The usability of pagasa’s weather information in the decision making process of rice farmers on selected three 3 barangays in calauan laguna province in the philippines

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY JESSICA JANE MAGPILI COSICO THE USABILITY OF PAGASA’S WEATHER INFORMATION IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF RICE FARMERS O

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

JESSICA JANE MAGPILI COSICO

THE USABILITY OF PAGASA’S WEATHER INFORMATION IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF RICE FARMERS ON SELECTED THREE (3) BARANGAYS IN CALAUAN, LAGUNA PROVINCE IN THE

PHILIPPINES

BACHELOR THESIS

Study Mode: Full-time

Major: Environmental Science and Management

Faculty: Advanced Education Program Office

Thai Nguyen, 15/11/2018

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT

Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry

Degree Program Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management Student Name Jessica Jane M Cosico

Thesis Title The Usability of PAGASA’s Weather Information in

the Decision-Making Process of Rice Farmers on Selected Three (3) Barangays in Calauan, Laguna Province in the Philippines

Supervisor (s) 1 Prof Dr Marisa J Sobremisana (Philippines);

2 Assoc Prof Dr Vu Thi Tu Anh (Vietnam) Supervisor’s

signature (s)

Abstract:

Rice is considered a staple food in the Philippines and in most of the countries

in Asia As the case, rice farming is an important part of Laguna's agriculture, one of the provinces in the country located in the Southern Tagalog region with approximately 30,619 ha (306.19 km2) of land used for cultivating 130,904 metric tons (130,904,000 kg) of rice (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2017) With climate change and its associated risks on hand, many farmers, farms and other stakeholders can be very vulnerable in their farming activities To address this dilemma, one of the farmer’s needs is on climatic information to help them plan and decide for their farm production activities PAGASA (Philippines Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) provides timely, accurate and reliable weather-related information and services to protect lives and properties of people The usability of PAGASA’s weather information

in the decision-making process of rice farmers was conducted in three barangays in Calauan namely: barangay Dayap, barangay Bangyas and barangay Masiit This was done by conducting a survey to 20 rice farmers in

each of the three barangays The main objective of this research is to know the usability of PAGASA’s weather information on the decision-making process of farmers based on production, organization, management, farm labor, change in crop patterns and welfare The other objectives of the study are to determine how PAGASA’s weather information are 1) received and interpreted by the farmers and 2) highly contributes to the income and welfare of the farmers The results of the survey using mean, percentage and frequency distribution were used as a reference for future researchers and policy-makers to help develop and enhance PAGASA’s weather information In conclusion, PAGASA’s weather information do not influence the administration and marketing decisions of farmers, but on the production management decisions Overall, PAGASA’s weather information provides efficient, effective and satisfactory data on the decision-making process of rice farmers, with no biases, in Calauan, Laguna Keywords: Decision-Making, Rice Farmers, Weather Forecast,

PAGASA Number of pages: 52

Date of Submission: 15/11/2018

I would like to thank our Honorable Mayor in Calauan, Mr Buenafrido

“George” Berris, for allowing me to conduct my research in Calauan I also would like to thank Ms Aisylene Acuarda for giving me the Calauan Master List of Rice Farmers that allows me to find possible respondents for my research study I am also grateful to the 60 survey respondents from Barangay Dayap, Barangay Bangyas and Barangay Masiit for their hospitality and for allotting their time to participate in the survey and for making this research possible

I am thankful to all my friends who are there to support me To my best friends, Jocela and Lian, for being my companion and helping me conduct my survey To my other best friends, Shawie, Ellai and Pau for giving me encouragements and support To Joy, Luis, Lester, Francina, Enzo, Vea, Tinay and

AJ, thank you for being my second family in Vietnam and for being with me through thick and thin We can do this!

