DETERMINING THE PRODUCTIVITY AND POVERTY LEVEL OF QUEEN PINEAPPLE FARMERS IN CAMARINES NORTE, PHILIPPINES

Purpose- Queen pineapple production is a small-scale farming acitivity in Camarines Norte Philippines. Despite its production potential, pineapple farmers report of low productivity as the price of input increases and the net income decreases. This paper compares the productivity level relative to the poverty threshold of Queen pineapple farmers who use traditional and innovative production practices. Methodology- Data was gathered from January to March 2022 in Camarines Norte, where Queen pineapple production is highly concentrated. A total of 96 farmers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Productivity was measured based on the cost and revenue analysis of traditional practices, the use of innovative production, and the input and output ratio in terms of land labor and capital. Findings- Results revealed that innovative production increased land, labor, and capital productivity. The poverty threshold is influenced by educational status, household size, and pineapple cultivation area. Thus, 56 percent of the farmers live with less than the basic food requirements, 17 percent live below the poverty threshold, and only 27 percent live above the poverty threshold. Conclusion- To earn more than the poverty threshold the decision point may be based on area planted or based on farming system. The former suggest that a Queen pineapple farmer must utilize 1.6 hectares (ha) using traditional practices but only 0.68 ha using innovative production practices while the latter suggest that based on farming system, expanding production areas through mixed or integrated cropping or adopting production innovations for single cropping is recommended. Keywords: Traditional practices, cost of production, farming system. JEL Codes: D24, D31, O31