INTRODUCTION:

A farmer (also called an agriculturer) is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms
for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of
raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer might own the
farmed land or might work as a labourer on land owned by others, but in advanced economies,
a farmer is usually a farm owner, while employees of the farm are known as farm workers, or
farmhands. However, in the not so distant past a farmer was a person who promotes or
improves the growth of (a plant, crop, etc.) by labor and attention, land or crops or raises
animals (as livestock or fish).

Farming has been dated back as far as the Neolithic era. By the Bronze Age, the Sumerians had
an agriculture specialized labour force by 5000–4000 BCE, and heavily depended on irrigation
to grow crops. They relied on three-person teams when harvesting in the spring.[2] The Ancient
Egypt farmers farmed and relied and irrigated their water from the Nile.[3]

Animal husbandry, the practice of rearing animals specifically for farming purposes, has existed
for thousands of years. Dogs were domesticated in East Asia about 15,000 years ago. Goats and
sheep were domesticated around 8000 BCE in Asia. Swine or pigs were domesticated by 7000
BCE in the Middle East and China. The earliest evidence of horse domestication dates to around
4000 BCE.

Indigenous Agroforestry practices are until now observed in most of the villages

in the Cordillera. There is, however, a varying degree of persistence and disintegration

such that in some areas, they are on the verge of getting lost. Barangay Guina-ang in

Bontoc, Mountain Province is rich in Agroforestry practices. Like in Ifugao, they also

practice the “payoh” “pinugo” system which has been in existence since time

immemorial. The “payoh” in Ifugao is called “payew” in Guina-ang and “pinugo” is

called “fatangan” (woodlot). Farmers believe that “fatang” provides irrigation to their rice

fields.

The Cordillera region is very rich in natural resources. It is especially famed for its huge gold
deposits, pure stands of pine forest, and rich soils and water sources that have enabled its
people to sustain agriculture on mountainside rice terraces.
BODY:

In 2002, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) reported 120.1 thousand farms for agricultural
use, covering 177.8 thousand hectares, or an average farm size of 1.48 hectares per farm. The
region's total agricultural land area comprised 9.6 percent of the region's total land area. As the
number of farms increased by 10.9 percent over the 108.3 thousand farms reported in 1991,
the average farm size also increased by 0.04 hectare per farm. Generally, the increase in the
number of agricultural farms could be partly attributed to the characteristics of the region
which is well-known for its agricultural products.

About 90.1 percent of the farms in the region had one to four parcels with an average parcel
size of around 1.41 hectares per parcel. Overall, the region reported an average of three parcels
per farm in 2002.

Among the provinces in CAR, Benguet shared the biggest number of farms with 27.5 thousand,
covering 30 thousand hectares of agricultural land. In fact, the total farms for the province
accounted for 22.9 percent of the total farms in the region. Areas under agricultural land
comprised 10.8 percent of the total land area for the province. Moreover, the number of
agricultural farms for the province was higher by 12.1 percent over the 1991 level while the
total area was higher by eight percent.

Abra ranked second with 22.4 thousand farms, covering 22.7 thousand hectares while Ifugao
came in third with 21.1 thousand farms, covering 40.4 thousand hectares.

Among the temporary crops, palay was the common crop in the region in terms of area
planted, which accounted for 82.6 thousand farms with a combined area of 95.1 thousand
hectares. Although corn followed next with 20.5 thousand farms reporting, covering 29.2
thousand hectares, it recorded a 17.1 percent decrease in the number of farms but established
a 44.9 percent increase in the area planted as compared with the 1991 estimates. Tubers, roots
and bulbs, ranked third in 2002. This crop experienced a 7.6 percent reduction in the number of
farms but recorded an increase of 18.7 percent in the total area planted over the 1991 figures.

For Abra, Kalinga and Apayao, palay was the top temporary crop, while for Ifugao and
Mountain Province, palay was the second major temporary crop, next to corn in 2002. As
expected, Benguet, being the (Salad Bowl of the Philippines), its major crops were tubers, roots
and bulbs, and leafy vegetables, stems and flowers.

While most agricultural operators in CAR were engaged in common agricultural activities like
planting palay, corn, etc., others were involved in other agricultural activities like bee
culture/honeybee production, silkworm production, among others. For these types of
agricultural activities, ornamental and flower gardening (excluding orchid) reported the highest
number in the region with 3.2 thousand farms. Moreover, this figure was 67.9 percent higher
than the 1.9 thousand farms reported in 1991.

Mushroom culture also attracted the interest of the agricultural operators in 2002 where it
posted a 94.4 percent increase, or from 142 farms in 1991 to 276 farms in 2002. Similarly,orchid
growing posted an increase of 22.3 percent, or 63 more farms over the 1991 level of 283 farms.

Household members of the agricultural operators were asked if they were engaged in any
agricultural activity, whether in their own holding, in other holding or both.

In 2002, a total of 218.3 thousand household members were engaged in agricultural activities.
Of this number, about 155.1 thousand (71 percent) were employed in own holding, 49.9
thousand (22.8 percent) were employed both in their own holding and in the holding of others,
and 13.3 thousand (6.1 percent) in other holdings.

Household members who were engaged in any agricultural activity were mostly concentrated in
the 10 to 24 year age group. About 105.5 thousand or 52.2 percent of the household members
in this age group were engaged in any agricultural activity.

While male operators dominated the agricultural operations in the year, female household
members who were engaged in any agricultural activity, numbering 129.9 thousand,
outnumbered their male counterparts by 45.7 thousand.

While male operators dominated the agricultural operations in the year, female household
members who were engaged in any agricultural activity, numbering 129.9 thousand,
outnumbered their male counterparts by 45.7 thousand.
CONCLUSION:

Farming is the primary job here in the cord