Farmers’ climate change adaptation strategies for banana and mangoes

DROUGHT, excessive rain, and similar hazards are the current threats to the production of Cavendish bananas and mangoes in Davao del Norte province in the southern Philippines.

These threats emanate from the continuing global issue of climate change which requires focused and strategic interventions for agricultural production to prosper. These are the findings of the study “Determinants of climate change adaptation strategies of Cavendish banana and mango farmers in Davao del Norte, Philippines” that were presented in the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao’s webinar-forum “Towards Creating Impact: UP Mindanao-funded Research” held on April 20, 2022.

“The impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector have made adaptation unavoidable. Thus, this study aimed to examine the climate change adaptation strategies of farmers involved in the production of tropical fruit exports such as Cavendish bananas and mangoes,” said Assistant Professor Jon Marx Sarmiento of UP Mindanao’s School of Management.

For Cavendish banana production, the top agricultural adaptation strategies are the creation or improvement of a drainage canal, frequent watering, increased use of fertilizer, transition to organic or sustainable farming, and improved harvesting techniques. The factors that influence the adoption of these strategies for Cavendish banana production are farm size, the incidence of drought, excessive rain, and other farm hazards, and the farm’s annual income.

For mango production, the lead strategies are frequent watering, practicing a land holiday, farm diversification, making a transition to organic or sustainable farming, and conservation horticulture techniques. A land holiday, allowing the land to rest by not applying artificial flowering chemicals, is one option. The factors that govern the choice of adaptation strategies are the importance of the mango crop to the farm, if it is the main source of income, the years of farming experience, and the farmer’s access to training and agricultural extension services. The presence of drought, if there is, the farmer’s awareness of climate change, the farm’s annual income, and the farmer’s household size also determine the choice of adaptation strategies.

“Having arrived at these findings, a community-based information system is one of the first interventions that mango and Cavendish banana farmers need to increase their level of awareness and overcome these climate change-related threats,” Sarmiento said.

“In addition, the government, NGOs, and the private sector need to consider the factors that influence the choice of strategies for a more targeted intervention to help improve the farmers’ capability for adaptation,” he said.

A total of 185 Cavendish banana farmers and 160 mango farmers contributed to the study by answering a survey questionnaire. Focus group discussions were done to guide the survey questionnaire design and succeeding data collection activities. The farmers were selected through Stratified Random Sampling and the data collected were analyzed through Stata software. The Multivariate Probit (MVP) Regression was the main econometric tool used for the study by the team composed of Melissa Loquias, Eloisa Lynne Banguis, Glory Dee Romo, Larry Digal, and Sarmiento.