REVIEW OF LITERATURE SUMMARY OF RELATED STUDIES (MGT. 299 Output No.

2)
PROPOSED RESEARCH PROBLEM: What is the level of acceptance and factors affecting the adoption of PhilGAP in Western Visayas?

VARIABLES/CONCEPTS CITATION & HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ARTICLE/DOCUMENT COMMENTS/CONTRIBUTION AND

USEFULNESS IN RELATION TO
YOUR STUDY
(What is your critique about the study?
How will your study be directed by this
literature?)
 Philippine Agriculture: Habito, C., & Briones, R. (2005). Philippine Agriculture over the Years: Performance, The paper gave us an insight as to the trend
Performance and Policies and Pitfalls. of the performance of the agriculture sector
Importance in the country and the major factors that
The authors pointed out that there has been a decreasing trend in the share of agriculture in the affected it. It also highlighted the
 Impediments to Philippine economy since 1960s. Though many still think that the country is an agricultural importance of the sector in the Philippine
Investments in economy but it is not since agriculture, fishery and forestry directly account for just one-fifth economy giving us more reason to conduct
Agribusiness of the country’s aggregate domestic output (GDP). related studies in the area of agriculture.
We have also learned from this paper that
According to the authors, agriculture’s importance looms larger when it comes to providing our topic on GAP certification is actually
employment, with nearly 37% of jobs coming from the sector. With the many challenges in one of the remedy of the government to
this sector, its importance still cannot be neglected for major reasons cited. First, it provides counter some of the impediments identified
food and vital raw materials for the rest of the economy. Second, it provides a significant in the paper to help the key players who are
market for the non-agricultural economy, as buyer of farm inputs as well as consumer goods the farmers and agri-based entrepreneurs.
and services produced in the non-agricultural economy. And third, as the agriculture grows and
modernizes in the face of limited supplies of agricultural land, it releases surplus labor to the
industry and services sectors.

One of the major constraint that hampers growth in the investments in the agribusiness sector
as presented in the paper is the unconducive policy and institutional environment. In the
summary of impediments presented, lack of global market access is one of the identified factor
in which lack of quality standardization arising from lack of systems and institutions for
assessing and maintaining quality standards was identified as one of the specific problems that
led to the lack of competitive edge of our local agricultural products relative to other
neighboring countries.

 Major Agricultural Crops Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). (2014). Major Crops Statistics of the Philippines (2010- This is relevant in the identifying the crops
2014). Retrieved 8 February 2019 from https://psa.gov.ph./sites/default/files/MajorCrops10- as the center of our research study vis-à-vis
 14.pdf with the application of GAP certification. It
is important to consider these major crops
Based on PSA’s publication there are a total of 21 major crops in the country grouped into in terms of what commodities to focus our
commodities namely: Cereals, Food Crops, Non-Food and Industrial Crops, Vegetables and study.
Root Crops. The publication gives detailed data on these crops from 2010-2014 as to area
harvested and production data based on National, Regional and even up to the Provincial level.
Among the top 10 major crops in the country include rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, banana,
pineapple, coffee, mango, tobacco and abaca. Also included in the list are crops such as
peanut, mungbean, cassava, sweet potato, tomato, garlic, onion bulb, cabbage, eggplant,
calamansi and rubber.

 Current Challenges in Brown, E.O., Ebora, R.E., Decena, F.L.C. (2018). The Current State, Challenges. Philippine Also in response to one of the challenges
Agriculture Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development namely the poor compliance with product
(PCAARRD) standards resulting to low competitiveness
of agriculture, forestry and fisheries (AFF)
The study identified the challenges of agriculture in the Philippines as follows: products, the Good Agriculture Practices
are instructed for its application.
1. Limited diversification and low productivity- Long standing challenges that
hamper productivity include limited access to credit and agricultural insurance, low farm
mechanization and inadequate postharvest facilities, inadequate irrigation, scant support
for research and development (R&D), weak extension service, incomplete agrarian
reform program implementation, and ageing farmers and fisher folks. There is also
limited connectivity between production areas and markets, and poor compliance with
product standards resulting to low competitiveness of agriculture, forestry and fisheries
(AFF) products;

2.Climate change - Its adverse impacts such as increased flooding incidence, drought, soil
degradation, water shortages and increased pests and diseases constantly threaten
agricultural output and productivity. The Philippines is third among the 173 countries in
the world in terms of disaster risk index.

