International Rice Research Institute, High-Yielding Rice Varieties, and the Filipino Farmers (A Case Study in Victoria, Laguna)

Abstract

The Philippine economy is characterized as backward, semi-feudal, and agrarian with no basic industries. Through the years, it became the responsibility of the government to look for ways to improve the agricultural sector necessary to feed its growing population. With the launching of the Green Revolution, the supply of rice, Filipinos’ staple food, is said to increase through the introduction of high-yielding rice varieties. The town of Victoria in the province of Laguna is an agricultural community not far from the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute, an institution heavily financed by countries and firms that dominate the world’s agricultural markets. It has made Philippine agriculture a capital-intensive one through promoting the use of high-yielding rice varieties with the accompaniment of using greater farm inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. It gave Agri corporations big business opportunities in our country. This study aims to discover and understand the reason why farmers of Victoria, Laguna choose to plant traditional rice varieties, when they can seek a greater yield with the use of high-yielding rice varieties. Findings of the study are significant in setting the priorities of the government when it comes to agriculture. When the government realized the genuine needs of the agricultural sector, it could improve the quality of life and work of the peasants in the country. The researcher used a qualitative approach with a historical materialist framework to analyze the data gathered. Analyses of the study were based on interviews and surveys done with farmers and peasant leaders.