I am sincerely thankful to my mother Maggie Cosico, my father Jimmy Cosico, my two brothers Mark James Cosico and TJ Cosico, for your unending love, understanding and support in the completion of my research study To my dearest Michael, thank you for supporting and believing in me

Jessica Jane M Cosico

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

LIST OF FIGURES vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale and Background 1

1.1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.1.2 Rice Farms in the Philippines and Its Increasing Risks 1

1.1.3 Agriculture in Calauan, Laguna 2

1.1.4 The Farmer’s Decision-Making Process 3

1.2 Significance of the Study 3

1.3 Objectives 4

1.4 Research Questions 4

1.5 Scope and Limitations 4

PART II: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 The Rice Farmer 6

2.2 Technology Adoption 6

2.2.1 Factors Affecting Technology Adoption on Farmers 7

2.3 Understanding the Farmer’s Decision-Making Process 8

2.4 Background on the Farmer’s Decision-Making Process 10

2.5 Weather Forecasting for Agriculture 11

2.6 Climatological and Farm Weather Services of PAGASA 14

2.7 Weather Forecasting as Aid to Filipino Farmers 15

2.8 Measuring Usability 16

PART III: METHODOLOGY 18

3.1 Research Materials 18

3.2 Time and Place of the Study 18

3.3 Research Design 19

3.4 Conduct of the Survey 19

3.4.1 Site Selection Criteria 19

3.4.2 Determination of Sample Size and Sampling 20

3.4.3 Data Gathering Process 20

3.5 Organization and Analysis of Data 21

3.6 Conceptual Framework 21

PART IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 23

4.1 Population Characteristics 23

4.2 Respondent’s Profile 23

4.2.1 Level of Education 23

4.2.2 Age of Farmers 24

4.2.3 Managing Farm Area 24

4.2.4 Farmer’s Income 25

4.3 Usability of PAGASA in Decision-Making Process 26

4.3.1 Ease of Use 26

4.3.2 Usefulness 28

4.3.3 Satisfaction 30

PART V: CONCLUSION 35

5.1 Recommendations 36

REFERENCES 37

APPENDICES 42

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 The Geographical Location Map of the three barangay research sites

(Barangay Dayap, Bangyas, and Masiit) in Calauan, Laguna Philippines,

2018 2

Figure 2 Conceptual Framework of the Study 22

Figure 3 Percentage Distribution of Rice 24

Figure 4 Percentage Distribution of Monthly Income of Respondents 25

Figure 5 Percentage Distribution of the Satisfaction of Respondents on Implementing PAGASA’s Weather Information in Farm Life 31

Figure 6 Percentage Distribution of Considering PAGASA’s Weather Information in Long Term Decisions 31

Figure 7 Percentage Distribution of Respondent’s Response on Reduced Farm Labor and Cost with the Help of PAGASA’s Weather Information 32

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Number of Rice Field Hectares and Population of Rice Farmers in Three

Surveyed Barangays in Calauan, Laguna 23

Table 2 Percentage and Frequency Distribution of Respondents’ Educational

Attainment 24

Table 3 Frequency Distribution of Rice 24 Table 4 Percentage and Frequency Distribution on Number of Rice Field Hectares

25

Table 5 Percentage and Frequency Distribution of Familiarity of Respondents on

PAGASA’s Weather Forecast System 26

Table 6 Percentage and Frequency Distribution about Accuracy of PAGASA’s

Weather Information 27

Table 7 Percentage and Frequency Distribution of Accessibility of Respondents

on PAGASA’s Weather Information 28

Table 8 Percentage and Frequency Distribution of Implementation of PAGASA’s

Weather Information on Irrigation Schedule 29

Table 9 Percentage and Frequency Distribution of Use of PAGASA’s Weather

Information in Farm Production 30

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CCSMKE Christian Community Services Mount Kenya

East DOST Department of Science and Technology

IRRI International Research Institute

MAO Municipal Agriculture Office

PAGASA Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and

Astronomical Services Administration

PHILRICE Philippine Rice Research Institute

Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines

SEARCA Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate

Study and Research in Agriculture

UNISDR United Nations Office for Disaster Risk

Reduction

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale and Background

1.1.1 Background of the Study

A survey for the usability of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather information on the decision-making process of the rice farmers on three selected barangays in Calauan, Laguna namely: Bangyas, Dayap and Masiit were done The data from this study were used to determine the usability of PAGASA in the farmer’s decision-making process for improvement and development of the 1) farm management and 2) PAGASA’s system (UNISDR, 2016)

1.1.2 Rice Farms in the Philippines and Its Increasing Risks

The Philippines is an agricultural country with a land area of 30 million hectares, 47% of which is agricultural land In the Philippines, prime agricultural lands are located around the main urban and high population density areas (Quilang, 2011) The Philippines is the 9th largest rice producer in the world, accounting for 2.4% of global rice production (2016 Crop Production Statistics, 2018) Rice is considered a staple food in most of the countries in Asia But because

of climate change and the increasing associated risks, including natural hazards like earthquakes and typhoons, many crops have been affected manifested in decreased yield which resulted to increase vulnerability of farmers, farms and other stakeholders (Project SARAi, 2017)