3.Natural resource degradation - Deforestation leading to loss in biodiversity, soil erosion,

flood and water quality; intensive cultivation resulting to depletion of nutrients in various
ecosystems; loss of biodiversity resulting to increased incidence of pest and diseases and
loss of natural predators.
 It further explained that investment in technology and innovation and the necessary support
services is an important requisite to achieving successful agricultural transformation. There
have been significant increases in R&D investment during the past few years, although the
total investment would still be very low to even approximate the recommended rate.

 Food Safety World Health Organization. (2015). Food Safety: What you should know. Retrieved 8 February The researchers should be familiar with the
 RA 10611 or the Food 2019 from www.searo.int/entity/world_health_day/2015/whd-what-you-should-know/en/ concept of food safety in general sense
Safety Act of 2013 because this is one of the rationale for the
According to the publication, food safety is everybody’s concern. Food safety refers to limiting implementation of GAP Program and
the presence of those hazards whether chronic or acute, that may make food injurious to the Certification.
health of the consumer. Food safety is about producing, handling, storing and preparing food
in such a way as to prevent infection and contamination in the food production chain, and to RA 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013
help ensure that food quality and wholesomeness are maintained to promote good health. is one of the legal basis of GAP Programs
and Certification under the Department of
Official Gazette. (2013). The Philippines. Retrieved 8 February 2019 from Agriculture.
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/08/23/republic-act-no-10611/

RA NO. 10611 is AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN THE FOOD SAFETY REGULATORY

SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY TO PROTECT CONSUMER HEALTH AND FACILITATE
MARKET ACCESS OF LOCAL FOODS AND FOOD PRODUCTS, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES or shortly known as the “Food Safety Act” of 2013. From the Declaration of
Policy it states that Section 15, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution declares that the
State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instil health consciousness
among them. Furthermore, Section 9, Article XVI provides that the State shall protect
consumers from the trade malpractices and from substandard or hazardous products. Toward
these ends, the State shall maintain a farm to fork food safety regulatory system that ensures a
high level of food safety, promotes fair trade and advances the global competitiveness of
Philippine foods and food products.

One of the Section discusses about Setting of Food Safety Standards which is mandated to the
Department of Agriculture and Department of Health.

 Basics in Good Maughan, T., Drost, D., Olsen, S., and Black, B.. (2016). Good Agricultural Practices (GAP): The ideas presented in this particular article
Agricultural Practices Certification Basics. Retrieved 8 February 2019 from Utah States University Extension is very helpful for the researchers as guide
(GAP) Certification https://digitalcommons.usu.edu./cgi/viewcontent.cgi? to better understand what is GAP and GAP
article=1803&context=exteniosion_curall Certification. It also gave an appreciation
 of how it started especially in the United
According to the article, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), which includes Good Handling States.
Practices (GHP), was formally implemented by the US Department of Agriculture and Food
and Drug Administration in 2002. The authors also stated that GAP is a voluntary audit In response to one of the challenges namely
program for the fruit and vegetable production industry to verify that the produce is grown, the poor compliance with product standards
packed, handled, and stored as safely as possible. In the case in the US, although these audits resulting to low competitiveness of
are voluntary, many buyers, wholesale organizations, grocery chains and risk-adverse agriculture, forestry and fisheries (AFF)
institutions such as schools and hospitals are beginning to independently require growers to be products, the promotion of good agriculture
GAP certified. This is in response to the growing number of reported cases of food-borne practices is recommended.
illnesses and deaths that has been publicized over recent years. For the authors, the GAP
Program is a good way for growers to regain and maintain consumers trust with their products.
They also shared important knowledge and tips on what basic requirements and on how to
prepare before deciding for an audit program to commence in the farm for certification.

Manual on Fresh and Processed Vegetable Certification in the Philippines. Bureau of

Agricultural Research, Department of Agriculture

Good Agricultural Practices are a set of consolidated safety and quality procedures that
improve the value and reduce the risk of microbial and pesticide contamination in agricultural
products. These are composed of a set of recommendations on improving production systems
which ensure the safety and quality of the produce grown.

Certain biological hazards like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites primarily cause illnesses.
These are usually present in the soil, air and water which grown produce is commonly exposed
to. The practice of using manure as fertilizer and some other unsanitary practices increase
further the risk of contamination. With the help of GAP, a safety plan could be made in order
to reduce the risk of microbial contamination in agricultural produce.

