The Potential of Jackfruit to Contribute to Rural Development in Leyte, Philippines
Abstract
The Filipino government is currently implementing policies in which different provinces are promoted as major producers of flagship commodities under the High Value Crops Development program. This policy approach contains social elements such as poverty alleviation. This thesis investigates the potential of jackfruit to become either a sustainable crop or a cash crop commodity in Leyte, the Philippines. It analyses jackfruits potential to contribute to rural development and as a result reduce levels of poverty and improve farmer’s livelihoods. This thesis uses a food systems and systems thinking approach to analyse cash crop commodities. By doing so it enables the whole system to be analysed in an holistic manner, hence addressing the inter-connectedness and interactions between the different components of the system. The cultural adaptation template which was developed by Newell (2011) is the key analytical framework utilised to undertake this analysis. This thesis seeks to understand what lessons can be learnt from structurally similar cash crop commodities case studies (banana and coconut) and applied to the jackfruit case study. Findings suggest that the policy focus of agricultural intensification to reduce levels of poverty is not successfully achieving its social policy goals. Poverty statistics have not significantly changed over the years despite the consistent increase in production, prices and export levels. The approach is resulting in significant social, environmental and economic costs at the site of production. As a result the health of the ecosystem and human wellbeing is deteriorating. The policy approach is feeding into an international economic system where the bulk production of commodities is required to meet global demand. Due to the structural similarities between the three it is likely that jackfruit will develop into a cash crop commodity. As the jackfruit industry is still being developed in Leyte, interventions in the system can occur to ensure that this does not occur. Recommended points of intervention in the system include ensuring those involved in rural agriculture have a greater influence on policy, the creation of farmer cooperatives, value adding options, organic certification, collective agreements and the establishment of government taxes and payments. Ultimately, however, the Filipino government needs to have a paradigm shift in their views from agricultural intensification policies to an approach where socio-environmental degradation does not come second to the economy. Until there is this shift, jackfruit will become a cash crop commodity for farmers and will not provide them with an adequate income which would remove them from poverty.