1.1.3 Agriculture in Calauan, Laguna

In 2002, there were 38,445 farms in Laguna The top five crops produced are rice, corn, coconuts, mangoes, and bananas (PSA, 2017) Rice farming is an important part of Laguna's agriculture, with approximately 30,619 ha (306.19 km2) of land used for cultivating 130,904 metric tons (130,904,000 kg) of rice (PSA, 2017)

Calauan has a population of 80,453 people (PSA, 2016) As shown in Figure 1, it consists of 18 barangays Calauan, Laguna is widely known as "Home

of the Sweetest Pineapple." Although Calauan is known for producing pineapple,

it also produces and exports rice through facilities such as the Bayer Crop Science Los Baños, Laguna also has multiple research institutions specializing in agriculture, such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the Southeast Asian Regional center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) There are ten barangays

in Calauan that have rice fields with a total of 1,518.84 hectares and 833 rice farmers All rice

1.1.4 The Farmer’s Decision-Making Process

The decision-making process involves series of steps before the final decision and it also takes different forms in different situations (Barile, 1996) The weather information can influence decisions such as on production and organization, farm labor and machinery programs, decisions regarding irrigation, conservation and operational management decisions Accordingly, at the farm-level, decisions are made over a very short time and are usually influenced by seasonal climatic variations Adaptation strategies for long term conservation also require decisions that the farmers will make Such adaptive strategies including changing cropping patterns, engaging in other off-farm activities as additional source of income, mulching, using organic fertilizers and high level of farmer to farmer communication evolved by using socio-economic factors and weather information (Adeyemi et al., 2017)

1.2 Significance of the Study

The significance of this study is to provide reference on future researchers

in providing more detailed study on this case The study does not have any bias and the findings may help PAGASA’s board of directors and their management to foresee the recent situation of their service to agriculture sectors like farmers By conducting a survey based on the usability of the weather information and its effect

on farmers’ agricultural activities, this study will help organizations in agricultural sector to develop and enhance seminars and facilities for farmers

1.3 Objectives

The objective of this research is to assess the usability of PAGASA’s climate information on the decision-making process of farmers on the production, organization, management, farm labor, change in crop patterns and welfare Other objective is to provide reference for future studies related to this problem or topic

2 What is the perception of farmers on the local weather forecast systems?

3 What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in the study area?

4 Does PAGASA’s weather forecast service highly contribute to the welfare of the farmers?

1.5 Scope and Limitations

The study covers the opinion of the farmers towards PAGASA’s weather information and also a reference for other researchers The judgement and recommendations made are limited to the views and responses of the farmers based

on the survey Limitations including technical recommendations on how to improve PAGASA’s system and its exact use on farmer’s decision-making process are not included here It is the role of the other institution and the government to have plans that will help address the issue discussed in this study Other limitations

of this study are 1) the researcher does not have enough knowledge to portray accurate results because of lack of studies and articles regarding the specific topic 2) this study does not have enough methods to be effective because this is one of the first studies that tackles about the effectiveness of the weather forecast system

in the Philippines

PART II: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Rice Farmer

According to Barile (1996), a farmer’s primary job function is to engage in agricultural activities with mastery of farming whether it is inherent or acquired The fact that farmers have vast experience in agriculture, suggest that they are competent and really knows what they are doing Farmers aren’t just cultivators who take care of their plants and animals but they are also the one who manage decisions for their farm activities

Based on the data of Philippines Rice Research Institute (PhilRice, 2016), rice farmers in the Philippines have an average of eight years of schooling It is half of the number of schooling of the Philippines’ standard education system Their average household members are five which is also the same average number

in the Philippines Most of the rice farmers in the Philippines are aged fifty years old and above due to the fact that their average farming years is twenty-eight years 41% of the rice farmers in the Philippines attend training programs and seminars

In the case of land owned, only 52% of the farmers own the land they farm which means that some of them are tenants Rice farmers greatly contribute on the economy and people’s lives by feeding the nation but they remain among the country’s poorest

2.2 Technology Adoption

“Properly understood, any new and better way of doing things is technology” (Thiel, 2014) Technology makes our tasks easier, not our lives easier