 ASEAN GAP Chan, K. (2016). Manual on Good Agricultural Practices. Asian Productivity Organization. The importance of learning the ASEAN
Tokyo, Japan. GAP including the minimum standards
should be taken into consideration in this
The author of the publication described how the ASEAN (10 member countries) developed the research as basis of the Philippine GAP
ASEAN GAP. ASEAN GAP just like in the US is also not mandatory but a voluntary standard Program being studied as to its
of GAP that is used to control hazards during production, harvesting, and post-harvesting of implementation and adoption of farmers
fresh fruits and vegetables in the ASEAN region. Ten member countries have also made efforts and agri-based entrepreneurs
for their own GAP development in varying degrees. From the publication, the ASEAN GAP
 covers four modules of compliance criteria: food safety; environmental management; worker’s
health, safety and welfare; and produce quality. Member countries that are well advanced in
their National GAP development should meet all of these four modules.

 Philippine GAP DA Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards. (2017). Code of Good Agricultural The updated Code of GAP will serve as the
Practices for Fruits and Vegetables. Retrieved 28 February 2019 bible of the researchers in evaluating the
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2017/SPS/PHL/17_2781_00_e.pdf level and factors affecting the adoption of
farmers and agri-based entrepreneurs
The ASEAN member States adopted the ASEAN GAP which set the minimum requirements to within the scope of the research
ensure food safety and quality of fresh fruits and vegetables in 2006 including the Philippines.
Consequently, a strategic plan was also developed to sustain the immediate and long term
development and use of the ASEAN GAP standards.

Based on the publication, recent efforts was also done in the case of the Philippines. The
Technical Working Group (TWG) that developed the Philippine Code of GAP was
reconstituted per Special Order No. 610 Series of 2017 to facilitate the review and revision of
the standards to fully-align it with the ASEAN GAP. The project is a collaborative effort of
experts from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Bureau
of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), University
of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB), Control Union Philippines, and Bureau of Agriculture
and Fisheries Standards (BAFS). The practices in this Code of GAP are aimed towards
prevention and minimization of risk occurrences which include those of food safety,
environmental impact, worker health, safety and welfare, and product quality. It is envisioned
that compliance of farmers with this set of practices will enhance the trade and
competitiveness of the country’s agricultural products as well as promote consumer protection
against food safety hazards.

Recommended practices under the revised Code of GAP include these aspects:

1. Site history and management

2. Planting material
3. Soil and soil conservation
4. Fertilizers and soil additives
5. Water
6. Crop protection
7. Harvesting and handling produce
 8. Transport
9. Specific process steps
10. Off-farm facility for produce handling and/or storage
11. Personal hygiene and farm sanitation
12. Worker’s health, safety and welfare
13. Waste management and energy efficiency
14. Traceability and recall
15. Documentation and records
16. Internal self-inspection
 General Drivers of Chan, K. (2016). Manual on Good Agricultural Practices. Asian Productivity Organization. Knowing the drivers of adoption as
Adoption Tokyo, Japan. experienced in other countries who adopted
GAP earlier can educate the researchers of
According to the author, consumer demand was observed as one of the drivers for GAP this study to guide them in better
adoption especially in developed countries in the world. In the past, consumers ate to survive understanding of the actual situation within
and the amount of food available on the market was never sufficient. Growers were assured the scope of the study.
that they could sell all their produce at any time. Today, consumers are no longer solely
The Case Studies done in Thailand will
focused on sating their hunger and have a great variety of food choices. Consumers in rich and
give an idea to the researchers as to what
developed markets, with their very large purchasing power, have a great variety of food motivated the majority of farmers in that
choices available at any time of the year. Food production is now a demand pull function. country to adopt GAP Thailand standards
Consumers now set the quality requirements on how food products are retailed. Rather than and Certification.
price, the deciding factor for consumers is whether poor farmers in developing countries can
deliver produce into these markets with the best prices that have these quality requirements.

Yadanar, K. (2014). Case Studies of GAPs of Farmers in Thailand. Center for Applied
Economic Research, Kasetsart University, Thailand.

