Keywords
Qualitative Research
Partnerships
Agricultural Communities
How to Cite
Abstract
This paper delves into the challenges faced by top-performing cacao farmers in Quezon, Philippines, and examines the contributions of various community actors in addressing these issues. Using deviant case sampling, respondent-farmers were selected based on their pod yield per tree, farming practices, post-harvest activities, community service, and years of experience in cacao farming. This qualitative study, guided by the Social Capital Theory, emphasizes the importance of social relationships and interconnectedness within agricultural communities. Latent content analysis and thematic coding were employed in the analysis of interviews and focused group discussion (FGD) notes, aided by the software Atlas.ti. Six key challenges were identified: gaps in technical knowledge, challenges in resource intervention, market accessibility issues, climate-related risks, limited access to quality planting materials, and threats from cacao pests. The first three are most frequently addressed by actors within cacao farming networks in the province. The latter three receive comparatively less attention due to their complex and context-dependent nature. This research highlights the importance of various community actors engaging with farmers to address neglected challenges and strengthen the sustainability of Quezon’s cacao industry. Our study affirms that fostering and nurturing collaborations play a transformative role in overcoming agricultural challenges.
References
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