Davao del Sur had the Highest Number of Farms

Across provinces, Davao del Sur shared the highest number of farms with 127.5 thousand, covering 302 thousand hectares of agricultural land. The total farms for the province accounted for 42.5 percent of the total farms in the region. This province also has the biggest farm area in the region (39.8 percent). Areas under agricultural land comprised 32.3 percent of the total land area of the province. The number of agricultural farms for the province was 17 thousand hectares more than the 1991 level while the total area was lower by 11.3 thousand hectares.

Compostella Valley ranked second with 62.2 thousand farms, covering 167.3 thousand hectares while Davao came in third with 57.6 thousand farms, covering 125.1 thousand hectares. The number of agricultural farms for these provinces when combined registered an increase of 8.1 percent while the area of farms registered a five percent decrease over the 1991 levels.

Corn Was the Top Temporary Crop in the Region

In terms of area planted, corn was the top temporary crop in the region. This was grown in 127.6 thousand farms with a combined area of 214 thousand hectares. Palay followed next with 50.5 thousand farms, covering 106.1 thousand hectares. Tubers roots and bulbs ranked third with 91.8 thousand farms, covering 13.2 thousand hectares of land.

All provinces in Davao Region posted corn as the top temporary crop in 2002 except in the province of Davao where palay was its top temporary crop.

Banana Was the Dominant Permanent Crop

For permanent crops, banana shared the highest number of trees/vines/hills planted, accounting for 160.8 thousand farms planted with 38.2 million hills. Coconut followed next with 189.4 thousand farms planted with 30.1 million trees. Coffee robusta ranked third with 19.2 thousand farms planted with eight million trees. In 1991, the dominant permanent crops in terms of the number of trees/vines/hills were coconut, banana, ramie, coffee robusta, and cacao.

Banana was dominantly planted in Davao and Compostela Valley while coconut in Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental.

National System of Irrigation Was Common in Davao Region

Irrigation was an indispensable means for increasing the yield of agricultural crops in Davao Region. In 2002, about 79.1 thousand farms in the region with an area of 157.6 thousand hectares were supplied with water. The common systems of irrigation used in the region were the national irrigation system, which supplied water to 24 thousand farms covering 47.4 thousand hectares; individual system of irrigation with 14.7 thousand farms which covered 32.3 thousand hectares; and communal irrigation system, which supplied water to 14.7 thousand farms covering 25.5 thousand hectares.

There were other irrigation systems such as water fetching, waterwheels, etc. which supplied water to 31.8 thousand farms with a total irrigated area of 52.5 thousand hectares.

Hog Raising Dominated the Livestock Raising Activity

The dominant livestock raised in Davao Region was hogs. A total of 154.9 thousand farms reported to have reared 539.6 thousand hogs. The number of hogs reared increased by 11.1 percent over the 1991 hog population of 485.8 thousand. Hog raising remained the top livestock raising activity in all provinces in Davao Region as it was in 1991.

Carabao raising ranked second with 143.9 thousand heads tended. This livestock raising activity ranked third in terms of the headcount in 1991 (114.3 thousand carabaos). Experiencing a 27.2 percent decrease over the 1991 estimates, goat raising ranked third with 135.1 thousand heads.

Source: National Statistics Office, 1991 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries and 2002 Census of Agriculture

Raising of Chicken Was the Primary Poultry Raising Activity

Raising of chicken was the primary poultry raising activity in Davao Region. About 220.9 thousand farms reported to have raised 5.4 million chicken. In terms of the number of chicken raised, the figure was 6.1 percent higher over the 1991 level of 5.1 million chicken. Duck raising came next with 227.1 thousand ducks as reported by 15.4 thousand farms. However, as much as 46.4 percent decrease was observed compared to the 1991 inventory. On the other hand, the number of quails experienced a two-fold increase, from 22.5 thousand in 1991 to 66.3 thousand in 2002.

