ABSTRACT
The study analyzed the impact of extreme flood events on rice productivity and well-being of registered rice farmers of Barangay Bucayao and Barangay Panggalaan, Calapan City Oriental Mindoro for the basis of a mitigation plan. The study used a mixed-method research design to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of extreme flood events on rice production and the wellbeing of rice farmers of Barangay Bucayao and Barangay Panggalaan for the basis of the mitigation plan. The quantitative data provides insights into the profile of the rice farmers, while the qualitative data is used to measure the impact of the extreme flood events on rice production and the well-being of rice farmers of two barangays. The data analyses were used to develop a mitigation plan to help rice farmers minimize the impact of future extreme flood events. Results of the study show that extreme flood events caused the total destruction of rice fields implicating a severe impact on rice production and a high impact on the well-being of rice farmers both positive and negative. Rice farmers learn to develop response mechanisms and adapt the mitigation strategies utilized by their barangay to minimize the impact of extreme flood events. However, immediate response to ongoing and future extreme flood events is a must. Rice farmers, though have second thoughts about the possible outcome of the implementation of a mitigation plan, they are willing to hold on for the security of their livelihood.
Keywords: extreme flood events, farming system, mitigation plan, rice productivity, well-being
Introduction
Rice serves as the staple food for more than half of the global population. However, climate change-induced extreme weather events including floods pose a great risk to different agricultural communities worldwide. Under the impacts of climate change, the seriousness of floods would increase as they become more intensified, deeper, and longer, consequently, the loss they would cause to rice production would increase significantly (Giang et al., 2019). Likewise, the increasing frequency and severity of these events will pose a significant threat to millions of rice farmers who depend on the crop for their livelihood and food security. This will create an impact as rice farming is a source of income and employment for millions of farmers and their family members in Asia.
The province of Oriental Mindoro is dubbed as the Rice Granary of MIMAROPA with 35% of rice production in the region. However, the province is also extremely vulnerable to floods due to tropical storms and monsoon rains devastating major crops like rice, corn, and banana. In fact, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has identified the province as one of the top ten most flood-prone areas in the country. Barangay Bucayao and Barangay Panggalaan, in Calapan City, were barangays with massive river channels resulting in frequent floods almost yearly where rice farmers were greatly affected. These rice farmers face significant challenges in sustaining their livelihood and well-being when exposed to these recurring flood events.
The general objective of the study is to analyze the impact of extreme flood events on the rice productivity and well-being of the rice farmers in Barangay Bucayao and Barangay Panggalaan, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro for the basis of a mitigation plan. The study recommends a mitigation plan to minimize the impact of extreme flood events on the rice productivity and well-being of the rice farmers in the two barangays. The following are the specific objectives of the study: (1) Analyze the profile of rice farmers in Barangay Bucayao and Barangay Panggalaan in terms of socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics (2) Describe the rice production system of farmers in both barangays. (3) Determine the impact of extreme flood events on rice productivity and the well-being of farmers in the two barangays. (4) Identify the adaptation and mitigation plan employed by farmers to cope with extreme flood events.
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