(Shapiro, 2009) Technology serves as a tool to make things easier and improve existing methods in terms of: efficiency and effectiveness (Dodd, 2014)

In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, efficiency is the (often measurable) ability to avoid wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time in doing something or in producing a desired result In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without waste Effectiveness, on the other hand, is being successful to achieve the desired result (Mihalicz, 2014)

Technology also is the “ability to convert society’s resources (labor and capital) into output (goods and services that we value)” (Fernald, 2014) Technology adoption is a process – starting with the user becoming aware of the technology and ending with the user embracing the technology making full use of

it (Renaud & Biljon, 2008) So, linking farmers to new sources of information on technology will be important, but is equally important is deciding the potential factors of technology adoption at farm level that influence their decisions (Farid et al., 2015)

2.2.1 Factors Affecting Technology Adoption on Farmers

According to study of Barile (1996), some factors that affect technology adoption on farmers are age, education, vicinity, farm size and presence of government assistance Younger farmers, in terms of age and farming experience, have greater probability to accept and adopt the technology because of their shorter exposure to the traditional practices Before implementing technology, the information research system has studied the factors that affect the adopter’s

behavior Most of the farmers are illiterate and that will hinder them to use modern machines

Their adoption will depend on how they can use the technology easily and efficiently Many farmers adopt technologies when they receive great feedbacks from the users on their vicinity Bigger farm requires technology adoption than smaller farm Seminars and programs are also helpful for the farmers to become aware of such technologies that will help them utilize their farm life Income may also be a factor that can affect technology adoption because not everybody can afford such technologies and the cost for maintenance is also high

2.3 Understanding the Farmer’s Decision-Making Process

The decision-making process in agriculture is complex – it takes different forms in different situation In a personal level, decision-making process could be instant or casual For example, deciding what to eat within the day will not affect the individual significantly if he or she did not make the right choice There are is also a systematic and formal decision-making where large resources are to be invested and a lot of people will be affected (Barile, 1996)

According to the study of Barile (1996), there are five stages of farmer’s decision-making These are:

2.3.1 Appraising the Challenge Exposure to threats and opportunities that

efficiently challenges a current action or situation marks the beginning of the decision-making process Those challenging information produces short-term personal crisis which develop uncertainties about continuing that course and will cause the decision-maker to seek for alternatives

2.3.2 Surveying Alternatives The decision-maker seeks information and

advice on other people The decision-maker will dismiss and get rid of alternatives that are too costly and too effectual Later on, the decision-maker will be able to narrowed down alternatives that are feasible and practical

2.3.3 Weighing Alternatives After observing the alternatives, the

decision-maker will now consider the surviving alternatives by searching and evaluating it thoroughly and finding the pros and cons in order to select the best available course

of action that will meet his objectives It is not just simply weighing good and bad aspects but deeper analysis for consequences should be involved

2.3.4 Deliberating about Commitment The decision-maker will ponder

about considering a new plan of action and will begin to deliberate on conveying and presenting his intentions to others The decision-maker will first inform people whom he expects approval He will restrain the information to those who he suspects that will strongly disapproves Potential critics are often last to be informed unless the decisions made depends on hose critics or if the decision-maker is confidently able to convince them that he made the right choice

2.3.5 Adhering Despite Negative Feedback Not all decisions are made to

be approved The decision-maker may encounter social disapproval of his new decision Negative feedbacks will arise when the expected gains did not meet the expectation The decision-maker will remain unshaken on his chosen source of action if he will be able to ignore and counter-attack those setbacks and challenges Basically, decision-making process is a process that seek alternatives, think through alternatives and choosing one alternative

2.4 Background on the Farmer’s Decision-Making Process

According to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (n.d.), on their e-course about Production Economics & Farm Management, there are three categories in farm management decision-making process of farmers These are (1) production

& organization, (2) administration and (3) marketing

2.4.1 Production and Organization Decisions The farm manager has to

take vital decisions on production of enterprises and organization of his business His decisions center on what to produce and how to produce Such decisions can

be further classified into i) strategic and ii) operational decisions

2.4.1.1 Strategic management decisions involve vast investments and

long-term effect It gives shape to the business This includes deciding about the best size of a farm for a specific type of agricultural business, the irrigation schedule, the level of mechanization, land use intensity and the managerial ability

of a farmer The farmer must also decide whether he will purchase improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, or not Decisions on farm labor and machinery programs are taken to consideration to know the best combination of farm labor and machinery

to get maximum returns and to reduce the cost of production He will decide whether or not to employ additional laborers The construction of storage building depends on the present pattern level of production and the kinds and types of crops and livestock Decisions regarding irrigation and conservation, which are very crucial because it involves heavy investment, are also part of strategic management decisions

