Harvesting Inequality: A Critical Impact Assessment of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)’s Implementation in Sta. Cruz, Laguna

Abstract

To supposedly cushion the relentless liberalization brought about by the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), the government enacted a complementary Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to alleviate farmer income loss and maintain competitiveness. However, almost six years into the law’s implementation, consumer and producer gains continue to be insubstantial. Through a holistic qualitative assessment, such as qualitative interviews and data analysis, this study critically assesses the RCEF’s implementation in Sta. Cruz, the top-performing beneficiary of Laguna, and delves into its multifaceted effects on local rice farmers and their communities. Findings revealed a complex web of dynamics, wherein the RCEF's implementation has both positive and negative repercussions. On one hand, the RCEF has provided valuable support to the farmer association, enhancing their competitiveness. Conversely, challenges such as bureaucratic hurdles and uneven distribution of resources have resulted in exclusionary practices that marginalize landless farmers and farmworkers, exacerbating pre-existing inequalities. Using Bennett's Hierarchy of Program Outcomes, the study found that impacts in practices and end results were all negative, indicating RCEF’s failure to achieve its espoused goals. It also laid bare the disparities and disproportionality in access to and distribution of benefits, borne out of the community’s power dynamics community. This study underscores the importance of understanding neoliberal-backed agricultural policies and their inevitably inequitable impacts. It calls for greater attention to issues of social equity and inclusion in the design and implementation of agricultural interventions, urging policymakers to address both structural and systemic barriers and prioritize the needs of farmers to strengthen local production.