Farming practices of corn farmers in the major corn producing barangays in the Municipality of Sara, Iloilo

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the different practices of corn farmers in the Municipality of Sara, Iloilo. This study employed the one-shot survey design in gathering data from 100 corn farmers of the top three corn producing barangays of Sara as respondents using a structured interview schedule. All data were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Frequency and percentage distribution were used as basis for data analysis and interpretation. The corn farmer respondents were generally between the age of 31 to 50, male, married, with no formal education, Roman Catholics, had no other source of income aside from corn farming, and had been growing corn for an average of 12.74 years. The respondents had an average of 2.4 hectares of mountainous owned land, with two croppings per year and an average production of 5.7 tons per hectare. They generally use inorganic chemical inputs to clean their corn field, control pests and diseases and fertilize their corn. They generally practiced uphilling their farm twice. The respondents generally harvested their corn manually and burned the stalks, husk, and cobs after harvest. Generally, they shelled their corn mechanically and used sun drying. Furthermore, the corn farmer respondents generally were not aware of the possible negative effects of their different practices in corn farming and the possible effects that could occur in the environment.