2.4.1.2 On the other hand, operational management decisions are required

for the day-to-day operations of the farm business These decisions are generally about what, how, how much and when to produce Along with production and organization decision, farmers need to set administrative decisions to see if the work is done in a right way This includes utilizing the finance or funds of the farm business to avoid certain circumstances

2.4.2 Administrative Decisions Along with production and organization

decision, the farmer has to see that the work is done in a right way

2.4.3 Marketing Decisions These are basically made for farm business A

farmer has to buy inputs for the farm and sell out products that it produces In purchasing inputs, the farm manager needs to consider what, when, how, how much and from whom to buy to ensure the reliability of the inputs In selling out farm products, he needs to consider the livelihood and demand of the buyers The farmer also needs to decide how much of his products need to be sold and to be kept for home consumption Overall, a farmer needs managerial skills to start and run and manage a profitable farm business The second is ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ Managerial skills can be taught, but an entrepreneurial spirit cannot be taught Many farmers are already excellent managers and many also have some of the spirit of an entrepreneur (FAO, 2013)

2.5 Weather Forecasting for Agriculture

In addition to predictions of atmospheric phenomena themselves, weather forecasting includes predictions of changes on Earth’s surface caused by atmospheric conditions (Cahir, 2013) Weather forecasts are important because

they are issued to protect life and property, to save crops and to tell us what to expect in our atmospheric environment (ADAS UK)

Based on the report of Ewbank (2012) to the Climate & Development Knowledge Network, access to seasonal weather forecasts is helping small-scale farmers facing threats from extreme weather in Kenya make informed cropping decisions By choosing the best seeds and planting dates for the likely conditions, farmers have attributed significant increases in their yields to the use of short and medium-term forecasts, securing their livelihoods

The program that is reported by Ewbank (2012) consist of collaboration comprised staff from Christian Community Services Mount Kenya East (CCSMKE), local farmer group members, climate scientists from the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), the UK Met Office and the University of Sussex, plus livelihoods experts from Christian Aid (which co-funds the project with CDKN and partners with CCSMKE) For the past two rainy seasons, the specialists worked with local farmers to help them learn how best to use of seasonal and short-term weather forecasts within their farming methods Ahead of each rainy season, the Greater Horn Regional Climate Outlook Forum released the seasonal forecast while the KMD gave its Kenya-specific forecast and held training workshops at national and local levels (Ewbank, 2012)

According to Ewbank (2012), one major contrast between seasons was the differing length of the window between receiving the forecast and the rains arriving Their challenge was getting the forecast to farmers and training them in time for them to use their new-found knowledge to make pre-season decisions,

such as which seeds to buy During the second season, they also supplied day forecasts to farmers Those were designed by KMD for Mbeere District and then sent out using text-messaging software from Frontline SMS, which registered the mobile phone numbers of farmer group members The performance of both seasonal forecasts was good; both, according to the farmers using them, were 80

seven-to 90% accurate (Ewbank, 2012) It made the farmers more confident in using weather forecast in making effective decisions Despite the short length of time available for making decisions before the long rains, about two-thirds of farmers attributed an increase of 15% or more in yield to decisions they had made differently as a result of using forecasts

Moreover, Ewbank (2012) stated that the farmers considered the seven-day forecast to be especially useful in helping them make decisions related to timing, such as choosing the best planting dates and deciding when to apply fertilizer They believe the importance of getting the seasonal forecast at least four weeks in advance to enable them to make good pre-season decisions For decisions to be effective, they needed complementary agricultural services, such as a good supply

of appropriate seed varieties, soil tests to help in managing soil fertility, plus training on how to collect and use local climate data, for example, by establishing group-managed rain gauges Our experiences in Kenya show that providing weather forecasts and training to small-scale farmers is an effective way to help increase the resilience of vulnerable farming communities (Ewbank, 2012)

