experiences. It can be used to gather in-
depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for
research (Bhandari, 2020).

22. Sample and Sampling Technique
The researchers will use purposive sampling technique to
gather data on the effects of rice deflation rate to farmers
during pandemic in La Paz, Agusan del Sur.
There will be 30 farmers selected as sources who will be
chosen through the following qualifications:
 a) must be a rice farmer;
 b) must be a resident of La Paz, Agusan del Sur.

23. This study will be conducted within La Paz, Agusan del Sur. This municipality
was purposively chosen by the researchers of what challenges . The
researchers chose this municipality since it is convenient for them to gather
the expected data and due to its proximity considering time and expenses.
Research Locale

24.  Research Instrument
 The researchers will make an interview guide questionnaire in gathering
data. According to Saul McLeod (2018), it consists of a series of questions
for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. The interview
guide was also made by the researchers containing open-ended
questions to gain detailed and in-depth information from the informants,
consisting of two parts: the first part was intended to elicit information on
on the socio-demographic profile of informants. On the other hand, the
second part was composed and translated into English language to
ensure better understanding and good communication. The interview
sessions with the informants will be done at La Paz, Agusan del Sur. The
researchers will use survey questionnaire to gather primary responses of
the respondents.

25.  Data Gathering, Methods and Procedure
A letter of request to conduct this study will be prepared
before the start of the research. The researchers
constructed a questionnaire and will be validated by the
research adviser of the subject then the research
questionnaires will be distributed to the respondents. The
researchers aim to conduct the research in Municipality of
La Paz, Agusan del Sur through interviews. The researchers
will briefly explain the importance of their response to the
study, main purpose and will request the respondents to
answer with all honesty prior to the with the certainty that
all response recorded will be used only in the research
respectfully with confidentiality.

26. This study since the researcher goal is to determine the
effects of rice deflation rate to farmers, the researchers
believes that qualitative method is the most appropriate in
choosing the sample for the research. After the informants
answered the questions and data gathered from the interview
will be transcribed, and tallied for interpretation. The
researcher also used such as cameras, recorder and the like to
note thier actual responses.

27. Ethical Considerations
The risks for safety
Considering the pandemic, it is necessary to
consider for the safety of both the respondent and
the researcher thus monitoring of safety protocol is a
must such as wearing of face mask and face shield,
proper sanitizing, and observe social distancing
during the interview.

28. Informed Consent
It is the researcher’s utmost priority to inform and let the
respondent understand the purpose of the research with
full honesty and transparency.
Voluntary Participation
The respondents could freely withdraw their participation
without asking further questions why. If there’s a problem
during conducting the interview it should be between
negotiation of both the informants and the researchers.

29. Do No Harm
Before and during the interview the researcher must always
consider to have a healthy environment for the participants, so
that they might not feel or could possibly trigger anxiety, stress,
diminished self-esteem, and invasion of privacy.
Confidentiality and Anonymity
The decision will always be on the participants if they allow
inputting their name or not. The researchers duty is to be
regarded as an obligation for protecting the informants identity
and safety. Also means, that if publication happened, they
wouldn’t be traced or discovered.

30. Data Analysis
As soon as the data were obtained, its
transcription, processing and analysis were
done based on the problems stated in this
study. Thematic analysis will be applied which
means that all data acquired were themed
according to their responses and clustering of
identified patterns across the data set is made.
Thematic analysis is a method of systematically
identifying, organizing and offering in sight into
into patterns of meaning across a data set
(Braun and Clake, 2018).

31.  PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
The economic approach in a partial equilibrium setting has been
the most commonly used and widely accepted framework in
evaluating the economic consequeces of investments in
agricultural research. In this framework, the magnitude of the
welfare impacts of R and D largely depends on the nature of the
research-induced shift in the supply curve. Despite its importance,
the nature of shift in supply is commonly assumed in the analysis
and not thoroughly investigated due to the limitations in data and
economic analytical tools. This results in a wide range of estimate
rate of return to agriculture R and D which obscures its positive
impacts to the society.

