Land tenure status, education of household heads and agricultural production of the Panay Bukidnon indigenous cultural communities in their ancestral domains

Abstract

This is a preliminary evaluation of the impact of education and land tenure security instrument (Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title or CADT) to agricultural production among households of two Panay Bukidnon Indigenous Cultural Communities/ Indigenous Peoples (ICC/IP) in their ancestral domains in Calinog, Iloilo, conducted in the second half of 2010 involving two communities: one with a CADT and the other, no CADT.

A. Profile of the community and its study participants

There was an average of 6 members per household for that with a CADT and 5 with those without a CADT. Households with a CADT were older (average age is 46.7 years) compared with that without a CADT (average age is 39.6 years). There was a very wide gap of educational attainment among household heads in the two communities: 43.85% of the household heads in the community without CADT has not gone to school, and only 4.61% in that with a CADT. The community without CADT has only 49% that attained elementary education and 5.26% in high school; while that with a CADT 74.9% with elementary education and 11% reached high school. There was therefore a significant advantage of the community with a CADT in terms of educational level over that without a CADT.

The mean value of farm products of the household in a year period for that with a CADT was more than double (P 40,742.71) compared with that without a CADT (P 15,447.37). Households with a CADT has also bigger farm size (3.4 hectares) compared with that without CADT (2.45 hectares). As to the number of crops planted and number of heads of animals raised, those households with a CADT have greater numbers compared with that without a CADT. Further, those with CADT has a very high availment rate of agricultural services (77.55%) compared with that without CADT which was very low (7.14%); and a high adoption rate of modern farming method, which was 89.79% and that without CADT is only 21.43%.

B. The findings could be summarized as follows:

1. There was a very significant relationship between education and land tenure status

2. There was a very strong relationship between education and availment of agricultural services

3. There was a strong relationship between education and adoption of modem agricultural practices

4. Education and agricultural production among Panay Bukidnon farmers in Masaroy and Guinbonyugan in Calinog, Iloilo were strongly related

5. A strong relationship between land tenure status and availment of agricultural services was present

6. There existed a strong relationship between land tenure status and adoption of modern agricultural practices

7. There existed a strong relationship between land tenure status and agricultural production

Recommendations:

Based on the findings of this study, the following are hereby recommended:

1. Government shall strengthen basic education in IP communities: NCIP shall partner with DepEd for training and deployment of teachers to remote areas especially where IP communities are located. It shall formulate alternative learning programs for adults which focus in functional literacy and incorporate relevant subjects like livelihood, community governance, agriculture and resource management, among others;

2. Through convergence initiatives, concerned agencies specially the LGU, Department of Agriculture, DENR, DepEd and NCIP shall formulate a sustainable upland agricultural development program for communities in their ancestral domains. NCIP shall hire its own agriculturists who have expertise in upland agriculture in the regional and provincial offices. Field officers of these agencies should also be oriented in the IKSP of the concerned IP communities;

3. While NCIP prioritizes formal recognition of ancestral domains among its services, it shall put equal emphasis in fostering a sense of responsibility among IP's, capacity building in resource management, production using local resources and enterprise management for sustainable development of IP communities in their ancestral domains.

4. NCIP shall install and sustain support facilities and provide services for the development and sustainability of IP communities in their ancestral domains. This may include: research, training and extension services in the field of agriculture; credit and financing; and market networking and monitoring, among others.