2.6 Climatological and Farm Weather Services of PAGASA

Climate change could potentially worsen the economic situation and food security among the Philippine people To address this dilemma, farmers need climatic information to help them plan for their production activities In the Philippines, PAGASA issues seasonal climate forecasts based on the state of the equatorial Pacific Ocean (SCF Folio – Philippine Institute for Development Studies)

PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), one of the attached agencies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under its Scientific and Technical Services Institute, is mandated to “provide protection against natural calamities and utilize scientific knowledge as an effective instrument to insure the safety, well-being and economic security of all the people, and for the promotion of national progress.” (Section 2, Statement of Policy, Presidential Decree No 78, 1972) PAGASA operates and maintains about 98% of all hydrometeorological observation networks in the country These are used for hydrometeorological monitoring, forecasting, and warning (UNISDR, 2016) It will provide daily farm weather forecast and 10-day Regional Agri-climatic weather advisories, El Niño/La Niña advisory information, monitoring and prediction of seasonal rainfall, and climate projections for climate change adaptation activities These services and information can be obtained through their website/bulletin and other outlets such

as local radio and television news

2.7 Weather Forecasting as Aid to Filipino Farmers

According to Neal H Cruz (2013), a veteran journalist and a columnist on the Philippines’ most credible and influential newspaper (Philippine Daily Inquirer), Filipino farmers are the most vulnerable to weather not those city folks who experienced floods every time it rains That is why the farmer must be weather-savvy Because of global warming and changing weather patterns, the Filipino farmer can no longer rely on the traditional times of planting and harvesting That is where weather forecasting will be very useful

Cruz (2013) interviewed Secretary Mario Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Acting Deputy Administrator Vicente B Malano of the Weather Bureau Pagasa about the complexities of weather patterns and government efforts to improve weather forecasting “Pagasa, with its new supercomputers, can now provide farmers this timely information” (Montejo & Malano, 2013) Traditional farming also affects the decision-making process of rice farmers According to Montejo (2013), Filipino farmers are hard-headed and refuse to learn new things Thus, rice farmers start plowing and planting with the first rains of June because that is what they have learned from their grandfathers Our farmers traditionally believe that after the “siyam-siyam,” or nine days and nine nights of continuous rain, the rainy season begins That is not true anymore PAGASA noted that rainy seasons are changing because of climate change

Based on Cruz’s (2013) interview, Montejo (2013) advice the Filipino farmers to consult their local weathermen and time their plantings according to the weather outlook He also said that to aid farmers, the DOST and Pagasa are

disseminating weather forecasts through local meteorologists “Weather patterns differ from region to region, so it is important that each region be assigned a weather forecaster” (Montejo, 2013) To end the interview, Cruz (2013) asked the two scientists if PAGASA can tell farmers when is the best time to plant different crops Both said yes, it can

2.8 Measuring Usability

Usability refers to the quality of a user's experience when interacting with products or systems, including websites, software, devices, or applications Usability is about effectiveness, efficiency and over-all satisfaction of the user (usability.gov)

Based on the study of Lund (2001), there are variety of issues in a life of a user interface designer Some questions like, how do I even know whether improving the user interface of a product will going to have an impact on sales? How can we able to label a product with a “usability seal of approval”? How can

we determine when to award such seal? With the help of his colleagues at Ameritech and U.S WEST Advanced Technologies, they developed a tool that is called the USE Questionnaire USE stands for Usefulness, Satisfaction and Ease

of Use While some tools exist for assessing software usability, they typically may only be available for a fee

The first step in identifying potential items for the questionnaire was to collect a large pool of items to test The items were collected from previous internal studies, from the literature, and from brainstorming (Lund, 2001) The list was then massaged to eliminate or reword items that could not be applied across the

hardware, software, documentation, and service domains One goal was to make the items as simply worded as possible, and as general as possible The questionnaire was made to measure the most important dimensions of usability for users Ideally, it should work for software, hardware, services and support materials (Lund, 2001)