Based on the Case Studies done in Thailand, the GAP standard was adopted by the growers to
access higher value markets domestically and internationally. The exporters of agricultural
products have been required to meet the food safety standard of the export origin to be able to
grab high market value. Thailand has developed Thai GAP standard to improve farmers’
competitiveness in the global market. In addition, the development of the ASEAN Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) has also forced the need to establish a standard for safety and quality of
 Factors affecting PhilGAP imported products within the ASEAN region. The case study of Spencer Secretario on the
Adoption (drivers and case of Cavendish Banana plantations can
barriers of adoption) Secretario, S. (2017). Revisiting the Adoption of the Philippine Good Agricultural Practices be a good model for the researchers since

Constraints in Marketing and Trade
Status of PhilGAP
(PhilGAP) Certification Programme: A Case Study of Cavendish Banana Plantations. Massey the general objectives of both studies are
University, New Zealand somewhat similar in nature
The Case Study was done specifically to know the factors affecting the level of adoption
among Cavendish Banana farmers after almost a decade of implementation of PhilGAP
Certification. A previous study was done in 2011 and data revealed that there was no
Cavendish banana plantation certified with PhilGAP. Five years after the initial study, there are
only 2 out of more than 700 Cavendish banana plantation growers than had been certified with
PhilGAP. Because of this, the researcher wanted to know what are the drivers and the barriers
of the adoption of the PhilGAP certification programme of the government for the said
commodity.
Some important barriers that were identified through the study included knowledge barriers,
cost, process and scale of operations while some of the drivers included no minimum standard
of production, less stringent auditing systems and provision of government subsidies.
Pabuayon, I. et al.(2013). Agricultural Policy: Perspective from the Philippines and other The marketing and trade issues of
Developing countries. The University of the Philippines Press, Diliman, Quezon City agriculture sector are highly relevant in the
light of PhilGAP. These pervading issues
This textbook for Agricultural Policy discusses the interrelationship of macro- and micro- can be helped solved by PhilGAP.
economics of agricultural sector. The aspects of these problems should be
Discussed are the specific policies, issues and frameworks for policy making process, taken into consideration in the assessment
implementation and monitoring. of adoption of PhilGAP among the farmers
On marketing and trade issues, the following issues were observed by the authors of WV.
1. Declining competitiveness of local products Corroborated by the findings of other
2. Inefficient distribution system arising from poor transport and communication networks studies (pls see below)
3.Highly fluctuating food and non-food prices This study should also include the
4. Changing consumption habits and market preferences success/failures of GAP Certified farms in
5. Food safety and product quality concerns their marketing of agricultural produce.
6. Increasing fiscal cost of food subsidies
7. Role of public agencies in product marketing and distribution
Banzon, A., Mojica, L. and Cielo, A. (2013) Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in the
Philippines: Status, Issues, and Policy Strategies. SEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines The information provided by this study
provides picture on the constraints of
This study mentions that the country’s GAP-related programs, schemes, activities, and key PhilGAP implementation and adoption as
 players and adopters are not well-documented. As of 15 April 2013, there were 15 PhilGAP- well as identified drivers for adoption.
certified entities. Low participation in the certification program, high cost of certification, and The government initiative remains the most
lack of awareness were some of the problems found in studies about GAP. important driver towards GAP Adoption.
Identified GAP Adoption driver are the ff: These information will be verified should
1. Government initiatives/support be verified by the researchers.
2. Export market requirements
3. Non-government initiatives/support
4. Individual/management or corporate culture
Constraints to GAP Adoption:
1. Knowledge constraints
2. Cost constraints
3. Process constraints
4. Reward/incentive constraints

Palizada, S. (2016) Overview of the Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP)

Certification Program. Presented at International Symposium on Tropical Fruits, Davao City The data presented may serve as national
means for comparison with WV data.
In this presentation, data related to PhilGAP (as of 2016) from BAFS were presented:
183 developed standards (Philippine National Standards) as basis for GAP for every crop. Update of the data, if available, should be
Regional numbers of GAP Certified Farms, National total of GAP certified farms: 82 obtained from relevant authorities.
Total Certified Area: 22,595 hectares
59.76% of farms were in Region II
Herbs and Spices: 18.22%
Corn: 0.42%
Vegetbles: 0.38%
Fruits: 80.99 %
GAP Inspectors = 122
BPI Trained GAP Inspectors = 177
Region VI GAP Certified Farms: 3