32.  In this paper, I intend to narrow this gap by
capitalizing on the developments of crop simulation
models over the last two decades. The development
of the computing capacity in the recent years enable
crop models to dynamically simulate growth and
production of crops by integrating information about
crop bio-physical processes, environment, and
management conditions. Through the aid of crop
models, the true production technology is not as
unknown as before.

33. Rice model to simulate and predict the
growth and yield of rice given certain
weather, genetic, soil, water, nutrient and
management conditions. Shows the minimum
set of data required to operate the DSSAT
model. I selected the DSSAT program because
of its good predictive capability in simulating
various crops including rice.

34.  Using experimental data, the DSSAT model is calibrated and
validated to find a set of genetic coefficients that appropriately
describe a specific rice cultivar. As a manifestation of the seed
technology, these genetic coefficients govern the growth stages of
rice and its interaction with inputs, management practices, soil and
weather, Once the DSSAT is calibrated to adequately simulate the
realworld scenario for a particular location, computer experiments
can be performed to determine yield difference between the new
and control technology under different input levels and
management practices. Using this method, I can investigate the
production behavior of low-cost producers, and consequently the
nature of technology-induced shift in supply.

35. I applied this model to hybrid rice because of the
important, current rice production program of the
Philippine government. On one hand, proponents
argue that the country is set to benefit from hybrid
rice after years of capacity building in terms of
research and development of new hybrid rice
varieties, development in farmers human capital, and
the keen interest of the private sector in seed
production.

36. These authors recommended the
abandonment of the HRCP and a redirection
of the scare research resources from hybrid
to inbred rice. With the use of the DSSAT
model in improving the economic surplus
analysis, I hope to give more insight about
the effect of hybrid technology on the supply
of rice in the Philippines.

37. 4.1 The economic surplus Analysis
Since the pioneering works of Griliches [1958], Peterson [1967], and
Schmitz and seckler [1970],a huge volume of literature on the
economic impacts of agricultural research has been written using
the economic surplus approach. Until recently, this framework was
employed to evaluate the economic impacts of biotechnology
product such as Bt corn [Hyde,et Al.1999,Demont and Tollens
2004],Bt cotton [pray,et Al.2001;Traxler,et al,

38.  SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
Rice is an important part of the Filipino diet and is an integral
component of the household food security. However, I believe that
food security is not equivalent to and should not be equated to rice
self-sufficiency, Rice policies alone cannot solve the food insecurity
at the household level. But still raising productivity of rice is critical
in ensuring that enough supply is available to meet the increasing
demand of a growing population.

39.  . Improving productivity can also increase income of small rice
producers and landless farm workers, which may contribute in
poverty reduction in rural areas. Furthermore, enhancing
productivity is crucial in helping the domestic producers become
cost-competitive compared to the international producers. This, in
turn, can serve as an impetus for liberalizing the rice trade in the
Philippines making the supply available to consumers at an
affordable price. Rice R and D plays a valuable role in improving
productivity. In this dissertation, I have demonstrated how much
technology such as hybrid rice varieties in bread rice MVs, and the
use of certified seed have increased the production at the farm level.

40. . I have also shown the contributions of
irrigation and farmers access to these non-
conventional inputs, the government has
implemented an active fiscal policy to lead the
nation towards the achievement of food
security by investing in R and D, extension,
irrigation, subsidizing hybrid and certified
inbred seed. In the next chapter,1 investigated
the efficiency of these investments at the
aggregate level.

41. In chapter 3, I have shown that only R and D investment have
reduced the cost of production at the regional level. This
emphasizes the importance of investing in R and D to generate
more location-specific technologies that are relevant to each
region. Development of location-specific varieties and decision
support system for better crop management are example of R
and D activities that need to be support. This is consistent with
the results in chapter 2 that indicates the production-increasing
effect of these technology products. However, while it might be
optimal to invest in rice R and D, the allocation of public
resources to rice D and D must be guided by principles of
efficiency. In particular, cost-benefit analysis can be useful in
comparing the returns to rice R and D investments to other
alternative public investments.