According to Lund (2001), the questionnaires were constructed as point Likert rating scales Users were asked to rate agreement with the statements, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree Various forms of the questionnaires were used to evaluate user attitudes towards a variety of consumer products Factor analyses following each study suggested that users were evaluating the products primarily using three dimensions, Usefulness, Satisfaction, and Ease of Use Evidence of other dimensions was found, but these three served

seven-to most effectively discriminate between interfaces While the questionnaire has been used successfully by many companies around the world, and as part of several dissertation projects, the development of the questionnaire is still not over For the reasons cited, this is an excellent starting place The norms I have developed over the years have been useful in determining when I have achieved sufficient usability

to enable success in the market

PART III: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Materials

The materials used for the research study were survey questionnaires and a consent form Survey questionnaires were used for gathered data from the respondents in the research sites A consent form is for requesting permission from the informants to be my cooperator on my study The consent form contains introduction about the researcher, the researcher’s objectives and purpose of the study Both primary and secondary data were used in this study

The questionnaires that were prepared can be found on Appendix 3 The survey questions contained the respondents’ profile, the farm size, factors that affect their decision-making process, and adaptive mechanisms to change in climate The questionnaire is divided into four parts: (I) General Information (II) Ease of Use (III) Usefulness (IV) Satisfaction The survey questionnaire made by the researcher is on a non-parametric scale and are adapted on several studies

ArcGIS and Laguna Administrative Boundaries Shapefile (.shp) from PhilGIS.org is used for creating the maps for this study It is also used for the geographical location of the research area

3.2 Time and Place of the Study

The study was carried out from March 2018 to June 2018 at the School of Environmental Science and Management of University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna Philippines The survey was conducted in three barangays in Calauan, Laguna that are primarily agricultural lands such as rice fields as its land use

3.3 Research Design

The design used for this study is descriptive research using the prepared questionnaire of 20 rice farmers in each of the three barangays A survey about the usability of PAGASA’s weather information in the decision-making process of selected three barangays in Calauan was conducted The organized data were then analyzed using simple descriptive statistical tools like mean, percentage, and presented using graphs

3.4 Conduct of the Survey

3.4.1 Site Selection Criteria

The information from the Municipal Hall of Calauan and Municipal Agricultural Office was used to determine the three barangays where the survey will be conducted The master list of rice farmers is obtained from the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) in Calauan, Laguna The study area, Calauan, was known as the land of the sweetest pineapple It was chosen by the researcher as the study area because in spite of the town being known as the pineapple capital, there are huge amount of agricultural land especially rice fields even though it is a small town Based on the farmer’s master list, barangay Dayap, barangay Bangyas and barangay Masiit where chosen not only because they are the most accessible area but they are the top 3 of the largest hectares of rice fields and have the greatest number of rice farmers in the area Thus, the rice farmers of the three barangays were sampled for the survey

3.4.2 Determination of Sample Size and Sampling

The sampling method used for this research was purposive sampling Using the method, 15% of the combined population of rice farmers in Dayap (134), Bangyas (121) and Masiit (182) were estimated to get the sampling size Hence, the sample size for the whole study was set at 60 rice farmers, 20 for each barangay The researcher chose the respondents randomly through draw-lots with the criteria of 1) must be a rice farmer and 2) the one who makes decisions in each three barangays since purposive sampling method was used The locals in each barangay were helpful in finding the prospective rice farmers who can be part of the survey The respondents were also surveyed depending on their availability and willingness to be surveyed

3.4.3 Data Gathering Process

The researcher conducted the survey on randomly selected 20 rice farmers

in each of the three barangays Before conducting the survey, an appointment was made and a consent form was sent and approved by the Mayor of Calauan regarding the acquired list of farmers provided by the MAO for the research

Upon approval and acquisition of the necessary permits, the survey was conducted in each barangay The researcher randomly chose respondents on the site The survey’s topic and objectives where informed to the respondents before the survey questions were asked The survey was conducted for 6 days, two days for one barangay

3.5 Organization and Analysis of Data

In this research, the raw data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistical tools in Microsoft Excel 2010 such as frequency distributions, percentage and means Excel was also used to create the necessary graphs and tables to present the organized data from the survey The graphs and tables were discussed and interpreted

3.6 Conceptual Framework

In this study, the results of the survey on the usability of PAGASA’s weather information on the decision-making process of rice farmers in Calauan will reflect on the effectiveness of the forecast system on helping rice farmers on their strategic and operational management decisions The researcher will know the accuracy and the vision and mission of PAGASA’s bulletin on agriculture are met by the results of the survey In order to know the map of the study area, Laguna Administrative Boundaries Shapefile (.shp) from PhilGIS.org is needed in this study The farmer’s master list in Calauan will provide the total number of rice farmers and total number of rice field hectares on the study area