Good management practices Mariano, M.J., Villano, R. and Fleming, E. (2012). Factors influencing farmers’ adoption of This article provides insights on the factors
adoption modern rice technologies and good management practices in the Philippines. Agricultural affecting adoption of technology among
Systems 110 (2012) 41–53 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2012.03.010 farmer, their attitude on RED program and
approaches used in extension.
This study investigated the adoption of technologies among Philippine rice farmers. Findings
show that choice of technology adoption was assumed to have been affected by a combination Entrepreneurial and marketing aspect of
of socioeconomic, institutional and agroclimatic conditions. PhilGAP should have bridged the
discrepancy
Significant factors that affect technology adoption include farmers’ education, machinery
ownership, irrigation water supply, capacity-enhancement activities and profit-oriented Factors indicated in this study will be
behavior. Other limiting factors for adoption are soil and nutrient deficiencies. included in the formulation of
questionnaire with modification for fruit
Despite the disinclination of the government in funding extension services, this was found out and vegetable farmers.
to have continuing importance for technology adoption. On-farm demonstration trials have
highest adoption impact, only that farmers’ participation is restricted.

Yorobe, L. P. (2015). Improving the agricultural insurance program to enhance resilience to This paper is focused on the
climate change: evidence from corn farmers in the Philippines insurance/financial programs and their
impact on adoption of GAP. It must be
This paper comprehensively examines the good agricultural practices (GAP) adopted by corn noted however, that these GAP are not
farmers to enhance their resilience to climate change and its implications to the agricultural necessarily geared towards GAP
insurance program in the Philippines. The data used came from the 2012-2013 survey of 426 certification but are individual/isolated
corn farm households from 12 villages in Isabela, Pangasinan and Bukidnon. practices adopted by farmers.

The authors find that pests and diseases and drought were the major hazards in corn production The researchers should also look into the
and farmers subscribed to crop insurance and adopted some good agricultural practices as financing aspect and how it is related on
measures to mitigate the hazards. The evidence indicates that credit and membership to the adoption of GAP among WV farmers
farmers organizations positively influenced insurance subscription while distance to nearest
market and the number of GAP adoption have negative effects. The number of good Other factors mentioned should be also
agricultural practices adopted by farmers are also very much influenced by household size, investigated. Socioeconomic factors such
age, corn area, credit, farm distances to the nearest road, insurance and extension offices, as household size, age and farm area should
cognition level and attitude towards GAP. The results also indicate the presence of moral be included in the profiling of the
hazards as farmers with insurance reduced their GAP, but farmers remained unaffected respondents
because of the premium subsidy provided by the government. Access to credit, proximity to the nearest
road, insurance and extension offices,
Overall, the results suggest that broadening of the corn insurance market can be effectively cognition level and individual attitude
undertaken by targeting borrowing farmers and those affiliated to farmers' organizations. With should also be taken into account.
the increasing frequency of climatic events and incidence of pests and diseases in the country,
policymakers may have to contend with the insurance support until the full effect of the GAP
has been realized.
Tey, Y.S. et al. (2015). A Means-End Chain Approach to Explaining the Adoption of Good
 Agricultural Practices Certification Schemes: The Case of Malaysian Vegetable Farmers
Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics (2015) 28:977–990 These personal attitudes towards adoption
DOI: 10.1007/s10806-015-9572-9 of GAP should be incorporated by the
researchers in their investigation, in
This study seeks to explain the adoption of GAP certification schemes through an analysis of addition to economic and social factors.
the role of personal values in guiding such choice. It is a departure from approaches taken in
previous studies in the area. Through the laddering interview technique of means-end chain Incorporation of these attitudes should be
analysis, a hierarchical value map was systematically schematized to illustrate the relationship modified to specific Filipino values.
between adoption of GAP (attributes), outcomes (consequences), and personal values driving
the choice. The personal values identified in this study cluster under the headings of ‘‘better
life’’, ‘‘religious responsibility’’, ‘‘healthy life’’, and ‘‘responsible farmer’’. Amongst these, the
main evidence (pathways) pointed to the desire to have ‘‘better life’’ through the enhanced
financial position that is perceived to arise as a consequence of GAP adoption as being of
primary importance. These findings suggest that, while profit is not the sole end driver of
adoptive behavior, GAP certification schemes have to be seen as lucrative and to enhance the
goals of achieving core personal values. Other empirical information in this study also has
significant policy implications. It is a key finding of this paper that effective promotions of
GAP should be tailored and targeted at specific segments of the farmer population.

Prepared and submitted by:

Ryan Rasgo

Reiner Paul Teologo

Angelie Acot

Lou Martin Secreto