Each province in the region posted chicken raising as the top poultry activity, with Davao del Sur contributing the highest number of chicken raised (3.9 million), followed by Davao (567.6 thousand) and Compostela Valley (508.6 thousand).

Ornamental and Flower Gardening (Excluding Orchid) Was Also Common in the Region

While most agricultural operators in Davao Region were engaged in common agricultural activities like planting palay, corn, etc., others were also involved in agricultural activities like bee culture/honeybee production, silkworm production, among others. For these types of agricultural activities, ornamental and flower gardening (excluding orchid) was practiced most in the region (1.9 thousand farms).

Unlike ornamental and flower gardening (excluding orchid) with a reduction in the number of farms engaged, sericulture/silk/cocoon production posted a 221.9 percent increase, or from 73 farms in 1991 to 235 farms in 2002. Similarly, vermiculture/earthworm culture posted a remarkable increase of 145.5 percent, or 112 more farms over the 1991 level.

Male Operators Dominated the Agricultural Operation

There were more male agricultural operators than females. In 2002, male operators (264.8 thousand) accounted for 88.3 percent of the total agricultural operators in the region. Meanwhile, almost one-half of the operators in the region (147 thousand) belonged to the 35 to 54 year age group.

One in two male agricultural operators (132.3 thousand) was between 35 to 54 years old while between 45 to 64 years old for females (48.9 percent).

About 78 Percent of the Household Members Engaged in Agricultural Activity Were Working in Own Agricultural Holding

Household members of the agricultural operators were asked if they were engaged in any agricultural activity, whether in their own holding, in other holding or both.

In 2002, a total of 292.8 thousand household members were engaged in agricultural activities. Of this number, about 227.8 thousand (77.8 percent) were employed in own holding, 34.8 thousand (11.9 percent) both in own holding and in the holding of others, and 30.3 thousand (10.3 percent) in other holdings.

Nearly 30 percent of the household members aged 10 to 24 years were engaged in an agricultural activity. Almost three-fourths (73.5 percent) of them were working in their own farm.

While males dominated the agricultural operations in the year, female non-operator household members who were engaged in an agricultural activity (168.2 thousand) outnumbered their male counterparts by 47.4 thousand.

 

TECHNICAL NOTES Reference period – The reference period of the 2002 Census of Agriculture (CA 2002) was from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002. However, the data on livestock and poultry for CA 2002 were recorded as of the date of visit of the enumerators, i.e., anytime from March 3 to April 5, 2003, while the 1991 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (CAF) data for livestock and poultry were recorded as of August 31, 1991. Moreover, the reference period applied for the temporary crops during CA 2002 was from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002 while as of December 31, 2002 for the permanent crops. During the 1991 CAF, the reference period used for recording data on temporary and permanent crops was the past 12 months. Farm – Any piece or pieces of land having a total area of at least 1,000 square meters used wholly or partly for growing of crops such as palay, corn, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc., and/or for tending of livestock and/or poultry, regardless of number; or any land, regardless of area, used for raising of at least 20 heads of livestock or 100 heads of poultry. Area of farm – The physical or actual measurement of the land, reported only once regardless of how many times it was used during the reference period, i.e., January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Temporary Crops – Plants grown seasonally and whose growing cycle is less than one year and which must be sown or planted again for production after each harvest. In 1991, pineapple was treated as temporary crop. Hence, the data for this crop was in terms of area planted and not the number of hills. Permanent Crops – Plants that occupy the land for a period of time and do not need to be replaced after each harvest. Following the Food and Agriculture (FAO) classification of pineapple as permanent crop, data for this crop for CA 2002 was in terms of number of hills. Data Limitation – The data referring to farms were tabulated according to the geographic area of the operator’s residence, which may not be the same as the actual location of the farm or farm parcels. Data for Davao Province and Compostela Valley – For purposes of comparison with 1991 results, data for Davao Province and Compostela Valley were also combined in 2002.

Source:   National Statistics Office
                Manila, Philippines
 
Page last revised:   November 11, 2004