Comparison of Organic Farmer - Trainers in Japan and the Philippines

Abstract

Farmer-trainer is a generic term used to address farmers who provide and conduct trainings not only to farmers, but also to other actors such as agricultural extension agents, students, teachers, hobbyists, and businessmen in a community. They play very important roles in the dissemination and adoption of technologies. Through these farmer-trainers, younger generations will be encouraged and motivated to engage in organic farming, and issues related to decreasing number and aging population of existing farmers in Japan and the Philippines can be partially solved. Prior to conducting research about the effectiveness of organic farmer-trainers in the Philippines, this paper aims to qualitatively explore, interpret, and understand perceptions, experiences, and motivations to compare organic farmer-trainers (OFTs) and institutions in the Philippines. Using Life History Approach (LHA) and Grounded Theory Approach (GTA), this qualitative study analyzed collected data from interviews and observations of purposively selected four OFT and two institutions. Observations and interviews revealed that OFTs have varied reasons such as sustainability, health, and environmental concerns, and motivations to conduct their respective trainings. These reasons and motivations affect the farmer-trainer’s training method and quality, and impact to their respective trainees. In general, Filipino OFTs should consider and adopt the philosophy and uniqueness of how Japanese OFTs conduct trainings and impact the community.